This Noyce Capacity Building project at Morgan State University (MSU) is establishing a university-community network and redesigning its five-year teacher education programs in biology and mathematics leading to secondary teacher certification. The STEM Teaching and Learning Community (STEM TLC) leverages MSU's Morgan Mile Initiative, which aims to build partnerships with local non-profits, schools, and corporations, to develop a supportive infrastructure for a successful STEM teacher preparation program. The STEM TLC provides future STEM teacher education students with emotional and academic support as they develop into successful STEM learners, effective urban teachers, and community builders. This support is needed to address the three main challenges in producing highly qualified secondary teachers in high-need schools (recruitment, persistence, and retention), which are addressed through the project's activities. The project is partnering with Baltimore City Public Schools to identify talented high school students interested in studying mathematics or biology. Long-term, this project will impact the diversity of the STEM teacher workforce by increasing the number of underrepresented minority STEM teachers in Maryland, including in urban areas, who also can serve as role models to students.
The knowledge gained from executing this project can help university-based programs reflect on what works, particularly to meet the challenges facing both teachers and students in urban environments. Research-based theories support the efficacy of purposively creating active learning environments, a community of practice, and culturally relevant pedagogy. A community-centered approach to recruitment will lead to teacher candidate persistence, in turn leading to improved retention of teacher graduates. To support the development and implementation of its STEM secondary teacher education programs, project activities include professional development for faculty and mentor teachers, tutors to prepare students for the Praxis exams, the infusion of urban teaching theory and strategies into the curriculum, and helping students secure internships and scholarships. Biology majors also have the opportunity to obtain a concentration in environmental science and to use the Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory for authentic research experiences. The environmental science concentration developed through this project addresses the demand for teachers in this area as Maryland was the first state in the country to require that high school students graduate with an environmental science course. Moreover, a detailed mixed methods evaluation plan that includes tracking specific metrics and indicators and formative evaluation through focus groups and surveys will help guide the project.
