This award provides funding for a 3 year continuing award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site program at North Carolina State University entitled, "PREPARES: Partnering Researchers and Educators to create Problem-based curricula that Adapt Research in Engineering for Students," under the direction of Drs. Ruben Carbonell and Valerie Brown-Schild.
The Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development (KFP), will partner with North Carolina's New Schools Project (NCNSP) and HBCU Elizabeth City State University to expand the current, successful RET funded model to four of North Carolina's most economically disadvantaged school districts. Each summer for two consecutive years, four pairs of teachers (Fellows) paired with faculty mentors, from four of 10 high-need "STEM High Schools" being redesigned by NCNSP will particpate in a seven-week summer institute. The summer program will include participation in a research project, professional development and curriculum/instructional program design. The collaboration will continue during the academic year through the development and piloting of materials and participation in KFP activities.
During year three of the program the Fellows and Mentors will provide professional development to at least 40 additional STEM teachers from the NSNSP STEM High Schools, distribute high quality instructional materials that translate engineering research into high school curricula, and further extend project benefits through their exemplary leadership and mentorship. This project will impact a total of 64 STEM high school teachers.
Award #0808107 Purpose: The Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development (KFP), partnered with North Carolina’s New Schools Project (NCNSP), to expand a successful research experience for teachers model (KFP) to economically disadvantaged school districts in North Carolina. Sixteen other university, corporate and foundation partners within the state provided support in the form of collaborative research, facilities use and other in-kind services. The partners collaborated to provide K-12 teachers with mentored opportunities to develop innovative curriculum tools aligned with the mission of newly transformed schools, the goal of which is to graduate all seniors and prepare future-ready students for college and the workforce. Participants participated in seven-week summer institutes designed to: Expand awareness and understanding of content knowledge in the context of its application in the real world; Nurture relationships that encourage risk taking, creativity, reflection and experimentation in their work; Create units of study that all students will experience as highly engaging; Prepare participants to advocate for professional practice that benefits students, schools and communities; Build a network of informed and highly skilled professionals that continue to support each other's learning and the goals of the Kenan Fellows Program. Two weeks were dedicated to professional development and curriculum/instructional program design. Teachers participated in a 5-week hands-on research experience. Together the Fellow/Mentor pairs developed problem based units to engage students in real world applications of engineering. These units were peer reviewed adjusted and refined based on the feedback they received from the review. Fellows continued their collaborations with researchers during the academic year, piloting materials and attending forums and discussions. Outcomes: The program worked to develop and advance an innovative model for linking select K-12 educators with resources in higher education and applied science settings and to leverage their skills to strengthen 21st century STEM instruction. The following were key project outcomes: Instructional materials that translate engineering research into high school curricula were disseminated via LearnNC and Kenan Fellows Program web sites for use by other teachers; with project benefits further extended through exemplary leadership and mentoring skills that Fellows bring back to their schools. Fellows presented at the National Science Teachers Conference in Charlotte in 2008 and at the NC Science Teachers Conferences in Greensboro in 2009 and 2010. Each conference boasted an attendance of hundreds of science educators. Fellows and staff shared the project model and outcomes and participated in poster sessions at five additional conferences between 2010 and 2012. Select program alumni received training to become Master Teacher Advisors to coach 41 incoming Fellow/Mentor pairs. Provided support for a conference Building Capacity for State Science Education: Building State Teams to Implement the Framework Vision for K-12 Science Education, attended by 226 participants from 42 states to meet the diverse knowledge needs of Framework teams, integrate work on the NCSS and to continue knowledge-building on the Framework document in relationship to broader issues such as assessment, professional development, per-service education and instruction. Provided support for the conference Scaling STEM: Transforming Education Matters, for 500 secondary school educators and students to share strategies to implement STEM practice and demonstrate STEM impacts. The Kenan Fellows Program NSF PREPARES project is evaluated by an independent evaluator. Baseline data were collected just prior to the beginning of the fellowship on NSF PREPARES Fellows' professional efficacy, leadership skills and use of classroom inquiry practices. These instruments were administered again during the spring of 2010 to determine areas of significant change. Fellows completed an evaluation at the end of the summer institute; 100% reported that the experience enhanced their teaching and leadership skills, and that the 'community of practice' created by the program provided a supportive environment to foster leadership and innovative instruction. In addition, 100% of Fellows reported that the majority of the programming provided during the summer was valuable to them professionally. PREPARES Fellows also track their leadership activities, reporting on activities such as presentations made, grants obtained, and professional development provided to colleagues. Complete evaluation reports can be found at the Kenan Fellows website (www.KenanFellows.org). The program evaluator is also working with a faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill to explore the roles and impact of Kenan Fellow alums across schools in North Carolina to determine whether and to what degree program participation had an overall positive impact on student learning as evidenced by EOC test performance and examine the retention and movement of Kenan Fellow participants upon completion of their experience.
