This project aims to serve the national need for a greater number of highly prepared math and science teachers working in high need urban schools. To do so, the project intends to recruit undergraduate STEM students who are disposed to support students in high-need schools in a way that reduces educational gaps in the current system. These future teachers will receive scholarships and be immersed in a supportive community of learners engaged in developing equitable educational practices. Through this community, the project will support and enhance the development of the teacher candidates. An innovative aspect of the project is its engagement of undergraduate STEM students in teacher preparation activities beginning in their first year in college. These activities will provide students with expanded opportunities to work with and learn from experienced teachers. The project also builds on previous Noyce awards by adding support for Noyce alumni in their first year of teaching to help ensure that their teaching career gets off to a good start.
This project at California State University Northridge is in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the country. Project goals include the recruitment, support, and development of at least 35 new STEM teachers over the five-year duration of funding. Since a typical teaching career touches the lives of 3,000 students, these Noyce Scholars have the potential to impact more than 100,000 secondary-level STEM students. The Noyce Scholars will be mentored by alumni from previous Noyce projects and interact with a STEM teacher-in-residence at the university. During their student teaching, the Noyce Scholars will be able to participate in lesson study activities and will learn how technology can be used to support student collaboration and authentic inquiry. These improvements are designed to provide new teachers with the tools and skills needed to lead change within their schools and impact the lives of thousands of students. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
