This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The Temple Noyce Teacher Scholars (TNT) Phase 1 project, a collaboration of Temple University's (TU) College of Science and Technology and College of Education, is building on existing TU partnerships with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and three high-need, urban school districts - Chester-Upland, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. Utilizing two model math and science teacher preparation programs, TNT is providing coordinated financial support, mentoring, and a shared learning community to 80 new and aspiring teachers at opposite ends of their careers - undergraduate math and science majors and mid-career and retired STEM professionals. The first program, TUteach, includes undergraduate math and science majors who are simultaneously pursuing secondary (7-12 grade) math or science teacher certification in an accelerated 4-year program. Noyce scholars, a total of 40 over the 5 years of the award, receive financial support to participate in TNT for 1 year, obligating them to teach in a high-need district for at least 2 years. The second, E=mc2, is a 1-year program that prepares mid-career and early retiree STEM professionals for teaching math or science in the middle grades (4-8). E=mc2 participants who receive Noyce stipends (a total of 40) are obligated to teach in one of the high-need, partner districts for 3 years. Both programs feature closely integrated course work and field-based teaching experiences in urban classrooms, and mentoring by experienced teachers. For TUteach participants, exposure to and practice in urban classrooms begins in the freshman year. The program is fostering communities of practice with face-to-face and on-line supports; the communities incorporate master teachers who facilitate school-based meetings and conduct formal observations of, and conferences with each new teacher. They in turn are supported by TUteach faculty mentors and E=mc2 mentor teachers.
Intellectual Merit. The TNT is preparing 80 high-quality, Pennsylvania-certified, middle-grades and secondary math and science teachers to teach rigorous math and science content through innovative, inquiry-driven approaches in urban school contexts. As it brings these new approaches to the training and support of new teachers, TNT is also heightening general awareness of the need for high-quality math and science teachers in high-poverty, high-minority, low-performing schools. Project evaluation is contributing to the larger knowledge base about replicable models for effective recruitment, development and retention of math and science teachers for urban schools.
Broader Impacts. Temple University, with its diverse faculty and student body, is one of the largest preparers of teachers in its region, and has an established reputation for developing innovative approaches. The broader impacts promise to be significant with respect to both the number and quality of teachers, particularly those from under-represented groups, who are trained in high-need subjects for high-need schools.
