The University of Rochester Noyce Scholars Program - Phase II: Preparing Highly-Qualified Mathematics and Science Teachers for High-Need Schools builds upon and expands the Phase I Noyce Scholarship grant of the University of Rochester (UR), which prepared thirty highly qualified mathematics and science teachers for high need schools. As in Phase I, the project is the result of a partnership of UR faculty from the Warner School of Education and STEM departments within the College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering, and the Rochester City School District--an urban district with the highest poverty in New York State, low state test scores, and a shortage of qualified STEM teachers.
Phase II will prepare an additional twenty-seven secondary STEM teachers over a period of three years, starting in 2012. Scholarship/stipend participants will be recruited from UR undergraduates majoring in STEM disciplines and recent STEM graduates, as well as undergraduates in twenty-nine regional higher education institutions and career changers from local technology companies, all of whom have degrees in a STEM field.
Each Phase II UR Noyce scholar will receive a $20,000 award which, combined with tuition waivers from the UR Warner School of Education and other sources, will fully cover tuition costs for their 15-month graduate teacher preparation program. The project also includes a longitudinal evaluation of both Phase I and II scholars, designed to measure the effectiveness of the program and contribute to understanding of what it takes to attract, prepare and retain effective STEM teachers in high needs schools, with special attention to identifying the challenges encountered by reform-minded novice STEM teachers and strategies that can support them in coping with these challenges.
Recruitment will be expanded through targeted initiatives for engineering students and graduates, as well as new internship opportunities for STEM undergraduates in the Horizons National summer program and the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). The UR teacher preparation program will be strengthened by utilizing Noyce Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs) for student teaching placements and as program mentors, as well as by offering new options for interested Noyce scholars to deepen their preparation in urban education and/or teaching students with disabilities. Post-graduation activities will be expanded to include networking and mentoring by Noyce MTFs, opportunities for summer teaching in informal settings such as RMSC and Horizons National summer programs, and attending professional development offered by Noyce MTFs.
The project will advance, apply and disseminate knowledge about innovative strategies for the recruitment, preparation, induction and retention of highly-qualified STEM teachers for high needs schools--including engaging in teaching experiences in informal settings, alternative mentoring formats, and support in using standards-based curricula. The project will increase the number of effective mathematics and science teachers in high-need schools, which in turn will increase learning opportunities and achievement for students from underrepresented groups. Through Phase II dissemination mechanisms, including a website, scholarly publications, and conference papers, the knowledge gained about effective strategies to attract, prepare and retain STEM teachers, as well as concrete ways to strengthen STEM teacher preparation programs will be broadcast to others seeking to strengthen the STEM education workforce nationwide.
