The purpose of this project is to design a complete plan for the successful implementation of a teacher preparation program for middle school teachers in Louisiana. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette mathematics and curriculum/instruction departments, in partnership with high-needs school districts in Louisiana (Lafayette and Iberia Parish School Districts) and the Allen J. Celestine Foundation, a nonprofit organization, is developing the infrastructure for a Noyce Teaching Fellow/Master Teaching Fellow (TF/MTF) program. Specifically, during the 12-month planning period the team is identifying best practices of successful teacher preparation programs; identifying other partnering school districts and nonprofit organizations; securing matching funds; and developing a comprehensive curriculum for the TF/MTF program.
was to design a complete plan for the successful implementation of a teacher preparation program for middle school teachers in Louisiana. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette mathematics and curriculum/instruction departments, in partnership with Lafayette, Iberia and Vermilion parish school districts, three high-needs school districts in Louisiana, and the Allen J. Celestine Foundation, a nonprofit organization, developed the infrastructure for a Noyce Master Teaching Fellow (MTF) program. Specifically, during this 12-month planning period we: (1) identified best practices of successful teacher preparation programs; (2) identified other partnering school districts and nonprofit organizations; (3) secured matching funds; (4) developed a comprehensive curriculum for the TF/MTF program; and (5) submitted a proposal to the TF/MTF track of the 2012 NSF Noyce teacher scholarship program. The intellectual merits of this planning project include: (i) advancement of the knowledge of the design and structure of interdepartmental teacher preparation programs; (ii) creation a Noyce TF/MTF program implementation plan that will lead to expertise vital to the successful implementation of the Louisiana Noyce TF/MTF program; (iii) development of critical partnerships across disciplines and organizations that will lead to better understanding that will transform STEM teacher preparation.; (iv) implementation an evaluation system that will allow the successful evaluation of the Louisiana Noyce TF/MTF planning project. The broader impacts of this planning project include: (i) enhancing the infrastructure of research and education in at least the state of Louisiana by creating vital partnerships; (ii) transforming content knowledge and teaching effectiveness of middle school teachers in high needs school districts; (iii) creating a successful national model of a teacher preparation partnership; (iv) diversify the population of science and math middle school educators; (v) developing a critical mass of a more qualified U.S. workforce. As a result of this project, the project team was recently awarded funding for the Louisiana Mathematics Masters in the Middle (LaM3), a MTF project funded under the 2012 NSF Robert Noyce scholarship program.
