In this project the Biology Department and the School of Education of the University of Southern California have formed a partnership with the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and the Los Angeles Unified School District 7 to offer scholarships to prepare 50 science majors to become high-school science teachers. Known as Robert Noyce Scholars, these undergraduate students are trained in formal and informal pedagogic methods while developing expertise in their subject so that, once certified, they can provide high-quality science education to students in high-need school districts such as the partner district. A unique feature of the program is the MAT@USC, an online teacher education program that involves a large number of pre-service teachers across the nation as well as a smaller number on campus. The Scholars, scattered among centers in San Diego, New York, Sacramento, and Seattle as well as Los Angeles, remain in contact with the Robert Noyce Science Teacher Scholarship Program through the Urban Science Teacher Network, which connects current and former scholars on line to discuss and share aspects of their experiences as science educators. This opportunity for daily support is expected to improve the long-term retention of the teachers in challenging classrooms settings. Contributions to the literature on education are drawn from assessments of the impact of the network on retention and new ideas that the group as a whole develop on the topic of appropriate pedagogy for the urban setting. The impact is more broadly felt, too, in the opportunity for students to learn science in new ways and with greater understanding.
