| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 7, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 28, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1557309 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Kathleen Bergin
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | June 15, 2016 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,449,999.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,734,895.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2018 = $44,896.00 FY 2019 = $240,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4300 MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD HOUSTON TX US 77204-3067 (713)743-5773 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
TX US 77004-2015 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Robert Noyce Scholarship Pgm |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001819DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001920DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The goal of this Noyce Teacher Scholarship and Stipend, Phase II project is to train 40 highly qualified secondary STEM teachers to teach in the metropolitan Houston area. This project will build on a current Phase I project that has established a summer internship program, in which first and second year students teach under the supervision of master teachers, and key principals of research in education and learning sciences have been integrated into STEM coursework. Through this project, the internship program will be continued and a new pipeline will be created to recruit students from an area community college, Wharton County Junior College. The scholarship recipients will participate in (a) a professional development workshop that includes interns and Noyce graduates, (b) new biology and chemistry inquiry courses, and (c) a pre-induction/induction mentoring program.
The project has several elements (such as early advisement) that are designed to create a seamless transfer for community college students and support their retention as pre-service STEM teachers. Using an enhanced UTeach model, potential Noyce scholars already at the institution will receive exposure to teaching through intensive field experiences that focus on approaches to teaching and inquiry-based lesson design during their first two years of college. All scholars will have the opportunity to participate in summer institutes that will address the improvement of content knowledge and instructional approaches while they are undergraduates and after they have been placed as teachers. During these institutes, scholars will be advised by mentors, providing professional development opportunities for each group. Two new courses (Biology by Inquiry and Chemistry by Inquiry) will be developed based on a successful course that is being used for upper-level, pre-service Physics teachers. Both formative and summative assessments will be performed to determine the extent to which the project goals are met in the short- and long-term and, where applicable, how the project elements may need to be adapted to maximize student benefits. Evaluation will be implemented through surveys, interviews and focus groups. Presentations, demonstrations, digital stories, and publications, will be disseminated at STEM conferences sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association, The American Physics Association, and the American Chemical Society.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, STEM Teacher Preparation at the University of Houston: Learning through Informal and Formal Experiences (UH-LIFE), increased the number of highly qualified teachers, particularly those from underserved minority groups, certified to teach grades 7-12 mathematics and science in high needs school districts in metropolitan Houston and across the United States. The program, through recruitment, preparation, and induction activities, afforded a variety of learning opportunities for Noyce Scholars. Those opportunities provided summer internships, early field experiences, professional development, biology and chemistry inquiry courses, a formalized induction program, and annual scholarships to junior/senior STEM majors preparing to become secondary math and science teachers. The program was informed by the successes of the teachHOUSTON program and a previous Noyce Track 1 grant.
As part of the program, summer internships exposed scholars to early field-based teaching opportunities. Scholars were provided hands-on experience with developing and implementing innovative lessons for STEM camps and professional development through the Noyce Internship Institute which offered interactive professional development sessions addressing emergent needs of secondary STEM teachers. Noyce Scholars were also engaged in an induction program which started before they began student teaching and continued for the first three years of their professional career. The induction program provided support and mentoring for the scholars for retention to the teaching profession. In addition, the scholars, as well as teachHOUSTON preservice teachers, were afforded the opportunity to enroll in newly developed formal biology and chemistry inquiry courses which promoted the development and implementation of inquiry-based lessons.
Key outcomes of the program include graduating 79 scholars of which 78 are teaching in high-need school districts. Of the scholars, 63% are female; 37% are male. The scholars came from a variety of ethnicities with 50% Hispanic, 19.5% Asian, 19.5% White, and 11% African American. The program has yielded a diverse group of teachers who are prepared to support students in high needs schools utilizing a culturally responsive curriculum.
Other key outcomes include the enhancement of the teachHOUSTON induction program. The New Teacher Academy was developed which provided two full days of professional development each summer. Networking opportunities and professional development are offered throughout the year to foster pedagogical conversations on research-based practices in respective STEM fields; nurture skills in organization and discipline for newly hired teachers; and cultivate a community of collaborative peers through experiential mentoring. The New Teacher Academy, although not a part of the proposed UH-LIFE program, stemmed from needs identified among our scholars who desired additional support. We aim to sustain the initiative to allow Noyce graduates the opportunity to engage with experts and teachHOUSTON graduates for mentorship, support, and learning from one another in their novice years.
Achieving the goals of the UH-LIFE program generated significant impacts for the Noyce scholars as well as preservice teachers in the teachHOUSTON program, and the achievements gained will be sustained as part of the teachHOUSTON program. This includes the enhancement of the inquiry-based biology and chemistry courses as well as culturally responsive pedagogy and classroom management. Students will continue to explore how to implement culturally responsive inquiry-based lessons through their coursework with practical application in their field experiences.
Overall, this program prepared content knowledgeable science and math teachers to underserved schools in the Houston area, provided innovative methods for recruitment, preparation and retention of math and science teachers, and promoted active inquiry-based and culturally responsive pedagogy for teaching and learning math and science. This program led to enhanced student learning, particularly those from underserved populations, and allowed the scholar graduates to encourage their students to pursue STEM-related majors and/or professions. The program also provided support to Noyce scholars for their first three years of teaching to improve teacher persistence in the profession. Key outcomes and knowledge gained from the program was disseminated at STEM and education related conferences through numerous publications and presentations as well as through the teachHOUSTON website.
Last Modified: 12/14/2022
Modified by: Paige Evans
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