STEM Teacher Pathways for Rural and Native American Populations: Building Capacity to Address a STEM Teacher Shortage in Montana

在Robert Noyce教师奖学金项目的支持下，该能力建设项目旨在解决蒙大拿州合格STEM教师的严重短缺问题。为了实现这一目标，普罗维登斯大学将发展或加强与附近为农村和美洲原住民社区服务的学院和高中的合作关系。这种伙伴关系将制定战略，以增加对大学STEM教师准备计划的访问和兴趣，这是增加从事教师职业的STEM专业人数的必要步骤。为了满足蒙大拿州农村地区的需求，该项目还打算修改大学的STEM课程，以增加农村学生的远程学习机会，并包括美国原住民的文化能力。本项目采用的方法可作为解决农村地区教师短缺问题的典范。该项目的核心目标是制定以证据为基础的创新战略，以招聘、准备和支持新的STEM教师，特别是来自农村和美洲原住民的教师。它还旨在建立必要的基础设施，以实施未来的Noyce 1轨道奖学金和津贴项目。为了实现这些目标，普罗维登斯大学将与高需求的当地教育机构（大瀑布高中、Heart Butte公立学校、Browning公立学校和Box Elder公立学校）以及附近的高等教育机构（Stone Child社区学院、Blackfeet社区学院、flahead Valley社区学院、Aaniih Nakoda学院、Fort Peck社区学院和大瀑布学院-蒙大拿州立大学）合作。该合作伙伴关系将制定战略，从合作机构招募STEM专业的学生加入普罗维登斯大学的STEM教师教育项目，并增加这些学生的教育广度和文化机会。该项目还将修改普罗维登斯大学的STEM课程，以包括美国原住民的文化能力。在短期内，该能力建设项目将加强地区学院与高需求学区之间的关系，开发STEM和STEM教育的创新远程学习计划，并增加农村和美洲原住民接受STEM教育的机会。从长远来看，该项目有潜力：(1)为经济弱势群体的教师提供可持续就业的途径；(2)通过提高STEM高中教师的文化能力来完善教育体系；(3)增加从事STEM职业的印第安人数量，从而增加STEM劳动力的多样性。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业人员成为高需求学区有效的K-12数学和科学教师，并支持经验丰富的模范K-12 STEM教师成为STEM大师教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12教师的持久性、留任性和有效性的研究。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。

With support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Capacity Building project aims to address the critical shortage of qualified STEM teachers in the state of Montana. To achieve this aim, the University of Providence will develop or strengthen partnerships with nearby colleges and high schools that serve rural and Native American communities. This partnership will develop strategies to increase access to and interest in the University's STEM teacher preparation program, a necessary step in increasing the number of STEM majors who pursue teaching careers. To address the needs of rural Montana, the project also intends to modify the University's STEM curricula to enhance distance learning opportunities for rural students and to include Native American cultural competencies. The approaches used in this project may serve as a model for how to address teacher shortages in rural areas. The central goal of this project is to develop evidence-based, innovative strategies for recruiting, preparing, and supporting new STEM teachers, especially from rural and Native American populations. It also aims to establish the necessary infrastructure for implementing a future Noyce Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends project. To accomplish these goals, the University of Providence will partner with high-need, local education agencies (Great Falls High School, Heart Butte Public Schools, Browning Public Schools, and Box Elder Public Schools) as well as with nearby institutions of higher education (Stone Child Community College, Blackfeet Community College, Flathead Valley Community College, Aaniih Nakoda College, Fort Peck Community College, and Great Falls College-Montana State University). The partnership will develop strategies to recruit STEM majors from the partner institutions into the University of Providence's STEM teacher education program, and to increase the breadth of education and cultural opportunities available to these students. The project will also modify the University of Providence's STEM curricula to include Native American cultural competencies. In the short term, this Capacity Building project will strengthen relationships between regional colleges and high-need school districts, develop innovative distance learning programs in STEM and STEM education, and increase access to STEM education for rural and Native American populations. Over a longer term, this project has the potential to: (1) provide paths to sustainable employment for teachers in economically disadvantaged populations; (2) improve the education system by increasing the cultural competence of STEM high school teachers; and (3) increase the number of Native Americans who pursue STEM careers, thereby increasing STEM workforce diversity. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate professionals to become effective K-12 mathematics and science teachers in high-need school districts and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 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.