Developing STEM Teachers for High-Need Schools to Support the Implementation of Computer Science Standards

This project aims to serve the national need of alleviating the shortage of highly qualified STEM teachers for high-need schools. In particular, over the five years of the project, the investigators will recruit and prepare twenty-one (21) computer science, mathematics, and other STEM prospective teachers, who will promote the national goal of making STEM education more accessible and effective for all students.

These new teachers will be prepared to teach in high-need schools, and to support the implementation of the state of New York Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards across the curriculum. The new teachers developed from the program will contribute to the nation’s economic competitiveness by better preparing the next generation of students.

Insights gained from the implementation of this program will also contribute new knowledge about how to best prepare future STEM teachers, especially in the areas of computer science and digital fluency.

This project is housed at the University of Rochester and will leverage long-term partnerships with the College of Computing and Information Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology, East Irondequoit Central School District, and East High School within the Rochester City School District. The project features two underlying goals. First, the project will provide twenty-one (21) scholarships to a diverse set of graduates from STEM majors, to enable them to complete a rigorous 14-month graduate teacher preparation program leading to New York State teacher certification in computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science.

A second underlying goal is to prepare the new teachers to integrate the recently established New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards into their STEM teaching. Other goals include preparing project participants to: teach in high-need schools; be equipped with culturally responsive pedagogies that promote social justice, equity, and inclusion; and be able to create a classroom culture in which all students experience a sense of STEM belonging and are prepared to succeed.

The project is supported by formative and summative project evaluation focused on determining the impact, efficacy, and value of project activities. In addition, it is expected that new knowledge will be generated in the areas of preparing teachers to incorporate computer science and digital fluency learning, especially as it relates to the New York State standards.

Proactive dissemination of the project's findings related to these issues will take place in several STEM education venues, particularly to engage stakeholders in New York. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends 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.