| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 16, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 2, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 1758386 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Josephine J. Rodriguez
jrodrigu@nsf.gov (703)292-0000 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $3,000,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,199,951.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2021 = $453,974.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
ONE UNIVERSITY CIRCLE TURLOCK CA US 95382-3200 (209)667-3493 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
One University Circle Turlock CA US 95382-0256 |
| 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: |
04002122DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04002223DB 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
Science Math Access, Research, and Teaching (SMART) is a Track 1 Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program project at California State University Stanislaus. SMART aims to address the severe shortage of STEM teachers in the university's service area. While the region has an overwhelmingly large K-12 minority student population, very few teachers are from underrepresented populations. As such, it is critical to increase the number of teachers who share their students' cultural heritage. The overarching goal of this project is to prepare a diverse group of mathematics and science teachers who can serve as role models and leaders in high-need schools in the region. SMART will establish professional learning communities and provide participants with pedagogical training, mentoring, and ongoing teaching experiences in highly diverse educational settings. The project will engage participants in carefully structured training and field experiences to help them develop subject matter knowledge, understanding of linguistics, language acquisition, academic language acquisition, and subject-specific methods to make content accessible to all students. Other project activities will include monthly cohort meetings, a summer research experience, and tutoring opportunities. In collaboration with school district teacher induction programs, SMART will develop a New Teacher Retention Program. This program will be aimed at providing incoming teachers with guidance and holistic support needed to teach mathematics and science to diverse student populations.
Over a five-year period, SMART aims to increase the number of STEM credential candidates at CSU Stanislaus from 119 to 200. Half of these credential candidates will be students of minority backgrounds. SMART will recruit, prepare, and retain 31 Noyce scholars. Noyce scholars will include STEM majors from CSU Stanislaus and UC Merced, transfer students from nearby community colleges, and local career changers interested in entering the teaching profession. An energetic, capable, diverse community of STEM teachers has the potential to lower the educational barriers that minority and English Language Learner students often encounter when completing mathematics and science coursework. A significant percentage of CSU Stanislaus students are not only ethnically and linguistically diverse, but also are the first in their family to attend college. SMART will provide the educational community with a better understanding of the training and support systems needed to recruit and prepare students of minority background for a career as a teacher in a high-need school.
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.
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 main purpose of the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program at CSU Stanislaus was to encourage and assist talented STEM majors and professionals to become middle and high school STEM teachers. The grant was used to financially support scholars and provide them with high-quality professional development and experience preparing them to serve in high-needs schools. The grant had a strong focus on providing newly graduated teachers with the support needed to keep them in the profession.
The Major goals of the program were:
1. Recruit diverse cohorts of STEM students to pursue careers K-12 teaching
2. Establish clear pathways from high school to teacher credential
3. Establish learning communities and provide participants with training opportunities and early teaching experiences
4. Provide students with resources and a cohort support system that increases retention and success in the workplace
The grant ran for 6 years, including a one year with no cost extension.
The grant set up to support 31prospective STEM teachers, but ended up supporting 41, of which about 59% identified as non-white. The majority, about 66% majored in mathematics, about 24% in biology, 5% in chemistry, and 5% in physics.
Each academic year was organized the same way. The Noyce Scholarship Program at CSU Stanislaus was comprised of professional development, mentoring, and support program for newly graduated teachers, called NTRAP (New Teacher Retention/Aid Program). Scholars attendeded monthly PD workshops, and an intense summer/winter Noyce Academy organized by the Noyce faculty. In addition, scholars were required to attended 15 hr. PD from outside sources.
PD sessions aimed to increase scholars content and pedagogical knowledge. Included in the PD sessions were bookclubs where students read “Using Equity Audits in the Classrooms to Reach and Teach All Students” , “Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project”, and “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too”, and took part in discussions about equity and working with students of diverse backgrounds.
Scholars were prepared for the beginning of their carrier with writing workshops, where they prepared their resumes, and teaching philosophy statement to guide and inform their teaching applications as well as their professional journey. This section ended with mock job interviews, where scholars met with retired school administrators and CSU Stanislaus faculty.
The main goal of the summer/winter academies was to get scholars better acquainted with the teaching profession. During the academies scholars visited local middle and high schools, observed lessons and had the opportunity to talk to students, teachers and administrators. Every Noyce academy hosted a teacher panel where former Noyce scholars (now inservice teachers), visited and informed the scholars about the profession and answered questions.
Scholars were required to attend monthly meetings with a mentor from the Noyce faculty team. These monthly meetings were designed for the participants to discuss their academic progress, specific STEM pedagogy, progress towards the credential program, and how their student teaching once that began. These meetings allowed for problems to be detected, so students could get tutoring when facing academic challenges, and be replaced when student teacher placement was not a good fit.
NTRAP: The first Noyce scholars to finish the credential program at CSU Stanislaus did so in spring 2019 (one mathematics teacher and one science teacher). At the end of the fall semester 2019, two more scholars joined them, both with math credentials. The New Teacher Retention/Aid Program (NTRAP) was created to support and retain our new teachers. NTRAP aims to 1) increase the confidence, health, and job satisfaction of early teachers in the areas of inspiration, relevance, respect, and growth, and 2) provide resources for Noycers’ communicated needs. Graduated Noyce Scholars (now credentialed teachers) along with Scholars student teaching attended NTRAP meetings. The facilitator of the NTRAP meetings was a graduated Noyce Scholar, that also served as a delegate between NTRAPers and Noyce faculty. In light of research on peer support among new teachers, this way was chosen. The experience was that NTRAPers seemed comfortable opening up to their peers. 1.5 - 2 hours meetings were held twice a month, first in person but transition to ZOOM during Covid. The focus of the meetings was mainly, informal sharing of current struggles, successes, and needs, Topical discussion and workshopping and regular personal assessments on the level of teaching satisfaction. Two Noyce alumni had a poster presentation on the NTRAP program at the Noyce summit in DC, 2022.
Last Modified: 07/29/2024
Modified by: Bjorg Johannsdottir
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