- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 934831
- First Name Victor
- Last Name Donnay
- Discipline Other: Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
- Co-PI(s)
Alice Lesnick, Bryn Mawr College, alesnick@brynmawr.edu
Josh Sabloff, Haverford College, jsabloff@haverford.edu - Presenters
Bonnie Hallam, Bryn Mawr College, bhallam@gmail.edu
Greer Richardson, LaSalle College, richards@lasalle.edu
Need
The National Science Foundation Noyce Scholarship invests a lot of funding for recruiting and preparing STEM teachers for high need schools. This investment is fruitless if new teachers cannot be retained in the profession. The Bryn Mawr/Haverford Noyce Scholarship Program believes that staying in the lives of the young STEM teachers who receive our scholarships and supporting them as they navigate their journey into the teaching field and through their induction period helps them create their identity as a STEM teacher who is committed to staying in the practice. In addition, research shows that building social capital is critical for new teachers and to help our new Noyce teachers do that we partnered with other Noyce Programs in the Philadelphia area, The Philadelphia Regional Noyce Partnership (PRNP), to develop a New Teacher Support Program to help all our Noyce Scholars connect with each other and build their social capital.
Goals
In the past three years, our program has focused on mentoring our Noyce Scholars in a personal and individual way. We have encouraged our scholars to be part of the PRNP New Teacher Support program where they receive both one-on-one mentoring, an individualized support plan, and a cohort of other new teachers as a support network. In addition, PRNP has enabled our scholars, interns and new teachers to be involved in high quality professional development that is supported by 8 institutions of higher education and the resources all of them bring to the table.
Approach
Ensuring that we are staying in close communication with each of our scholars, taking in an interest in their professional development and helping them find resources to enhance this and establishing a personal relationship whereby the scholars come to us when they are in need or facing challenges are the key methods that we have used to help sustain and retain our scholars. Through the PRNP our scholars have received one on one mentoring by mentors trained in a unique approach to mentoring….putting the new teacher in the driver’s seat. Our new teachers are able to develop agency in their growth as practitioners with the support of mentors who help them address their self identified needs.
Outcomes
Through this collaboration with PRNP, the Bryn Mawr/Haverford Noyce Program helped all but one of our Noyce Scholars stay in teaching in high need schools over the course of the three years we have been part of the New Teacher Support Program. Our goal for the future is to continue to be part of the Philadelphia Regional Noyce Partnership and to connect our scholars to networks where they can continue to receive support as they grow in their practice even when the Bryn Mawr/Haverford Noyce Scholarship program is no longer active.
Broader Impacts
Thousands of secondary school children are impacted by the enthusiastic, intelligent and well prepared teachers that the Noyce Scholars from all of the institutions involved in PRNP have become. In addition, as our teachers take on leadership roles, they are impacting their colleagues and the wider educational community. These Noyce Teachers are now serving as host teachers to new STEM pre-service teachers; they are providing professional development at both the school and the district level; and they are involved in leadership roles in their schools.
