- Year 2016
- NSF Noyce Award # 1340044
- First Name Kate
- Last Name Allman
- Discipline N/A
- Presenters
Margaret Hennessey, Duke University, mch43@duke.edu; Kate Allman, Duke University, kate.allman@duke.edu
Need
High levels of teacher turnover pose critical challenges to the quality of science and math teaching in high schools (Jones, Dana, LaFramenta, Adams, Arnold, 2016; Papay, Bacher-Hicks, Page, Marinell, 2015). The Duke Noyce Mentoring Project aims to support early-career Noyce Fellows in order to reduce teacher turnover at high-needs schools.
Goals
The Duke Noyce Mentoring Project is an initiative designed to support early-career math and science teachers with mentorship from experienced graduates of the program.
The project aims to retain effective teachers working in high-needs schools.
Approach
Mentor/mentee pairs meet at least monthly (sometimes virtually, depending on distance) to discuss the challenges of being a new teacher, to share resources, and to celebrate successes. Mentors guide mentees in taking advantages of other benefits of the Noyce Felllowship, including funding for conference travel. In addition, the Noyce Mentoring Coordinator facilitates periodic discussions by Google Hangout with mentees and mentors.
Outcomes
Drawing from holistic approaches to teacher mentoring (Littleton et al, 2000; Shea and Greenwood, 2007; Norman and Ganser, 2004), the poster will present findings from a three-year study of the Noyce Mentoring Project. Data include surveys and interviews with novice math and science teachers, their mentors, and the mentoring program administrators and faculty. Findings have implications for program administrators, teacher education faculty, and schools.
Broader Impacts
The annual Duke Noyce Learning Conference brings together all mentors, mentees, and other Duke Noyce Fellows to share in professional growth and extend their collegial network. Also under development is the Noyce Online Learning Center, which will share findings about the mentoring project to inform others interested in creating their own mentoring programs.
