Bringing Engineers into STEM Teaching (BEST) Project is a collaboration of the School of Education and the College of Engineering at Boston University and six schools or districts in the Boston area. This project is focusing on bringing the mathematical, technological, and design expertise of engineers into secondary classrooms. It is providing scholarships to 37 students and engineering professionals to enroll in a one-year program that leads to a master's degree and licensure to teach secondary mathematics. The project provides 8 scholarships per year in years 1-4 and 5 in the fifth year. It is facilitating the participation of undergraduate engineering students in a newly launched 4 + 1 program at BU in which students receive a BS degree in engineering and a master's degree in education in five years. Summer internships and academic year programs for undergraduate engineers to work with middle school students on design projects (Innovations in a Box) are being used to motivate and develop interest in education. The project is also recruiting practicing engineers. During the induction years, teachers will be supported through summer and academic-year workshops, seminars and mentoring. The BEST program is providing an exemplar for an experience-rich and inquiry-based teacher preparation program that addresses the recommendations from the Mathematics Education of Teachers (MET II) Report and makes it possible for engineers to become teachers. This project is supplying high-need districts with teachers who are knowledgeable about state mathematics standards and Massachusetts engineering education standards and as a consequence, is positively affecting thousands of secondary school students. The project is testing a model for recruiting, training and retaining highly qualified engineers in teaching.
