Creating a Grow-Your-Own Program for Recruiting and Supporting Computer Science Teacher Candidates in Rural Georgia

该项目旨在满足国家培养高质量计算机科学教师的能力建设需要。数以千计的CS职位仍然空缺，部分原因是CS教师短缺，以教育学生未来的CS职业。该项目旨在通过为高中生创造一条成为CS教师的途径来应对短缺，并以奖学金作为激励。该项目小组计划为未来的CS教师开发一个“自己成长”（GYO）模式，重点是格鲁吉亚农村地区。GYO模式的目的是从高中招收有兴趣的学生，他们打算回到家乡教CS。美世的双招生课程（高中和大学学分）、两年制大学课程津贴和两年制奖学金将联合收割机，为未来的CS教师提供大学教育。美世大学的这个项目包括与Wiregrass格鲁吉亚技术学院和八个格鲁吉亚农村高需求学区（克林奇、咖啡、都柏林、埃文斯、杰夫·戴维斯、塔特纳尔、特罗伊特伦和惠勒）的合作伙伴关系。项目目标包括确定和增加新的合作伙伴，开发一个GYO模式，将双招生和社区大学的途径;并创建一个招聘计划。与地区领导人，教师和未来的CS教师的非正式访谈和调查将告知GYO模式的发展，以满足社区的需求。虽然这一具体项目旨在解决格鲁吉亚农村地区CS教师短缺的问题，但项目小组打算在州和国家会议上分享有效的战略，以促进将发展进程转移到其他环境。一名外部评价员和一个咨询委员会也将支持该项目。这个能力建设项目是通过罗伯特诺伊斯教师奖学金计划（诺伊斯）的支持。诺伊斯计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM教师和经验丰富的模范K-12教师，成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 of building capacity to prepare high-quality computer science (CS) teachers. Thousands of CS positions remain unfilled, partly due to a shortage of CS teachers to educate students for future CS careers. This project intends to respond to the shortage by creating a pathway for high school students to become CS teachers, with scholarship funds as an incentive. The project team plans to develop a Grow-Your-Own (GYO) model for prospective CS teachers, focused on rural Georgia. The aim of the GYO model will be to recruit interested students from high school who intend to return to their hometown to teach CS. Dual enrollment courses (for high school and college credit), stipends for two-year college courses, and scholarship funds for two years at Mercer will combine to provide a college education for prospective CS teachers.This project at Mercer University includes partnerships with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and eight rural Georgia high-need school districts (Clinch, Coffee, Dublin, Evans, Jeff Davis, Tattnall, Treutlen, and Wheeler). Project goals include identifying and adding new partners, developing a GYO model incorporating dual enrollment and community college pathways; and creating a recruitment plan. Informal interviews and surveys with district leaders, teachers, and prospective CS teachers will inform the development of a GYO model that meets the needs of the community. Although this specific project seeks to address the shortage of CS teachers in rural Georgia, the project team intends to share effective strategies at state and national conferences to promote transfer of the development process to other settings. An external evaluator and an advisory board will also support the project. This 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.