Noyce Scholars: Preparing STEM Teachers to Serve in High-Need, Rural School Districts

多尔特学院的Noyce Track 1项目将采用创新的方法招募、培养和留住31名高素质的STEM教师，在高需求的农村学区任教。STEM教师是为K-12学生在STEM领域的职业生涯做准备的关键方面。与全国其他地区相比，全国范围内STEM教师短缺的问题在农村学校同样严重，农村学校有23% - 36%的STEM教育职位空缺。小农村地区的教师往往是该地区唯一的STEM教育专家，他们不仅是课堂上的教师，也是整个地区STEM教育的领导者。一个多特学院的学者可以在长达40年的时间里每年教180名学生，影响7000多名学生的职业生涯。这些高素质的STEM教师在五年内教育农村社区学生的潜在数量可能会影响数千名学生。多特学院和西北爱荷华社区学院，以及勒玛斯和西苏社区学区，计划通过这个Noyce学者项目共同合作，解决STEM教师的严重短缺问题，该项目将鼓励和支持有才华的STEM专业学生成为高需求的农村当地教育机构的教师。为了实现这些目标，该项目将采取双管齐下的方式：(a)该项目将为31名学术实力雄厚的STEM学生提供奖学金和队列体验，以招募、培养和支持更多准备在农村地区教书的STEM教育候选人。队列体验将包括1)共享课程，2)同伴指导，3)成长心态培训，以及4)学位完成期间和之后的网络和支持。(b)该计划将扩大招收幼稚园至12年级及大专程度的学生，并加强学院的专业学习网络。支持这一方法的推广工作将包括：1)为K-12学生提供丰富和职业识别机会的夏令营、参观日和STEM竞赛等活动；2)为多特学院学生和当地社区大学生提供大学生推广活动；3)教师交流机会，包括研讨会、教师圈子和专业学习社区。该项目将为招聘和培养高素质STEM教师的最佳实践提供有价值的见解。个人学习网络和成长心态培训的创新使用将为潜在和早期职业STEM教师的元认知和社会方面提供重要见解。

The Noyce Track 1 project at Dordt College will employ innovative methods to recruit, prepare, and retain 31 highly-qualified STEM teachers to teach in high-need rural school districts. STEM teachers are a key aspect in the preparation of K-12 students for careers in STEM fields. The national shortage of STEM teachers is no less of an issue in rural schools than in other parts of the nation, with 23% - 36% unfilled STEM education positions in rural schools. Teachers in small, rural districts are often the only STEM education experts in the district and serve as teachers leading not only in their classrooms, but also STEM education district-wide. A single Dordt College scholar may teach 180 students a year for as many as 40 years, impacting over 7,000 students in a career. The potential number of students in rural communities educated by these highly qualified STEM teachers over a five-year period could impact thousands of students.Dordt College and Northwest Iowa Community College, along with Le Mars and West Sioux Community School Districts, plan to partner together to address the acute shortage of STEM teachers through this Noyce Scholars project which will encourage and support highly-talented STEM majors to become teachers in high-need, rurally-located local educational agencies. To accomplish these goals, the project will take a two-pronged approach: (a) The project will provide scholarship and cohort experiences targeted to 31 academically strong STEM students to recruit, develop, and support expanded numbers of STEM education candidates prepared to teach in rural settings. Cohort experiences will include 1) shared courses, 2) peer mentoring, 3) growth mindset training, and 4) networking and support during and after degree completion. (b) The project will expand recruiting for students at the K-12 and collegiate levels and enhance the college's professional learning network. Outreach efforts to support this approach will include 1) activities such as camps, visit days and STEM competitions for K-12 students providing enrichment and vocational discernment opportunities, 2) collegiate student outreach for both Dordt College students and local community college students, and 3) teacher networking opportunities including workshops, teacher circles, and professional learning communities. This project will provide valuable insight into best practices for recruiting and preparing highly qualified STEM teachers. The innovative use of personal learning networks and growth mindset training will provide important insights into the metacognitive and social aspects of potential and early-career STEM teachers.