This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The UC Riverside Noyce Scholarship Program focuses on the University's internal partnership among the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and the ALPHA Center for Academic Partnerships with the rapidly growing, low-performing Moreno Valley Unified School District to prepare exceptional science and mathematics undergraduate majors for secondary school teaching careers. Building on the unique curricular and training infrastructure available at UCR, professional development opportunities are being expanded and new services initiated to create a continuum of teacher preparation and development resulting in 43 prepared and motivated secondary mathematics and science teachers within the partnership district. The program impacts 56 classrooms in six middle and five high schools and supports 14 district mentor teachers and approximately 2,000 students per year.
Effective recruitment strategies are embedded into the selection process to attract undergraduates from underserved populations, providing Noyce scholars pre-credential, credential and induction research-based experiences designed to develop subject-matter mastery, pedagogical expertise and leadership skills. Progress will be followed longitudinally to determine the impact of the program on performance as a teacher, commitment to serving the district, impact as a student role model, longevity to the profession and ability to assume leadership. The broader impacts of the program lie in the Noyce scholar teachers' influence to make significant, durable change. By establishing a replicable model of a financial, academic and mentoring pathway that develops mathematics and science teaching professionals proactive in implementing change that will better prepare students for success in the 21st century, the program has potential to positively influence K-12 science and math education community.
