Building Capacity to Develop Elementary STEM Teacher Leaders in New Jersey

该项目旨在满足国家需要，在高需求学校内培养高素质的小学STEM教师带头人。该项目将解决培训小学教师的需要，以便有效地按照新泽西州通过的新的气候变化教育标准授课。为了满足这一需求，该项目将与当地高需求小学的教师合作，收集有关他们与气候变化有关的STEM知识的信息，以及他们对未来这一领域的专业发展研讨会和研究生课程机会的兴趣。根据这些互动和收集的证据，新泽西学院将修改其STEM教育研究生课程和环境可持续教育证书计划，以服务于未来的小学STEM教师领袖。该项目可能有助于培养该地区的小学STEM教师领袖，使他们做好准备，支持新的气候变化标准的实施，并促进更广泛的学生接受高质量的STEM教育。新泽西学院的这个项目包括与亨特登、萨默塞特和默瑟县STEM生态系统(HSMC STEM生态系统)的合作伙伴关系，该生态系统是学校、社区、企业和非营利组织之间的合作伙伴关系，致力于提供平等的STEM机会。拟议项目的目标是用一年的时间为一项计划建设能力，以发展K-8大师级教师在实施STEM课程方面的专业知识，并特别关注气候变化。该项目将通过介绍性研讨会和会议探索新的州K-12气候变化教育标准，与合作学校的初级STEM利益攸关方建立关系。此外，该项目将通过调查、实地考察和研讨会收集这些利益攸关方的意见。收集的证据将指导环境可持续发展教育现有的4门课程研究生证书课程的修订，以应对气候变化内容的新国家标准，并与新兴的小学STEM教师需求保持一致。目前诺伊斯在另一个州的能力建设努力的两名领导人也专注于初级STEM教师的专业发展，他们将作为关键的朋友和导师，为该项目提供反馈。此外，一个由一名STEM教员、一名教育教员和一名当地小学STEM教师领导组成的顾问委员会将评估收集的证据和项目成果的进展情况。Noyce能力建设工作的成果可以为培养高素质的STEM小学教师领袖，以及更具体地说，培养气候变化教育领域的小学教师领袖提供一个模式。来自当地高需求小学的利益相关者的参与表明，由此产生的专业发展和证书课程设计将有效地为这些背景下的教师提供服务。新泽西州最近通过的K-12州气候教育标准的所有努力都有基础，这可能会产生一些见解，可能会成为全州乃至其他地区的其他校园和教师教育项目的典范。该能力建设项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划(NOYCE)提供支持。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12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教师的有效性和留住的研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project aims to serve the national need to develop highly qualified elementary STEM teacher leaders within high-need schools. The project will address the need to prepare elementary teachers to effectively teach in alignment with new climate change education standards adopted by the State of New Jersey. To address this need, the project will partner with teachers from local high-need elementary schools to gather information about their STEM knowledge related to climate change and their interests in future professional development workshops and graduate program opportunities in this area. Based on these interactions and gathered evidence, The College of New Jersey will modify its STEM education graduate courses and Environmental Sustainability Education certificate program to serve future elementary STEM teacher leaders. The project could contribute to developing elementary STEM teacher leaders in the region, preparing them to support implementation of the new climate change standards and to promote high-quality STEM education for students more generally.This project at The College of New Jersey includes a partnership with the Hunterdon, Somerset, and Mercer County STEM Ecosystem (HSMC STEM Ecosystem), a partnership between schools, communities, businesses, and nonprofits dedicated to providing equitable access to STEM. The goal of the proposed project is to spend one year building capacity for a program to develop K-8 Master level teachers’ expertise in implementing STEM curriculum, with a specific focus on climate change. The project will build relationships with elementary STEM stakeholders from partner schools through introductory workshops and meetings exploring the new state K-12 climate change education standards. Additionally, the project will collect input from these stakeholders through surveys, site visits, and workshops. Evidence gathered will guide the revision of an existing 4-course graduate certificate program in Environmental Sustainability Education to address the new state standards for climate change content and to align with emerging elementary STEM teacher needs. Two leaders of a current Noyce Capacity Building effort in another state, also focused on elementary STEM teacher professional development, will serve as critical friends and mentors, providing feedback to the project. Additionally, an advisory board, which includes a STEM faculty member, an education faculty member, and a local elementary STEM teacher leader, will evaluate evidence gathered and progress towards project outcomes. The outcomes of this Noyce Capacity Building effort could produce a model for developing highly qualified elementary STEM teacher leaders generally, as well as elementary teacher leaders in climate change education more specifically. The involvement of stakeholders from local high-need elementary schools suggests that the resulting professional development and certificate program designs would effectively serve teachers in these contexts. The grounding of all efforts in the recently adopted New Jersey K-12 State climate education standards is likely to produce insights that could be a model for other campuses and teacher education programs across the state and beyond. This Capacity Building 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 effectiveness and retention 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.