Collaborative Research: Retention, Persistence, and Effectiveness of STEM Teachers in High-need School Districts-An Investigation of the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship

该项目旨在研究如何为高需求学区建立可靠的高质量STEM教师供应。这项工作将有助于满足国家对培养一支强大而多样化的STEM劳动力的需求。该项目将分析Noyce教师奖学金计划提供的奖学金是否有助于缓解STEM教师短缺问题，如果是，如何帮助缓解。该项目还寻求提供有关如何在当地学区和高等教育机构之间建立伙伴关系的见解。合作机构位于两个人口稠密的州，共同服务于农村和城市学区，涵盖多个STEM学科。这项研究有可能提高人们对STEM教师在高需求环境中面临的挑战的认识，并提出应对这些挑战的政策解决方案。此外，该项目将有助于了解Noyce项目对STEM教师队伍的影响。该项目涉及三个核心研究机构（德克萨斯州立大学、佛罗里达大西洋大学和布鲁金斯学会）和四个与Noyce项目合作的机构（德克萨斯州立大学、德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校、西佛罗里达大学和佛罗里达国际大学）。该项目将挖掘地方和国家数据库的模式，揭示Noyce项目对所服务学区STEM教师供应的影响。该项目旨在提高人们对高需求环境中STEM教师面临的具体挑战的认识，制定基于证据的政策解决方案，并促进人们更好地了解Noyce项目如何影响STEM教师队伍。项目研究问题包括：(1)高需求学区STEM教师的特征是什么，这些特征是如何随时间变化的？(2)哪些因素与STEM教师在高需求学区的留任和坚持相关？(3)哪些类型的地区或学校计划或政策与更强的STEM劳动力措施相关？(4)接近Noyce项目对高需求学区STEM教师队伍的估计影响是什么？(5)与其他Noyce毕业生较少的高需求学区相比，Noyce毕业生比例较高的高需求学区是否在学生成绩上表现更好，或者种族或贫困差距更小？(6) STEM教师候选人的人口结构和资格是什么？在培训过程中，他们是如何变化的？(7)不同的项目是否有不同程度的成功让候选人通过他们的项目？(8)当地高需求学区如何看待来自Noyce机构的教师？研究小组将使用二手数据和收集原始数据来检验这些问题。二级数据将包括由国家教育统计中心管理的几项关于教师、学校、学区和校长的全国代表性调查。新的原始数据将通过与Noyce项目合作的机构的访谈和校友调查的管理产生。研究小组还将与Noyce合作院校合作，提取和分析有关教师候选人选拔和入学的项目数据。本Track 4: Noyce研究项目由Robert Noyce教师奖学金计划（Noyce）支持。Noyce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，并支持经验丰富的模范K-12 STEM教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM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。

This project aims to investigate how to build a reliable high-quality supply of STEM teachers for high-need school districts. This work will contribute to the national need for educating a robust and diverse STEM workforce. The project will analyze whether and, if so, how scholarships provided by the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program help to alleviate STEM teacher shortages. The project seeks also to provide insights about how to create partnerships between local school districts and higher education institutions. The collaborating institutions are in two populous states, and together serve both rural and urban school districts and cover multiple STEM disciplines. This research has the potential to raise awareness of challenges STEM teachers face in high-need settings and to suggest policy solutions to address these challenges. In addition, the project will contribute to understanding the influence of the Noyce program on the STEM teacher workforce.This project involves three core research institutions (Texas State University, Florida Atlantic University, and The Brookings Institution) and four collaborating institutions with Noyce programs (Texas State University, University of Texas at Arlington, University of West Florida, and Florida International University). The project will mine local and national databases for patterns that uncover the impact of Noyce projects on the supply of STEM teachers in the school districts they serve. The project seeks to raise awareness of challenges specific to STEM teachers in high-need settings, generate evidence-based policy solutions, and promote a better understanding of how Noyce projects influence the STEM teacher workforce. Project research questions include: (1) What are the characteristics of STEM teachers in high-need school districts and how have these characteristics changed over time? (2) What factors are associated with STEM teacher retention and persistence in high-need school districts? (3) What types of district or school programs or policies are associated with stronger STEM workforce measures? (4) What is the estimated impact of proximity to the Noyce program on the STEM teacher workforce in high-need school districts? (5) Do high-need school districts with higher proportions of Noyce graduates perform better on student outcomes or experience smaller race- or poverty-based gaps than other high-need school districts with fewer Noyce graduates? (6) What are the demographics and qualifications of the STEM teacher candidate pool, and how do they change during the training process? (7) Do different programs have varying levels of success getting candidates through their programs? (8) How do local high-need school districts perceive teachers coming from Noyce institutions? The research team will use secondary data and collect primary data to examine these questions. Secondary data will include several nationally representative surveys on teachers, schools, school districts, and principals administered by the National Center on Education Statistics. New primary data will be generated through interviews at collaborating institutions with Noyce programs and through the administration of an alumni survey. The research team will also work with collaborating Noyce institutions to extract and analyze program data on the selection and matriculation of teacher candidates. This Track 4: Noyce Research 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 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness 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.