North Carolina State University is providing 14 new scholarships to academically talented mathematics majors through the Noyce Mathematics Education Teaching Scholars II (METS II) program while continuing to monitor 24 current Noyce (METS I) scholars funded from a previous Noyce award. Modeled after the very successful METS I program, the METS II program is providing scholarships for six new undergraduate scholars, some of whom are recruited by encouraging existing Mathematics Education majors to pursue a double degree in Mathematics or Statistics. The Noyce METS II program also is recruiting eight STEM professionals and encouraging them to enroll in one of three masters programs that lead to a mathematics teaching license. Scholars are servicing surrounding high-needs schools in North Carolina including those in Wake, Johnston, Orange, Granville and Lee counties. The program is designed to purposefully develop strong content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and specialized mathematical knowledge for teaching. In part, the project manifests this by including compulsory observational hours in high-needs schools, using double degree programs with compulsory mathematics-rich curricula, using instructional coaches and implementing a mandatory 1-credit hour structured seminar course. The evaluation of the Noyce METS program also is identifying strategies that lead to attracting, preparing and retaining diverse, high-quality secondary mathematics teachers.
