Tuskegee University, in this Noyce Capacity Building project, focuses on preparing the institution to establish a future Noyce Teaching Fellowship (TF) project to recruit Tuskegee graduates, career changers and retired STEM professionals into STEM teaching. The goals of the Capacity Building phase are to: 1) Seek partnerships with high needs school districts as placement sites for future teaching fellows; 2) Conduct a needs assessment to determine areas of shortages in teacher quality, quantity,and diversity in the partnering districts; 3) Estimate the number of Noyce Teaching Fellows that can be adequately supported, trained, and placed in a high needs school district by a prospective Noyce TF project; 4) Develop effective recruitment strategies for Noyce Teaching Fellows; 5) Make programmatic revisions (e.g. the creation of an Alternative Master's Program in General Science Education) so that the current teacher preparation program fully complies with the Noyce program requirements for TF projects; 6) Identify sources for matching of funds including industry,foundations, and non-profits; 7) Develop evaluation protocols to objectively assess the outcomes of this TF proposal; 8) Devise and implement a sustainability plan to continue the efforts of the future Noyce TF project beyond its grant cycle; 9) Write and submit a comprehensive TF proposal to the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of STEM teaching in this high-need region.
