- Year 2024
- NSF Award #1758497
- Registration Noyce Scholar/Teaching Fellow/Master Teacher
- Role Master Teaching Fellow
- First Name April
- Last Name Bartnick
- Discipline Other:Nonprofit, STEM Education (general)
- Institution Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Abstract
At the close of a five-year Robert Noyce River Region Environmental Sustainability Program, Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs) from Southern Illinois University Carbondale initiated a nonprofit organization called Innovations in STEM Education. The nonprofit was founded to sustain the efforts of our community of teacher leaders by supporting and expanding excellence in STEM education across rural Southern Illinois and adjoining states. Toward this end, MTFs conceptualized and developed a STEM Education regranting program that distributes funds to assist area teachers in gaining the knowledge, skills, and materials to be effective STEM educators. Throughout the Spring and summer of 2023, a team of MTFs established the focus of the grant program, determined the grant amount, and developed an application and scoring rubric. Calls for applications were distributed across the region via school administrators, regional offices of education, and an annual science education meeting. The first grant cycle yielded twenty-five applications and 10 innovative projects were selected to receive funds of $500 or less. This poster shows how we organized the grant program and worked within the nonprofit to distribute funds. We highlight the types of projects supported by the grants and identify future endeavors relating to sustaining this grant initiative.
Focus
Partnerships for success (high-need schools, informal institutions, industry, community), Developing teacher leaders, Keeping in touch with alumni post-Noyce
