The Robert Noyce Scholarship program at the University of New Mexico (UNM) is recruiting and preparing 22 to 34 new science and mathematics teachers for Albuquerque Public Schools and the Bernalillo Public Schools. The program is administered through the College of Arts and Sciences and the Albuquerque Teachers Institute, a program in the College of Arts and Sciences that supports K-12 outreach activities. Recruitment efforts target departments with large numbers of STEM majors and the School of Engineering. A new interdisciplinary course, Teaching Environmental Science, provides early field experiences for undergraduate students to encourage science teaching as a career. Special efforts to mentor Noyce Scholars include Master Teacher Mentors and summer professional development programs offered through the Albuquerque Teachers Institute. The mentoring efforts are designed to help teachers through the difficult first years. The project's objectives include: 1) a 30 to 50% increase in the number of STEM teachers graduating from UNM; 2) an increase in the number of highly trained teachers in high need school districts; 3) greater visibility of teacher training programs to all STEM majors; 4) increased numbers of STEM students that consider teaching careers due to advertising and early field experiences through the Noyce program; 5) better retention of new teachers through improved mentoring activities; and 6) effective assessment of Noyce scholars and a comparison group of new teachers.
