ABSTRACT

The project aims to serve the national need of supporting STEM teachers as collaborators towards advancing teaching and learning and persisting in the teaching profession. The national teacher shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with STEM teaching positions among the hardest to fill. Equity gaps have worsened, and teacher diversity does not come near to reflecting the diversity of the student population. Meanwhile, expectations for teachers? content and pedagogical knowledge have increased. Given this context, the goals of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program have never been more urgent. While each institution with a Noyce project works individually to recruit, prepare, and retain STEM teachers, this project supports a larger community that works collectively to enhance and magnify efforts to increase the quality preparation of Noyce recipients while reinforcing their commitment to teaching careers. Known as the Western Regional Noyce Network (WRNN), this project builds on the success of ongoing efforts to foster community and support for Noyce recipients and Noyce project leaders. Specifically, in order to motivate teachers to persist and thrive in the teaching profession, this project aims to expand the involvement of Noyce recipients, especially current recipients and recent graduates, and to strengthen their community ties through purposeful activities designed with explicit networking goals. Project activities include (1) annual conferences, (2) professional development offerings, (3) regional networking associated with statewide educator conferences hosted by professional societies, (4) development of an online learning community, and (5) robust formative and impact evaluation.

This WRNN project integrates the efforts of 13 institutions across a 14-state region of the western United States. The collaborating institutions are: the University of Oregon (lead) and, alphabetically, California Polytechnic State University, California State University, Fresno, California State University, Northridge, California State University, Sacramento, Pacific University, Planetary Science Institute, Rice University, San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, University of Portland, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Wyoming. It is designed to expand involvement by Noyce projects and their Scholars and Fellows, promote professional networking, foster exchange of ideas among Noyce recipients and program leaders, and facilitate professional development. The WRNN expects to serve approximately 900 participants over three annual conferences, to engage 450 participants in aggregate in professional development opportunities, to support another 665 participants in regional networking events, and the online learning community will be open to thousands. Questions that will be explored center on examining the networks that Noyce Scholars/Fellows and alumni develop as a result of WRNN activities and the benefits that these networks confer. Varied formats of professional development allow for exploration of affordances and constraints of in-person and virtual activities. By promoting networking throughout all activities and offering targeted activities that address identified needs and interests of Noyce teachers, hundreds of thousands of students in high-need schools across the region will benefit beyond the lifetime of this project from highly prepared and well-connected STEM teachers. This Noyce conference 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 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention 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.

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