Increasing and Inspiring Highly Effective Secondary STEM Teachers for High-Need, Culturally Diverse School Districts

该项目旨在通过在俄克拉荷马州东北部农村和城市地区高需求、文化多样化的学校增加高效中学STEM教师的数量来服务于国家需求。国家目前面临教师短缺的问题，包括有资格教授数学、生物、化学和物理的教师。该项目旨在吸引、准备和激励未来的教师在毕业后选择不同的教学领域，并将为成绩优异的学生提供20个奖学金，显著减轻成为STEM教师的经济负担。这些准教师将通过多样化的体验式学习机会、增强的辅导和暑期工作坊获得增强的课程规划，并且在毕业后，学者将继续获得高质量的入职支持。该项目的一个创新特点是将教学融入以地方为基础的教育--让学生沉浸在当地遗产中作为学习的基础，为STEM教师在高需求学区的职业生涯做好准备。通过以地方为基础的教育和其他有效和吸引人的STEM教学，该项目承诺改善学者的学习成果，更好地为他们所教的学生进入大学做好准备，并增加这些学生对STEM领域的兴趣和参与度。在五年的课程中，20名本科生将获得奖学金，以获得他们所在STEM领域的学士学位和俄克拉荷马州中学教学认证。为此，该项目将依靠东北州立大学与两个K-12合作伙伴密切合作：Tahlequah公立学校和联合公立学校。这些伙伴关系为为高需求学区的未来STEM教师进行创新培训提供了理想的环境，同时应对教师短缺危机。促进未来教师学习的高质量、注重研究的做法包括：体验式学习，提供超出必要实习范围的机会；由高需求学区的高效实践教师提供指导；侧重于最佳实践的讲习班，目的是使准教师为他们作为教育工作者的角色做好准备；以及由教员和其他STEM专家主持的科学和数学演示讲习班。该项目有可能留住即将毕业的STEM教师，同时也为未来的劳动力培养有效的教师。拟议项目的智力价值体现在支持教师效能的教学和以地方为基础的教育及其课程作业的整合中，作为一种创新的方式，为STEM教师在高需求学区的职业生涯做准备。该项目的成果将用于为加强对其他高等教育机构的STEM教育工作者的培训提出循证建议，并调查招聘措施在招聘学者方面的影响，以及计划编制对留住学者，特别是来自少数群体的学者的影响。这个Track 1：奖学金和津贴项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划(Noyce)提供支持。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教师的持久性、保留率和有效性的研究。该奖项反映了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。

This project aims to serve a national need by increasing the number of highly effective secondary STEM teachers in high-need, culturally diverse schools in rural and urban areas of northeastern Oklahoma. The State currently faces teacher shortages, including teachers qualified for instruction in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. This project aims to attract, prepare, and inspire prospective teachers to select diverse areas in which to teach upon graduation and will provide 20 scholarships to high-achieving students, significantly reducing the financial burden of becoming a STEM teacher. These prospective teachers will receive enhanced programming through diverse experiential learning opportunities, enhanced mentoring, summer workshops, and after graduation, scholars will continue to receive high-quality induction support. An innovative feature of the project is its integration of instruction in place-based education - the immersion of students in local heritage as a foundation for learning, to prepare STEM teachers for careers in high-need school districts. By utilizing place-based education and other effective and engaging STEM instruction, this project promises to improve learning outcomes for the Scholars, better prepare the students they teach for college, and increase those students’ interest and engagement in the STEM fields.Over the course of five years, 20 undergraduate students will be awarded scholarships to earn a bachelor’s degree in their STEM fields as well as Oklahoma secondary teaching certification. Towards this end this project will rely on Northeastern State University collaborating closely with two K-12 partners: Tahlequah Public Schools and Union Public Schools. These partnerships provide ideal settings for the innovative preparation of prospective STEM teachers for high-needs school districts while combating the teacher shortage crisis. High quality, research-informed practices to enhance prospective teachers’ learning include experiential learning, which provides opportunities that extend beyond required internships; mentoring by highly effective practicing teachers from high-needs school districts; workshops focusing on best practices with a goal of preparing prospective teachers for their role as educators; and science and mathematics demonstration workshops facilitated by faculty and other STEM experts. This project has the potential to increase retention of graduating STEM teachers while also preparing effective teachers for tomorrow’s workforce. The intellectual merit of the proposed project is embedded in the integration of instruction to support teacher efficacy and in place-based education and its coursework as an innovative way to prepare STEM teachers for careers in high-need school districts. Results of this project will be used to develop evidence-based recommendations for enhancing the training of STEM educators at other higher education institutions and to investigate the impact of recruitment measures in recruiting scholars and the impact of programming in retaining scholars, especially those from minority populations. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends 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 persistence, retention, and effectiveness 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.