| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 16, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 23, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1950285 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Sandra Richardson
srichard@nsf.gov (703)292-4657 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | March 15, 2020 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $74,940.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $74,940.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
223 JAMES P BRAWLEY DR SW ATLANTA GA US 30314-4358 (404)880-6990 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
GA US 30314-4358 |
| 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: |
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| 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
This project aims to build the capacity to address STEM teacher shortages in high-need schools, an important national need. The project will use a holistic approach to create a pathway for STEM professionals to earn mathematics teacher certification. As a part of this effort, the existing Master of Arts in Teaching curriculum at Clark Atlanta University will be revamped and modernized into an innovative 14-month distance learning program. The newly designed Master of Arts in Teaching program will enable graduates to gain the support, skills, and competence needed to excel as a teacher in a high-need school. The Master of Arts in Teaching program will also provide enrolled students with opportunities to use data science techniques to analyze data that can transform the teaching and learning process.
This project at Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University, includes a partnership with Clayton County Public Schools. The goal of the project is to enhance the curriculum of the institution's Master of Arts in Teaching program to support student enrollment, retention, and graduation, ultimately producing well-prepared mathematics teachers that have sound content knowledge, effective pedagogical strategies, and data science skills. The project will focus on five objectives: (1) Construct a proposal to restructure the Master of Arts in Teaching (Mathematics) program for currency and marketability; (2) Redesign course content in the Master of Arts in Teaching program to embed data science and analytics modules; (3) Reinforce partnerships with internal stakeholders; (4) Survey organizations to determine the potential for substantive partnerships with external stakeholders; and (5) Identify resources for a future cost-sharing commitment. The outlined activities have potential to lead to the development of a model program for preparing underrepresented science and mathematics teachers to incorporate data science and analytics teaching methods into mathematics curricula in high-need schools. This Capacity Building project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.
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.
CAU was awarded the Noyce Capacity Building Grant (#1950285) in 2018-19. The objectives were centered around restructuring and redesigning the MAT-Math degree program, strengthening relationships with nonprofit organizations and Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) and other school districts; and identify cost sharing opportunities. The purpose was to successfully attract, prepare and support CCPS in the retention of STEM teachers of color for their schools. As a result of the capacity-building project, funded by NSF in late 2018/2019, the partners (CAU, CCPS, GIA and AtlantaAPYPP) conducted a comprehensive needs assessment and environmental scan which led to the restructuring of the university’s MAT Mathematics degree program. Teachers, leaders from the GIA and the CCPS Coordinator of Mathematics worked diligently to redesign the curriculum and the instructional delivery format of the MAT Math program. The TFs will learn how to teach mathematics in a way that embeds wellness, CRT and data science; invariably inviting P12 students to critically examine the world around them and their communities through a critical lens. Ultimately, the project will increase the STEM workforce, teacher retention and positively impact student learning in CCPS (a high need school district). Data on teacher recruitment as well as the impact of mentorship, coaching and wellness, on teacher retention will be collected, analyzed, and shared at several convenings, namely: the Quality Education for Minorites (QEM) meetings; the Georgia Education Research Association (GERA) annual conferences, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and the Georgia chapter of AACTE which is the Georgia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (GACTE). Additionally, at least one manuscript detailing the findings will be prepared and submitted for peer-reviewed publication.
As a result of the collective group think that occurred between the senior personnel, CCPS, and other partners like the AtlantaAPYPP and GIA the team learned that:
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To attract quality candidates, the marketing strategy associated with publicizing a redesigned MAT-Math degree program would have to be sophisticated and deployed across several networks and social media platforms in consistent and coherent way;
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To attract quality candidates to the MAT-Math degree program the design had to be more flexible, which is why the program is now offered in a hybrid online modality;
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To attract quality candidates, the MAT-Math degree program needed to adapt its curriculum to be more cutting-edge, which is why data science is embedded in some of the instructional experiences in the revised degree program;
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To prepare teachers with pedagogical skills needed to positively impact CCPS that they needed to be trained using a culturally relevant lens;
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To prepare teachers with high mathematical literacy skills they needed to learn from and observe the practices of AtlantaAPYPP’s math literacy workers (MLWs); and
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To ensure that new STEM teachers of color are retained in high need school districts (like CCPS) the mentorship and coaching component must be robust and systemic – but more than that the teachers need to establish a healthy sense of wellbeing to withstand the challenges of being a novice teacher in an environment where the needs may be expansive and the resources meager relative to the need.
As a result of what was learned, the senior personnel with support, assistance, and input of the APYPP, the CCPS and GIA, developed a 12-month hybrid MAT-Math degree program designed to prepare culturally relevant math teachers with data science skills.
Last Modified: 10/18/2021
Modified by: Jacquita Henderson
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