Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College are collaborating to prepare STEM teachers for high need school districts. An objective is to determine whether purposefully integrating a broad range of existing campus student-support and civic engagement structures together with a strong scholarship program and an ambitious publicity/recruitment campaign will increase the number of students who become precollege STEM teachers. Additional new initiatives designed to enhance teacher success include professional development and induction components. The program is developing a model for STEM teacher education that is compatible with the goals and structure of a liberal arts education: students complete a rigorous disciplinary major during their four years of undergraduate study and then complete their education requirements during a fifth year. Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges are collaborating with three local, secondary schools, and with the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia/21st Century Partnership Network. Nine Noyce Scholars are receiving two-year scholarships during the senior and fifth year. The program also is providing post-certification mentoring and professional development support during their first two years of teaching. The project's merit involves investigating the program's impact on encouraging STEM majors in a liberal arts setting to pursue careers in teaching. The project has the potential to serve as a model for the development of STEM teachers within the context of a highly selective liberal arts college.
