- Year 2019
- NSF Noyce Award # 1852925
- First Name Toni
- Last Name Sauncy
- Discipline Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics
- Co-PI(s)
Jeannette Jones, Texas Lutheran University, jjones@tlu.edu;
Will Hager, Texas Lutheran University, whager@tlu.edu - Presenters
Toni Sauncy, Jeannette Jones, Will Hager, Texas Lutheran University, tsauncy@tlu.edu
Need
The need for STEM teachers in the South Central Texas Region is well documented. Preparing students to meet the challenges of the many high needs school districts in this region can have major impact on the ability to recruit students from underepresented groups into STEM career tracks.
Goals
Can inclusion of curricular and extracurricular cultural training have an impact on the effectiveness of teachers in high needs classrooms? Can a program which nurtures the passion for teaching make an impact on the retention of teachers once they graduate?
Approach
We are new grant holders, with a plan for ‘instrusive’ support for students who have expressed a desire to pursue secondary teachering in STEM fields. In addition, we have put in place strategies for inviting students to consider teaching as a career. The support mechanisms include the formation of a dedicated student organization, a new collaborative course where students receive one-one mentoring from education and STEM faculty, and intense follow up after graduation.
Outcomes
We are just beginning our work with the scholarship grant, and have just finished a capacity building grant.
Broader Impacts
Because we have worked to infuse all introductory STEM courses with culturally relevant pedagogies, all the students in those courses will benefit.
