The University of South Florida (USF), with support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, will implement a model for encouraging science majors to enter an attractive, viable and rewarding career pathway to teaching at the secondary level through collaboration among the USF Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences, and the Hillsborough County Public Schools. Thirty-six biology, chemistry, geosciences and physics majors will receive scholarships to complete a 5-year Accelerated Study Program leading to a bachelor's degree in the Sciences and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree with certification in secondary science. The project will also support 20 summer interns (freshman and sophomore science majors). Under the guidance of science education faculty, these interns will conduct research on how to develop professional learning communities, and to engage teachers and have them adopt the practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards.
Student preparation will emphasize teaching science using reform, evidence-based practices; acquiring a deep understanding of the nature of science; engaging and helping others engage in good practices; special strategies to reach culturally and linguistically diverse learners (i.e., English language learners, Hispanic and African-American students, and students of low socio-economic status); and building relationships among all USF Noyce scholars that lead to long-term peer support through professional learning communities. Furthermore, the project will utilize a cohort model with an intentional support network infrastructure designed to encourage mentorship, collaborations and success as candidates make the transition from students to teachers through the induction years.
Ultimately, the project will supply high-need schools with exemplary science teachers who deeply understand how to implement research-based practices in response to student, district, and community sociocultural characteristics and needs. The investigators will conduct research on the development of professional learning communities and their implementation, as well as the ways in which the interns learn to engage in the science practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards. Findings from this work are expected to be of benefit to the broader STEM teacher preparation field. In addition, the evaluation will measure the effectiveness of the program, the qualification and effectiveness of the scholars and their retention rate.
