Meeting the Demand for Secondary STEM Teachers in Rural and Urban High-need School Districts in Kansas and Missouri

该项目旨在为包括STEM中学教师在内的STEM劳动力增长和多样化的国家利益服务。为此，该项目将招募和支持24名STEM本科生成为生物、化学或数学的认证中学教师。该项目的目标将通过以下方式实现：(1)创新的导师计划，将教师候选人与在职教师和同行导师配对；(2)一系列在线模块，侧重于培养基本的专业技能，学习更多的包容性教学法，并解决STEM教育中的当前问题；(3)学期间提供的在线课程；(4)旨在支持教师毕业生第一年教学的入职支持。该项目旨在为培养STEM教师提供有关最佳实践的新知识，并填补有关影响农村和城市教室中STEM教师留任因素的文献空白。为了分析这些差异，项目负责人将制定一个严格而充满活力的STEM教育计划，重点是培训学生教师在不同的课堂环境中取得成功。此外，项目负责人将合作设计教师调查，重点关注：教学法、课堂资源和课堂管理；基于实验室的教学和STEM教室特有的支持；还有教学环境，包括家长和社区的支持。贝克大学的这个项目包括与Grandview联合学区#4和托皮卡公立学校的合作。该项目的目标是：(1)在五年内招募、留住并毕业24名寻求生物、化学和数学教师资格的STEM本科专业学生；(2)为高需求学区的STEM教师候选人提供实地体验；(3)在安排STEM教师候选人后提供教师入职支持；(4)通过丰富机会、专业发展和在职教师指导，提高STEM教师候选人的课堂准备意识；(5)增加对农村和城市学区STEM教师流失的不同原因的了解。更具体地说，该项目将探讨农村和城市学区的STEM教师面临的挑战是否不同，以及与教师认证计划相关的持续专业发展是否可以解决其中的一些挑战。项目成果和评价将产生关于成功方案要素的证据，这些要素可在类似机构复制。本项目由Robert Noyce教师奖学金项目（Noyce）资助。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教师成为高需求学区的STEM大师教师。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 serve the national interest of growing and diversifying the STEM workforce, including secondary STEM teachers. To do so, the project will recruit and support 24 STEM undergraduates to become certified secondary teachers of biology, chemistry, or mathematics. The project’s objectives will be achieved through: (1) an innovative mentorship program pairing teacher candidates with active teachers and peer mentors; (2) a series of online modules focused on developing essential professional skills, learning more about inclusive pedagogies, and addressing current issues in STEM education; (3) online courses offered between academic terms; and (4) induction supports designed to sustain teacher graduates in their first years of teaching. The project intends to contribute new knowledge about best practices for preparing STEM teachers and fill a gap in the literature about elements affecting retention of STEM teachers in rural and urban classrooms. To analyze these differences, project leaders will develop a rigorous and dynamic STEM education program focused on training student teachers to succeed in diverse classroom settings. Additionally, project leaders will collaborate to design teacher surveys focused on: pedagogy, classroom resources, and classroom management; lab-based teaching and the availability of supports unique to STEM classrooms; and the teaching environment, including parent and community support. This project at Baker University includes partnerships with Grandview Consolidated School District #4 and Topeka Public Schools. The project objectives are to: (1) recruit, retain, and graduate 24 undergraduate STEM majors seeking teacher licensure in biology, chemistry, and mathematics over the five-year period; (2) provide field experiences for STEM teacher candidates in high-need school districts; (3) provide teacher induction support after placement of the STEM teacher candidates; (4) improve STEM teacher candidates’ sense of preparedness for the classroom through enrichment opportunities, professional development, and mentorship with in-service teachers; and (5) increase knowledge about the different causes of STEM teacher attrition in rural and urban school districts. More specifically, the project will explore if challenges faced by STEM teachers differ between rural and urban school districts and whether ongoing professional development connected with a teacher certification program might address some of these challenges. Project outcomes and evaluation will generate evidence about successful programmatic elements that may be replicated at similar institutions. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends 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 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.