Michigan State University is implementing an NSF Teaching Fellowships and Master Teaching Fellowship Project called "MSU SETS-UP: Supporting Early-Career Teachers of Science through Urban Partnerships." Intensive class- and field-based experiences during the first summer prepare the 20 Teaching Fellows for a year-long urban residency in four partner school districts Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Jackson. Working with United Way of Southeast Michigan, Fellows learn strategies for supporting neighborhood schools and how United Way works with families and teachers to improve the quality of life in schools. Some key support features of this project include face-to-face coaching by experienced science teachers, face-to-face and virtual mentoring by former MSU Noyce Scholars from a previous award, MSU Woodrow Wilson Fellows, and Knowles Foundation Science Teaching Fellows, workshops, on-line resources coupled with and extending from these workshops, interviews, journal exchanges, and check-ins.
This project enables Fellows to share their deep knowledge and skills focused on teaching reform-based and context-responsive ways in high-need schools throughout the state of Michigan and beyond. The Fellowships are also expected to increase the number of STEM teachers with strong content knowledge and a strong commitment to teaching students with the greatest need. In addition, what is learned about how to effectively prepare individuals for teaching in high-need settings and in supporting early-career teachers at a distance from the university has an impact on the design of more traditional teacher preparation programs at MSU and more broadly. Lastly, this initiative, combined with others recently undertaken at MSU, are expected to increase the number of under-represented (women and minority) scholars who enter the STEM teaching corps and choose to teach in high-need settings.
