Enhancement of STEM Teacher Agency Through Authentic Experiences in Mathematics and Science

This project aims to serve the national interest by recruiting and preparing highly effective secondary mathematics and science teachers for service in high need schools. The project will recruit 18 prospective mathematics and science teachers, who will concurrently earn a Master of Arts in Teaching and teaching licensure. These Master Teaching Fellows will supported financially and receive professional development through their first four years of teaching in high-need secondary schools.

The project features a unique focus on the development of teacher agency, which is the ability to actively plan and do things that enhance their growth as teachers. The project intends to develop teacher agency by focusing on the authentic practice of science and mathematics. A primary approach the project will take to engage teachers and students in authentic STEM practice will be ongoing involvement in school-based science, mathematics, and engineering fairs.

To help them further engage in authentic practice, the prospective teachers will be mentored by university scientists and mathematicians on individual research projects. Through the focus on agency and authenticity, the project expects the prospective teachers will see themselves as scientists, which in turn will increase their effectiveness and commitment as STEM teachers.

It also expects that these teachers will be able to mentor their students to develop agency as STEM learners, supporting greater success of their students in STEM.

This six-year project at the University of Arkansas (UA) includes partnerships with Springdale Arkansas Public Schools, UA Center for Mathematics and Science Education, and three non-profit organizations (Springdale Education Foundation, Amazeum, and Arkansas STEM Coalition). These partnerships will serve as a framework for recruiting and preparing 18 STEM post-baccalaureates (in two cohorts of nine) for secondary teacher licensure in the disciplines of biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics and completion of the 11-month UA Master of Arts in Teaching program.

A key aspect of the project is its focus on the development of personal agency (empowerment and ability in a specific domain) and its potential to impact attitudes and achievement in subjects such as science and mathematics. Agency is an important element of personal fulfillment and success but has thus far not featured strongly as a goal in teacher preparation, particularly with respect to authentic practices.

Project leaders will explore questions related to efficacy of the strategies, implementation in field settings, and impacts on students. The project will follow and support the 18 teachers over the six-year award period and prepare them to be successful teachers and leaders who embrace the richness of culture and diversity as they launch a teaching career in a high-need school.

The project leadership team will collect data to inform the building and dissemination of this model of STEM teacher preparation that combines engagement in authentic practice with the development of agency in the preparation of highly effective STEM teachers. This Track 2 Teaching Fellowships project is supported through the Robert Noyce 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 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.