The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is developing and implementing a project to identify and disseminate information about effective practices and strategies for attracting, selecting, and preparing new K-12 STEM teachers and retaining them in the STEM teacher workforce. Project components include: 1) Co-sponsoring and implementing the 2009 and 2010 NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program annual conferences for faculty, administrators, student scholars, and STEM teachers who were supported by the program; 2) Producing a journalist style general publication that highlights the accomplishments of the NSF Noyce Program, including highlighting awardees; 3) Developing and maintaining an NSF Noyce Program Web site that includes conference information; project descriptions and accomplishments, including an online project locator; and evaluation and research reports from awardees; and 4) Conducting three outreach workshops to disseminate information about programs, practices and strategies and to increase proposal submissions for the NSF Noyce Program. The project includes an external program planning committee of leaders in recruiting, preparing, and retaining K-12 STEM teachers. Project products include conference program guides with abstracts and a general publication summarizing the accomplishments of the NSF Noyce Program. The Web site includes a project locator with descriptions and accomplishments of the projects. Outreach workshops disseminate information about programs, practices, and strategies and the NSF Noyce Program solicitation.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) provided activities for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) to identify and disseminate information about effective practices and strategies for attracting, selecting, and preparing new K-12 science and mathematics teachers and retaining them in the teaching workforce. The NSF Noyce Program responds to the critical need to increase the number of K-12 science and mathematics teachers by encouraging talented college and university science and mathematics majors and professionals with science and mathematics degrees to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools. Intellectual Merit The program provides funding to institutions of higher education to provide scholarships, stipends, and programmatic support to recruit and prepare science and mathematics majors and professionals to become K-12 teachers. Scholarship and stipend recipients are required to complete two years of teaching in a high-need school district for each year of support. The program seeks to increase the number of K-12 teachers with strong science and mathematics content knowledge who teach in high-need school districts. Broader Impacts AAAS project activities included: ***Two conferences in 2009 and 2010 for (a) college and university faculty and administrators of NSF Noyce projects, (b) undergraduate and graduate students who had Noyce scholarships or fellowships, and (c) science and mathematics professionals who had NSF Noyce funding to earn science and mathematics teaching credentials. The 2009 conference included 350 participants and the 2010 conference had 420 attendees. Evaluations of conferences indicated that plenary sessions, workshops, and student and project posters were effective in helping participants to share information about their project or teaching strategies. Other products produced by AAAS include a: ***Searchable online Project Locator tool, including a key word search, advanced search, and find function (http://nsfnoyce.org/advanced-search). Information in the locator includes data about what colleges and universities and school district(s) are included in the project and contact information for the project leader. *** Searchable Scholars Profile site (http://nsfnoyce.org/profiles). This site includes comments from nearly 400 scholarship and fellowship recipients on (a) why they want to teach, (b) a memorable teaching moment, and (c) what the Noyce Program means to them. Last Modified: 01/27/2012 Submitted by: Yolanda S George
