- Year 2018
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660653
- First Name Katherine
- Last Name Stickney
- Discipline Other: STEM Education
- Co-PI(s)
Kimberly Baker, University of Indianapolis, bakerkm@uindy.edu
Deborah Sachs, University of Indianapolis, dsachs@uindy.edu - Presenters
Deborah Sachs, University of Indianapolis, dsachs@uindy.edu
Need
The project is designed to prepare 36 highly qualified STEM professionals (aka: Scholars), across three cohorts, to serve as highly effective secondary STEM teachers who are also proficient in the use of project-based learning as an instructional strategy, thus helping to fill the high demand across the nation for effective STEM teachers.
There is a scarcity of research related to the impact of residency programs on the professional practice of the cooperating mentor teachers in high need LEAs with whom clinical resident Scholars are placed. This project will begin to address this gap in research by exploring 4 major questions.
Data and findings will help shape the national conversation about the impact of residency programs on both the pre-service teachers prepared through such programs and on the cooperating mentor teachers serving as hosts and mentors for those individuals.
Goals
The two primary goals of this project are: (1) to produce and retain in the profession 36 highly effective secondary STEM teachers who are also proficient in the use of project-based learning as an instructional strategy; (2) to explore the impact of clinical residency programs on the professional practice of the cooperating mentor teachers in high need LEAs with whom clinical resident Scholars are placed. Key activities to date include: • Development and implementation of a recruitment strategy • Design of marketing materials • Establishment of an admissions process • Development of stipend application documents and legal agreement for the award of a Noyce stipend • Confirmation of collaborations with partnering school districts • Coordination with program evaluator • Recruitment and admission of Cohort 1 • Launch of coursework and residency components of the program • Completion of Year 1 program evaluation • Recruitment and admission of Cohort 2
Approach
The project combines a one-year urban clinical residency with 36 hours of graduate coursework and two years of post-residency mentoring support. Coursework and clinical residency experiences are integrated in a full-time program aligned with LEA calendars. Scholars earn, within one year, a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree along with licensure in a STEM content area. The program follows the guiding principles of the effective Urban Teacher Residency model. The program involves, Scholars, University faculty, partner school teachers, and mentors.
Outcomes
As of this proposal submission, we are in the final stages of wrapping up the first year of the clinical residency, coursework, and evaluation components of the program. Once those components are completed we will be able to better address the key outcomes and findings of the project to date, which will be prior to the 2018 summit. There are nine major findings from the mid-term evaluation report along with one unexpected key finding, based on Cohort 1 recruitment efforts, that there is much work to be done around recruiting candidates into the program. Next steps for the project include: • analyzing program feedback from the Scholars, CFs and CMTs • analyzing program feedback from the first-year evaluation report provided by the external program evaluator • exploring recruitment strategies.
Broader Impacts
Again, as of this proposal submission, we are in the final stages of wrapping up the first year of the clinical residency, coursework, and evaluation components of the program. Once those components are completed we will be able to better address the broader impacts of the program to date, including who has been impacted by the project and how they have been impacted. Dissemination efforts are in the beginning stages. The co-PIs have submitted a proposal for presentation at the 2019 AACTE annual meeting. In addition, the plans for the development of a website to serve as a repository for program materials including design elements and evaluation information will begin. The website will be available to the public at large. The University of Indianapolis Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning will assist with dissemination by providing links to the website through their own site, newsletters and other venues at their disposal.
