Building Capacity for Critical Need STEM and Special Education Teachers in Southeast Arkansas

该项目旨在满足国家需要，在高需求学区发展STEM教师效力和留任方面的研究能力。这一能力建设项目旨在开展研究，帮助解决阿肯色州东南部教师短缺的问题，开展活动为提交未来具有竞争力的Noyce Track 4研究提案提供数据。它打算在少数群体服务机构(MSI)建立与该机构更广泛的历史教育使命相一致的机构能力，以满足国家和地区的社会和经济需求。该项目将加强与主要州立教育教师有效性和许可机构、十二(12)个高需求地方教育机构(LEA)、两(2)个地方和地区教育服务合作社以及两(2)个开放招生公立特许学校的实质性合作和伙伴关系，以促进知识共享，帮助解决阿肯色州东南部急需教师短缺的问题。该项目还旨在确定最佳实践，以推动STEM教师管道并改善急需的教师留任。阿肯色大学松崖分校(UAPB)的项目将利用基于社区的参与性研究(CBPR)模型来确定数据，该项目将有助于研究STEM教师的有效性和留住。UAPB是1890年的一家公共综合性土地授予机构，位于阿肯色州的历史黑人学院和大学(HBCU)。项目活动和具体行动包括加强LEA基于社区的伙伴关系和教育合作社、高需求学区和每个学年难以填补K-12关键需求STEM教师和特殊教育教师职位的开放招生公立特许学校之间的合作关系。在能力建设年期间，该项目将确定和审查有助于留住STEM和特殊教育有色人种教师的因素，包括学校经历。该项目将召开“关键需求STEM和特殊教育教师能力建设会议”，邀请地区、州和国家各级的教育工作者和管理人员分析可能导致阿肯色州东南部高需求区域内关键需求教师流失的更广泛的背景因素(代理和社区目标)。该项目还将为MSI提供重要的基准数据和能力建设，以确保提交具有竞争力的第四轨道研究提案所需的关键伙伴关系和支持。这项工作的更广泛影响包括其他MSI有潜力建设其机构能力，改进其教师教育计划，并通过有目的的规划加强基于社区的伙伴关系、合作和支持，以解决迫切需要的教师短缺问题。能力建设项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金方案提供支持。(诺伊斯)。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的有效性和留住的研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project aims to serve the national need for developing research capacity regarding STEM teacher effectiveness and retention in high-need school districts. This Capacity Building project seeks to conduct research that will assist in addressing teacher shortages in Southeast Arkansas through activities to provide data for submitting a future competitive Noyce Track 4 Research proposal. It intends to build institutional capacity at a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) aligned with the broader historic educational mission of the institution to respond to the social and economic needs of the state and region. The project will strengthen substantive collaborations and partnerships with the lead state education teacher effectiveness and licensure agency, twelve (12) high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), two (2) local and regional educational service cooperatives, and two (2) open enrollment public charter schools to promote knowledge sharing to help address critical need teacher shortages in Southeast Arkansas. This project also intends to identify best practices that drive STEM teacher pipelines and improve teacher retention in high-need LEAs.The project at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), a public comprehensive 1890 land grant institution and Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Arkansas, will utilize a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model to identify data that the project will find useful in studying STEM teacher effectiveness and retention. Project activities and specific actions include strengthening LEA community-based partnerships and collaborative relationships among an MSI and educational cooperatives, high-need school districts, and open enrollment public charter schools that struggle to fill K-12 critical need STEM teacher and Special Education teacher positions each academic year. During the Capacity Building year, the project will identify and examine factors, including school experiences, that contribute to the retention of STEM and Special Education teachers of color. The project will convene a “Critical Needs STEM and Special Education Teacher Capacity Building Conference” that will engage regional, state, and national level educators and administrators to analyze the broader contextual factors (agentic and communal goals) that may cause critical need teacher attrition within high-need LEAs in Southeast Arkansas. This project will also provide important baseline data and build capacity for an MSI to secure the critical partnerships and support needed to submit a competitive Track 4 Research Proposal. The broader impact of this work includes the potential for other MSIs to build their institutional capacities, improve their teacher education programs, and through intentional planning strengthen community-based partnerships, collaborations, and support to address critical need teacher shortages. The Capacity Building project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.