Teach@Mines Noyce Scholarship and Stipend Program

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The project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality STEM teachers as well as developing high quality strategies and resources for encouraging STEM faculty to talk about teaching as a profession on a level playing field with other careers a student can pursue with the same degree. This project will recruit both undergraduate majors and career changers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and prepare them to become STEM subject area teachers through the Teach@Mines teacher preparation program. This program prepares STEM teachers exclusively with pathways for STEM undergraduates (via a “Teaching” minor or the “BS in Engineering with a STEM Teaching focus area” major) and graduate students who possess a STEM degree (via a master’s degree in STEM Education with specialty areas in science, mathematics, or computer science teaching). Developed in the past five years, the teacher preparation program is built on best practices and integrates pedagogical content knowledge into every facet of the program. In addition to serving the needs of local districts, it includes instruction and experiences for developing cultural competence and dispositions for successful STEM subject area teachers in high-need schools.This project at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines) includes partnerships with St. Vrain Valley School District, Skyline High School, Douglas County School District, Mountain Vista High School, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Cimarron Middle School, Legend High School, Adams County School District 14, and Adams City High School to educate and prepare STEM teachers. This project intends to fund 40 internships and at least 17 unique individuals as Noyce Scholars over 5 years. Project goals include to: 1) increase the number of Mines graduates who become STEM teachers in high-need school districts; 2) provide ongoing mentoring and professional development support for Noyce Scholars during their induction years; 3) maintain a healthy, supportive culture at Mines towards the teaching profession; 4) increase awareness of the Teach@Mines program among faculty and increase the number of faculty who talk about teaching as a career option; and 5) assess, disseminate, and sustain the best recruitment and retention practices. To ensure that the Noyce recipients have the needed cultural competence, pedagogical knowledge, and dispositions to be successful STEM teachers in high-need districts, the licensure coursework includes 90 hours of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse education to meet the Colorado English Language (EL) endorsement standards. This coursework is integrated through several courses so that students learn about effective practices for supporting EL Learners in context, learning about, and practicing effective teaching practices, while engaging in multiple field experiences in high-need classrooms. To support Noyce recipients after graduation during their first years of teaching, induction supports include working in tandem with the hiring schools, connecting Scholars with external teacher networks, and providing personal support from Teach@Mines faculty. Scholars will have access to a Mines mentor teacher and participation in the Mines alumni network for a minimum of three years. The project will provide clear, transparent, and timely advising in addition to the education, experiences, and supports within Noyce Scholars’ licensure coursework and induction focused on developing cultural competence, pedagogical knowledge, and dispositions to be successful STEM teachers in high-need schools. Through a robust evaluation focused on three important questions, this project has the potential to provide insights into successful strategies and resources for creating a culture of support for any student becoming a teacher. 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 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.