Tennessee Technological University, the Hamilton County Department of Education, and the Public Education Foundation (PEF) will collaborate to address the critical shortage of math and science teachers in the greater Chattanooga area. This year-long program of on-the-job training is similar to a medical residency. The teaching residency will employ a gradual release model through which 24 Teaching Fellows (TFs) will be placed in classrooms under the guidance of an experienced mentor (clinical Instructor) for four days a week during the academic year. The clinical instructors will provide faculty, administrative, and curricular support to the residents as they move through the licensure and Masters degree program in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in either math or science for grades 6-12.
During the residency, TFs will take courses, meet in seminars, and reflect on the practical learning they gain. Moreover, they will take on more teaching responsibilities until they eventually teach an entire nine-week unit. Each high-need residency school is also a Teachers Development Group Learning Laboratory, where the TFs will engage in professional development activities. Thus, the residency will provide a foundation for both administrative and future instructional school leadership opportunities. Formative and summative evaluation will focus on analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data related to degree and licensure attainment, classroom observations and interviews, and progress in meeting the overarching project goals of improving the quality of STEM instruction in the secondary schools. All three partners will work together to disseminate results of Project Inspire to the larger community. PEF will distribute results through the national network of Local Education Foundations and the national 100Kin10 organization (100Kin10.org) which is dedicated to providing America's classrooms with 100,000 excellent STEM teachers by 2021. Results of this work will also be presented at national and regional conferences.
