In the Kent State University Noyce Scholars Program the number of qualified teachers of high school mathematics and science completing the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) initial licensure program is on the way to doubling from its present level. The program attracts freshmen and sophomores to the teaching profession through their participation in the summer program Upward Bound, a form of service learning. Juniors and seniors are offered internships in an REU program that conducts research on aspects of secondary school student learning of mathematics and science. The 50 Noyce Scholars themselves, both recently graduated STEM majors and returning STEM professionals, are engaged in an intensive graduate program qualifying them as teachers of secondary science and mathematics. This last group is supported by Noyce Scholarships that cover the full cost of tuition. Having completed the MAT degree, new teachers are supported through a support seminar during their first two years. The program is possible because of long-standing and ongoing partnerships between Kent State's science, mathematics, and education departments, high-need schools in the area, and the TRIOS Upward Bound Program. Unusual features of this program are its emphasis on service learning and on engaging undergraduates and graduate students in action research on science and mathematics learning. Current research on learning also informs the design of the MAT curriculum. Beyond the training of the teachers themselves, the project impacts an area with a severe shortage of STEM teachers, provides needed assistance to service projects each summer, and generates useful data on effective practices in STEM teacher training.
