Developing more highly qualified science teachers to serve in high needs schools is a national challenge. The University of Virginia in partnership with Hampton, Alexandria, and Culpeper School Districts will implement Phase 1 of the Robert Noyce Scholarship and Stipend Program which will recruit, educate and retain academically talented science and engineering undergraduates and STEM professionals who will become certified high school science teachers in the partner school districts and other high-need schools in Virginia. The educational experience for Noyce Scholarship and Stipend recipients will include preparing them to become effective science teachers, and Teacher-Leaders in engineering design integration in K-12 science instruction. Robert Noyce Scholarship and Stipend recipients will be supported through a number of proven strategies, including mentoring, targeted advising, and induction support. Data will be collected to provide insights into the integration of engineering design in pre-service science teacher education courses, which may lead to programmatic changes in teacher education program. The project will be rigorously evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the recruitment and retention strategies and to determine the impact of the program on Robert Noyce Scholarship and Stipend recipients' content knowledge, instructional practices, and skills for integrating engineering design in science instruction. Overall, this project will contribute to the number of certified secondary science teachers in high-need schools in Virginia, and stands to increase student achievement in science.
