Growing Future Science Teachers in Maine: Connections and Engagement

罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金项目能力建设项目将解决缅因州科学教师严重短缺的问题。该项目团队的首要目标是制定一项计划，通过从这些学校招募和培训学生，并让他们有可能回到这些学校担任教师，使该州的高需求学校能够“培养自己的”科学教师。三个项目目标将指导主要研究人员的工作。首先，他们将开发新的方法来提高学生对科学教学事业的认识。其次，他们将为进入圣约瑟夫学院（SJC）的科学和中等教育课程创造更顺畅的途径。第三，他们将在SJC和高需求的地方教育机构（LEAs）之间建立联系，以便在这些学校招募潜在的教师，安置学徒教师，并支持新教师。该项目的创新之处包括试行一门免费的、需要大学学分的在线“教育导论”课程，一系列职业探索研讨会，以及对社区大学生进入科学教学所面临的障碍的研究。综上所述，这些努力将增强SJC吸引学生参加科学教师培训项目的能力。该项目将在SJC和高需求的LEAs之间建立合作伙伴关系，如Biddeford， Bonny Eagle, Caribou, Fort Kent, Gray-New Gloucester, Lewiston， Westbrook和Windham学区。南缅因社区学院和中缅因社区学院将成为社区学院合作伙伴。这些合作伙伴关系将通过促进成员之间的沟通来支持“自己成长”模式，从而使该模式能够不断改进，从而使学生能够在整个培训和第一年的教学中保持参与。拟议的在线课程、职业探索研讨会以及对社区大学学生进入科学教学的障碍的研究，将为STEM教育界提供有关有效实践的新知识，以增加高中科学教师的数量。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Capacity Building project will address a severe shortage of science teachers in Maine. The overarching goal of the project team is to create a plan to enable high-needs schools in the state to "grow their own" science teachers by recruiting and training students from these schools and having them potentially return to that school as teachers. Three project objectives will guide the work of the principal investigators. First, they will develop new ways to increase student awareness of science teaching careers. Second, they will create smoother pathways to enter the science and secondary education programs at Saint Joseph's College (SJC). Third, they will establish connections between SJC and high-needs Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to enable recruitment of potential teachers, placement of apprentice teachers, and support of new teachers in those schools. Innovative features of the project include the piloting of a no-cost, college credit-bearing, online "Introduction to Education" course, a series of career exploration workshops, and a study of the barriers to entering science teaching that community college students face. Taken together these efforts will build SJC's capacity to attract students to their science teacher training programs.The project will develop partnerships between SJC and high-needs LEAs Biddeford, Bonny Eagle, Caribou, Fort Kent, Gray-New Gloucester, Lewiston, Westbrook, and Windham school districts. Southern Maine Community College and Central Maine Community College will serve as community college partners. These partnerships will support the "Grow Your Own" model by facilitating communication among the members so that the model can be continuously improved and so that students can remain engaged throughout their training and first years of teaching. The proposed online course, career exploration workshops, and study of barriers to entering science teaching among community college students will generate new knowledge of interest to the STEM education community about effective practices to increase the number of high school science teachers.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.