The project reflects a partnership between the Departments of Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics and Biology and the Mid-Career Math and Science Program (MCMS) in the School of Education to: increase recruitment of female undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors and STEM professionals and recent college graduates into STEM teaching professions in area middle and high schools; offer comprehensive mentoring and support for STEM trained teachers; and, evaluate the factors influencing recruitment, preparation and retention of Open the Gate Scholars while working towards an institutionalization of the program at Mills. The project includes a demonstration research project to study the Mills model of teacher education and the factors within it that support their teacher graduates' very high retention rates in urban high-needs schools. Over the course of the project, scholarships are being offered to 12 female undergraduate senior STEM majors and to 36 male and female graduate students in the MCMS program, each with an undergraduate major in STEM.
Intellectual Merit: A key component of Open the Gate is engaging the scholarship students in the construction of a demonstration research project to study this teacher education model in order to determine how the skills and knowledge of STEM pre-service students develop over time, the experiences that lead to their progress in the pre- and in-service years, and their relationship to the graduates' longevity as teachers in high poverty schools. Thus, graduates from this project are advancing the scholarship of teaching within the fields of mathematics and science education through their skills as teacher-researchers who ask scholarly questions arising from complex curricular and pedagogical problems that require sustained, careful and systematic examination of their practice in an effort to improve it.
Broader Impact: Half of the credential students graduating from Mills come from racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups underrepresented in math and science. Increasing these percentages by recruiting and supporting students of color and first generation college students is an active goal of this project. Located at a women's college, Open the Gate is also well positioned to increase gender diversity in the pool of future math and science teachers. Information learned will be disseminated at state, national and international conferences and professional meetings with math and science, multicultural, and teacher educators. The project enhances existing partnerships between Mills College and ten surrounding high-needs urban school districts including Alameda County Office of Education and the unified districts of Alameda, Berkeley, Emery, Hayward, Oakland, San Francisco, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and West Contra Costa County.
