The intellectual merit of this Phase II Noyce project builds on the success of a previous project, which supported 30 Noyce scholars, with some now entering their fourth year of professional teaching. This Phase II project is supporting an additional 25 talented students who are training to become secondary mathematics teachers in high-need school districts. The Virginia Teach project expands the number of school district partnerships to better serve high-need schools in both urban and rural districts. New partnerships with local community colleges are supporting this goal by helping the project recruit scholars from the high-need districts in which they may serve. In addition to the scholarship support that this project provides, it also fosters vibrant clusters of field experience and professional teaching placements with ongoing support for these professional communities. The project is continuing to monitor and evaluate Phase I scholars as well as those being added in Phase II, providing longitudinal data on the preparation and success of scholars as they enter professional teaching. Thus, Virginia Teach is conducting research that contributes to the knowledge base related to recruiting and training teachers to work with students in high-need districts. Accordingly, this project is answering questions such as, "What elements of mathematics certification programs best support undergraduates' transitions from students to teachers?"
Besides providing well-prepared math teachers for high-need school districts, the intellectual merit of this project also derives from the newly forged partnerships with school districts and community colleges. Such partnerships have resulted in a new, collaborative student project focused on how to best serve ESL mathematics students. Further, the partnerships with local school districts have broader impacts through permanently improving the certification program at Virginia Tech. The partnerships with local community colleges are expected to lead to permanent recruitment pipelines. Finally, presentations at mathematics teacher conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals are planned in order to disseminate lessons learned.
