[CaTEACH-SMI] NSF Noyce Scholarships to STEM teachers

[Leslie Bushong]

NSF Grant Paves the Way for Future Teachers

by Todd Ransom

 

An $887,433 National Science Foundation grant from the Robert Noyce
Scholarships Program will fund a program that involves more than 50
classrooms in six middle and five high schools, supporting one to15 district
mentor teachers per year and approximately 2,000 students in the rapidly
growing, low-performing Moreno Valley Unified School District. 

Surrounding school districts are also likely to benefit from the award. 

The grant was given to Pamela Clute, executive director of the Academy of
Learning through Partnerships for Higher Achievement (ALPHA); Brad Hyman,
professor of biology, and faculty director, Science Mathematics Initiative
within the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; and Maria Simani,
director of the UCR P-20 Regional Alliance and future UCR Noyce program
director. 

"This grant allows us to capitalize on the university's internal partnership
between the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, the Graduate
School of Education and the ALPHA Center for Academic Partnerships," said
Clute. "Together we have a mission to find the best students and mentor them
through undergraduate and graduate school and into teaching jobs in Moreno
Valley." 

Progress will be observed to determine the impact of the program on teacher
performance, commitment to serving the district, impact as a student role
model, longevity to the profession and ability to assume leadership. The end
goal is to establish a model that can be replicated to shape teachers who
will best prepare students for the 21st century. 

"The training infrastructure and curriculum are already in place at UCR, but
we hope to expand upon those elements to create a continuum of teacher
preparation and development," Hyman said. "The end result will be more than
40 new secondary mathematics and science teachers who are prepared and
motivated educators within our partnership district." 

"The goal of the Noyce program is to increase the number of high-quality
teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) who are
prepared and motivated to face the educational challenges of high-need
schools," Simani said. "Our Noyce scholars will have an important impact on
the lives and careers of students and teachers in our partnering schools." 

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program seeks to encourage talented
science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors and professionals to
become K-12 mathematics and science teachers. The program provides funds to
institutions of higher education to support scholarships, stipends and
academic programs for undergraduate science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) majors and post-baccalaureate students holding STEM
degrees who commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts.

 

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Special note from SMI:  Once eligibility requirements are determined and
applications become available, SMI will send details to you via its
listserv.  

 

*************************************************
Leslie Bushong
Director, California Teach-Science/Mathematics Initiative (CaTEACH-SMI) 
1104 Pierce Hall
University of California, Riverside
voice: (951) 827-4970
fax: (951) 827-4971
website: http://smi.ucr.edu <blocked::http://smi.ucr.edu/> 


 

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