- Year 2024
- NSF Noyce Award # 2243541
- First Name Fenqjen
- Last Name Luo
- Registration Faculty/Administrator/Other
- Discipline STEM Education (general)
- Role Principal Investigator (PI)
- Presenters
Montana State University
Need
This capacity building project fulfills the need for resources to prepare a competitive Noyce proposal submission for the Track 3 Master Teaching Fellowships (MTF) project, which targets STEM teachers in high-need, remote rural schools and hard-to-access, isolated, small minority communities.
Research Questions
(a) How can the needs of rural and American Indian schools in STEM education be assessed, and what are the challenges? (b) How do we build solid partnerships among collaborators, and what are the challenges? (c) What should be considered when recruiting and selecting potential STEM teacher leaders? (d) How do we develop culturally responsive and sustaining STEM teacher leaders?
Approach
We used the following concepts or models to guide the implementation and assessment of this capacity-building project. They are (1) funds of knowledge, (2) culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy, (3) Indian Education for All (IEFA), (4) teacher leadership model, and (5) indigenous evaluation framework.
Outcomes
The specific goals were not achieved and used evenly in the preparation of a competitive Noyce proposal submission in Track 3: Master Teaching Fellowships (MTF). Still, the overall goal of preparing and submitting a Noyce Track 3 project proposal was achieved through this capacity-building project.
Broader Impacts
This capacity building project contributes to strengthening partnerships that surpass traditional school boundaries. Secondly, this project closely aligns with NSF’s commitment to inclusivity by extending its reach to hard-to-access, isolated, small, remote rural schools and students from small minority communities. Lastly, this project enriches the STEM education landscape by valuing local funds of knowledge, embracing cultural insights, and incorporating diverse viewpoints from rural and American Indian communities. This project could serve as a model to be disseminated and replicated in similar remote rural and tribal communities across the United States. The resources and findings generated by this project will hold value beyond the participating schools and districts, with dissemination planned at both the state and national levels.
