This project establishes the Bridges to Secondary Education (BSE) program, infusing STEM knowledge into pre-service secondary education programs. The project is strengthened by the PI's 12 years of experience working with American Indian students in STEM programs, and the Co-PI's comprehensive experiences in pre-service programs, combined with the extensive backgrounds of the BSE staff in working with American Indian students. The project seeks to increase the number of American Indian teachers with the STEM knowledge and leadership skills by many orders of magnitude. The BSE program is recruiting over 30 American Indian students each year and is planning to place its first graduates into public schools by the third year of the program. Participating students complete a secondary education program that encompasses extensive training and refinement to prepare them to be lead STEM teachers in rural, economically-disadvantaged schools in Arizona. An established infrastructure is in place to provide new teachers with continuous support and induction activities beyond the BSE program. Through the extensive collaborations with partners, schools, and educational specialists working for the Arizona Rural Systemic Initiative (AZ-RSI), students are gaining first-hand experience and participating in leading educational reform efforts in assessment, pedagogy, equity, leadership, and the use of technology in instruction.
Through an educational partnership between ASU East and Chandler Gilbert Community College, the project is providing a teacher preparation program in secondary education that is built around a self-contained two-year community college program offered through summer enrichment programs that allow 4-year students to complete ASU East's Secondary Education (Biology concentration) with additional certifications in math, science, or technology -- all on the same campus. The BSE program also targets A.A., A.A.S. and B.S. students who are involved in the BSE/ASU East Secondary Education program. ASU East is seen as a polytechnic institute with state-of-the-art mediated classrooms and STEM programs. The BSE program is drawing on faculty and resources from the College of Technology and Applied Sciences (CTAS). The participation of CTAS faculty is allowing the teaching of research methodology in many areas of BSE instruction and is increasing the technological competencies of the students. As these students move into teaching positions, this has the effect of disseminating a research-rich curriculum to public schools throughout Arizona (through the AZ-RSI) and brings technical skills and competencies to these schools.
The comprehensive collaborations built into the BSE program extend into relationships with private industry in order to bring practicing mathematicians, scientists, engineers and technology professionals together with master teachers and BSE staff to maximize students' exposure to STEM knowledge. This collaboration will increase the students' understanding and, most importantly, build life-long relationships with these industrial mentors. Placement and induction activities round out the BSE program. The program facilitates the placement of students in tribal-serving secondary schools and provides induction activities through the AZ-RSI that support and promote BSE graduates and their schools. This program design lends itself to sustainability through building interaction between university programs, collaboration with partners, continued development of two-year pre-service programs at partnering community colleges, and the summer enrichment programs.
