The TECHS-NJ program is recruiting, preparing, certifying and helping retain a new cohort of 26 science and mathematics teachers, who, upon graduation, hold baccalaureate degrees in Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Environmental Geology, Environmental Science, Geology, Mathematics, Physics or Zoology with New Jersey teacher certification and a job in the Newark Public Schools, a high-need school district. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rutgers-Newark (RN), Newark Museum (NM, and Newark Public Schools (NPS) are bringing together existing STEM undergraduate programs, an urban education teacher certification program, high quality professional development and service activities that leverage other NSF supported programs, community building activities and support services while students are undergraduates and while they are in the early years of teaching. The project's main components are: 1) Recruitment of high achieving freshmen and sophomores at NJIT and RN and seniors in NPS high schools representing diverse student populations. 2) Academic Preparation leading to a full academic degree in a scientific discipline or mathematics. 3) Teacher Preparation provided through RN's Department of Urban Education which is designed to prepare students to teach in high need school districts. Noyce Scholarship recipients participate in year-long, grant supported, inquiry-driven professional development programs, mentor students who follow them in TECHS-NJ and hone their skills in a summer program for HS students at NJIT. 4) TECHS-NJ students have the resources of RN's and NJIT's many support services and participate in monthly community building meetings/activities. Students have both academic and teacher education advisors.

Project Report

The Teacher Education Collaboration for High-Need Schools – New Jersey (TECHS-NJ) program has worked over the past 6 years (2006-2012) to recruit, support and prepare a cohort of young scholar-teachers for careers of excellence in teaching Mathematics and Science in high-need environments. Over the course of the program, TECHS-NJ has granted support to 30 aspiring teachers (the original proposal called for 26). These scholar-teachers now hold or are working toward degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, and Mathematics. TECHS-NJ brought together four Newark, NJ, organizations: the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rutgers-Newark (RN), Newark Museum (NM) and Newark Public Schools (NPS) with the leading roles played by NJIT and RN. The program created synergy among existing undergraduate STEM programs, an urban education teacher certification program, high-quality professional development, and service activities in order to provide a strong background for TECHS-NJ’s scholar-teachers. In addition, TECHS-NJ worked with other NSF-funded programs and leveraged NSF support with funding from several foundations to enhance opportunities for teacher preparation for TECHS-NJ’s scholar-teachers through professional development events, career days, and technology resources to provide scholar-teachers with experiences relevant to becoming excellent teachers and obtaining teaching positions. These activities expanded the impact of TECHS-NJ beyond the scholars themselves to students and teachers in Northern New Jersey. At the start of the program, while RN had an active teacher training program (UTEP, the Urban Teacher Education Program), the vast majority of their students were interested in teaching English or History. NJIT had virtually no students pursuing teaching careers in Math or Science either. TECHS-NJ has been an important force in the development of a steady (though modest) stream of students at NJIT and RN pursuing careers in Math and Science teaching. Furthermore, of our 30 TECHS-NJ scholars, 16 are women and 17 come from underrepresented populations (African-American or Hispanic). Of the eight scholars who have completed the program and served in fulltime teaching positions, all have worked in high-need areas (Newark, Elizabeth and Jersey City). The rest of the scholars either have not completed their undergraduate degrees, their certification or have not found full-time teaching positions. Through the numerous efforts described in its annual reports, TECHS-NJ achieved its success by working diligently to recruit solid Mathematics, Science, and Engineering majors at NJIT and RN. TECHS-NJ provided advice, guidance, scholarship support, professional development opportunities and other experiences to the scholars to enable them to become motivated, highly-developed teachers who possess skills and dispositions needed to teach in high-need environments. Particular emphases over the years included developing and presenting interdisciplinary lessons, using technological resources to provide students with exciting hands-on activities to foster interest in Mathematics and Science learning and in providing an understanding of the issues involved in teaching at-risk students. Throughout the program we have sought to provide opportunities for the TECHS-NJ scholars to gain classroom experience and have emphasized the importance of self-reflection concerning their teaching practices. TECHS-NJ has helped strengthen the institutional partnership between NJIT and RN with respect to teacher preparation. Now a number of teacher education courses are cross-registered at the two universities. Several are taught at NJIT, while most are still taught through RN. By combining the expertise of NJIT and RN in STEM disciplines with UTEP’s teacher training program, TECHS-NJ has greatly increased the number of students at the two institutions interested in pursuing careers in STEM education in general and in high-need districts in particular. TECHS-NJ hopes that this new pipeline of motivated, well-trained teachers from diverse and underrepresented groups will become role models who impart the excitement of math and science to the next generation of high school students. The support of NSF for TECHS-NJ has helped NJIT and RN prepare Math and Science teachers at the two universities. The TECHS-NJ program has been a spark that is leading to further efforts at NJIT and RN in addressing needs in K-12 education and assessment. NJIT and RN faculty and administrators plan to continue TECHS-NJ’s efforts develop the next generation of Mathematics and Science educators and improve education in high-need schools.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0630412
Program Officer
Joan T Prival
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2006-08-15
Budget End
2012-09-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$498,946
Indirect Cost
Name
Rutgers University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Newark
State
NJ
Country
United States
Zip Code
07102