The College of Science and Technology, the College of Education, the Savannah-Chatham Public School System (SCCPSS) and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia are collaborating to recruit, build and support cohort communities of STEM undergraduate majors to become teachers using five strategies: 1) attracting and recruiting freshmen and sophomores into teaching, 2) holding workshops for STEM faculty to provide them with the expertise to advise students on the career of teaching, 3) providing scholarships for junior and senior STEM majors planning to become teachers, 4) creating future teacher professional learning communities (FTPLCs) focused on research and best practices in STEM education, and 5) supporting the accelerated MAT year leading to math or science certification at the Middle or Secondary level. The students teach in a high needs school for up to 6 years (2 years for each year of support) and serve as peer-leaders in learning communities at Armstrong and within their school environment. This project is producing 31 highly qualified MAT prepared science and math teachers.
Broader Impacts: The shortage of math and science teachers in Georgia is critical. The projected need over the next five years is for 88 middle and 91 high school science/math teachers. This project is impacting the need for highly qualified science and math teachers to teach in high needs districts in Savannah and the surrounding areas of southeast Georgia.
