This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU), a major Historically Black University, is implementing a planning project with the goal of establishing a vigorous partnership among key stakeholders in northern Alabama and the development of a competitive proposal to (a) support Teaching Fellows (TF) to complete a master's degree in STEM education areas and obtain teacher certification in mathematics and science disciplines; and support Master Teaching Fellows (MTF) to obtain deep content knowledge and to acquire leadership skills, and to (b) develop long-term, evidence-based, and effective strategies to provide mentorship and continuous professional development for TF/MTF. This year of planning focuses on the following objectives: (1) expand and strengthen the existing partnership with the Alabama State Department of Education; (2) establish partnerships with all school districts in eleven counties in northern Alabama; (3) establish close collaborations with supporting partners drawn from non-profit organizations, industries, and other regional professional societies; (4) sponsor outreach activities to inform potential partners, as well as prospective TF/MTF candidates of the proposed program; (5) secure matching funds required for cost share for the five-year scholarship grant application; and, (6) develop and submit a proposal to NSF's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.
Activities to obtain these planning objectives include: 1. Conducting inclusive and thorough research on the quantity and quality of STEM in-service teachers with baccalaureate and masters degrees in the school districts in the eleven counties that comprise northern Alabama. 2. Assessing the needs of each of the these northern Alabama school districts, as well as determining which districts are characterized as high-need districts. 3. Implementing a feasibility study to determine the scope of a five-year project to develop STEM Teaching Fellows and Master Teaching Fellows, including the pool of STEM professionals and the possibility of going beyond the eleven counties in northern Alabama. 4. Engaging state policy makers at the State Department of Education, including teacher education and certification, as well as regional in-service centers, and superintendents to explore common needs relative to the enhancement of STEM education in the state and to garner support for a full TF/MTF proposal. 5. Interacting with local industry and non-profit organizations to involve them in the goals and opportunities afforded through the TF/MTF and to obtain commitments of matching funds in support of a full proposal. 6. Holding joint meetings among the University's STEM faculty in the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences with faculty from the School of Education to explore collaborative design of courses and delivery systems, including cyber-resources.
