Preparing, Supporting, and Diversifying STEM Teachers for High-Needs Schools in California’s Central Valley by Promoting Social and Environmental Justice Pedagogies

该项目旨在满足国家对培养和留住高素质STEM教师的需求，这些教师准备在高需求学区任教。研究表明，当教师和学生的人口统计数据相似时，学生的考试成绩、出勤率和停学率都会受到积极影响。边缘化的社会群体一直承受着不同的影响，所有科学和数学领域都被呼吁致力于改善STEM知识，并为具有STEM素养的K-12学生的公平发展创造解决方案。为了促进这些改进，该项目的一个重点将是为STEM本科专业或STEM学位持有者提供教师准备，使他们成为具有强大内容知识和教学专业知识的教育工作者，以社会和环境正义倡议为目标。教师的准备和培训将强调赋权、变革型领导、公平和包容的教育实践，以及通过计划好的课程和培训期活动，以及参与专业学习社区，以研究为依据的教学。这将使加州中央山谷和全国其他地区的高需求学校能够为学生提供强大而包容的科学和数学教育。反过来，这将帮助这些学生为STEM劳动力做好准备。加州州立大学斯坦尼斯劳斯分校（CSU-Stanislaus）是一个西班牙裔服务机构（HSI），该项目包括与特洛克联合学区（USD）、斯托克顿学区和莫德斯托市学校的合作伙伴关系。该项目将以几个目标为指导。首先，在五年的时间里，该项目将招募并培养25名本科专业或拥有生物学、化学、计算机科学、工程、地球科学、数学或物理学位的高素质学生，成为高需求学校的K-12 STEM教师。一个特别的重点将是招收有色人种和其他少数民族的学生，他们传统上在STEM领域的代表性不足。如果是目前在读的本科生，这些学者将获得长达三年的资助，如果已经持有STEM学位，则将获得一年的认证，这将意味着在目前的基础上增加25名STEM教师。其次，项目活动和科罗拉多州立大学斯坦尼斯劳斯分校的课程将为这些未来的STEM教师提供高水平的STEM内容知识和文化维持教学法，以及领导力、社会情感学习、主动学习技能和专业知识，为他们未来在高需求学校的课堂做好准备。这一过程还将包括有关教学和学生学习的国家叙述、框架和标准的准备。第三个目标是通过创建一个包括专业学习社区和旨在将STEM教师彼此联系起来的网络机会在内的入职过程来减少教师的倦怠和流失率。第四个目标是创建、实施、研究、维持和传播一种模式，该模式(1)涉及基于研究的最佳实践，以培养和留住未来的STEM教师，特别是来自传统边缘化群体的教师；(2)强调关注多样性、公平和包容性的教学法。综合混合方法项目评估将提供形成性和总结性评估和反馈。通过出版物、会议报告和研讨会，研究人员将主动向其他科罗拉多州立大学校园和全国传播项目发现和成果。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教师的有效性和留任率的研究。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 need for preparing and retaining high-quality STEM teachers who are prepared to teach in high-need school districts. Research indicates that when teachers and students have similar demographics, students' test scores, attendance, and suspension rates are positively affected. Marginalized social groups consistently bear differential impacts, and all fields of science and mathematics are called upon for commitments to improve STEM knowledge and to create solutions for equitable advancement of K-12 students with STEM literacies. To foster these improvements, a focus of the project will be to provide teacher preparation for undergraduate STEM majors or STEM degree holders to become educators with strong content knowledge and pedagogical expertise that target social and environmental justice initiatives. Teacher preparation and induction will emphasize empowerment, transformative leadership, equitable and inclusive educational practices, and research-informed instruction through planned curricular and induction-period activities, as well as participation in a professional learning community. This will enable high-need schools in California's Central Valley and other areas nationwide to provide their students a strong and inclusive science and mathematics education. This, in turn, will help prepare many of these same students for the STEM workforce.This project at California State University-Stanislaus (CSU-Stanislaus), an Hispanic serving institution (HSI), includes partnerships with Turlock Unified School District (USD), Stockton USD, and Modesto City Schools. The project will be guided by several goals. First, over five years, the project will recruit and prepare a diverse set of twenty-five (25) high-quality students, who are undergraduate majors or who have a degree, in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geoscience, mathematics, or physics, to become K-12 STEM teachers in high-needs schools. A special focus will be on recruiting students of color and other minorities who are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM arena. The Scholars, who would be supported for up to three years if a current undergraduate student, and for one credentialing year if already holding a STEM degree, would represent an increase of twenty-five STEM teachers beyond current numbers. Second, project activities and CSU-Stanislaus curricula will provide these prospective STEM teachers with high-level STEM content knowledge and culturally sustaining pedagogies as well as leadership, socio-emotional learning, and active learning skills and expertise to prepare them for their future classrooms in high-needs schools. This process will also feature preparation with respect to national narratives, frameworks, and standards concerning teaching and student learning. A third goal is to decrease teacher burnout and attrition rates by creating an induction process that includes a professional learning community and networking opportunities aimed at connecting practicing STEM teachers with one another. A fourth goal is to create, implement, study, sustain, and disseminate a model that (1) involves research-based best practices to prepare and retain prospective STEM teachers, especially from traditionally marginalized groups, and (2) emphasizes pedagogies that attend to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Comprehensive mixed-methods project evaluation will provide formative and summative assessment and feedback. Through publications, conferences presentations, and workshops, investigators will proactively disseminate project findings and outcomes to other CSU campuses and nationwide. 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-needs 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.