The goal of the OxyMS Teaching Scholars project is to increase the number of highly qualified math and science teachers in high-need urban high schools through recruitment and retention of fifth-year students and/or STEM professionals committed to teaching. In order to serve the local community urban high schools, recruitment emphasizes areas/places with high proportions of underrepresented groups including community colleges and minority engineering professional associations. The project is recruiting and retaining 40 Occidental fifth-year students and/or STEM professionals to complete their teaching credential for grades 7 -12. This Phase I proposal is a collaboration between Occidental's Education, Mathematics, and Chemistry departments, and three community urban high schools - Franklin, Lincoln, and Eagle Rock High School (Los Angeles Unified School District). Faculty are coordinating/facilitating a monthly mentoring group for the Teaching Scholars and other math and science undergraduates who might be interested in teaching (recruiting purposes). Occidental faculty and the Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) are collaborating with Franklin, Lincoln, and Eagle Rock High Schools to provide bi-annual (fall and spring) seminars for the math and science teachers (including the student teaching master teachers) to create a professional network to support the OxyMS Teaching Scholars.
