The low number of highly qualified mathematics and science teachers is an ongoing national challenge. This challenge is exacerbated by the racial and ethnic mismatch between the nation's mathematics and science teachers and the nation's students. Although 44% of US K-12 students are non-white, only 8% of US mathematics and science teachers are non-white. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis seeks to address this challenge through the Robert Noyce Track 1 project, Carver Teaching Initiative Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Teaching Professionals through Internships, Recruitment, and Engagement (CTI Inspire). CTI Inspire aims to: (a) increase and diversify the available pool of high-achieving STEM majors who consider STEM teaching, by providing 90 STEM research teaching internships to high achieving, STEM majors; (b) increase and diversify the number of STEM graduates with secondary certification, by providing two-year scholarships for 25 high-achieving STEM majors; and (c) increase the number of new graduates who engage in new teacher induction, by providing new teacher induction program incentives to graduates. This project will be a collaboration between Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College, Metropolitan School District of Pike Township, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, and Muncie Community Schools.
The undergraduate STEM majors participating in the CTI Inspire scholarship program as summer interns and scholarship recipients will (a) complete a six-week STEM summer teaching internship with high-need K-12 students in urban settings; (b) build ongoing mentoring relationships with STEM and STEM education faculty; (c) participate in semiannual professional development seminars with practicing teachers from partnering districts; and (d) actively engage in professional teaching associations. Teachers prepared through CTI Inspire will be trained in use of socially transformative STEM pedagogy, which aims to stimulate STEM interest among minority STEM learners and build cultural awareness among non-minority STEM learners. Finally, insights developed from the CTI Inspire scholarship program will be shared with STEM teacher educators through regional, national, and international research and practitioner conferences and through publication in STEM and STEM education journals. These dissemination efforts will position other STEM teacher educators to replicate successful approaches and to avoid unsuccessful approaches.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
