Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Track 1: Developing Secondary Science and Mathematics Educators in Rural Nevada

About This Grant

Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Track 1 Project at University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) aims to address the national need of preparing highly qualified STEM teachers, with a particular focus on rural Nevada. Nearly 90% of Nevada's school districts serve rural communities. These districts struggle to attract highly qualified STEM teachers. To help address the critical shortage of highly qualified STEM teachers in Nevada, this project supports the recruitment of 10 Noyce scholars across science and mathematics content areas to be prepared as secondary STEM teachers to teach in rural and high-need school districts. The program plans to provide first-year and sophomore students with financial support, paid internships, and mentorship to introduce them to K-12 STEM teaching. It further supports 10 Noyce scholars with scholarships, testing and licensing fee assistance, mentorship from UNR, Great Basin College (GBC), and Elko County School District (ECSD), apprenticeships, cultural immersion, and community outreach, while also retaining graduates in high-need rural schools through induction activities and salary support. Noyce Scholars are projected to earn a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education degree alongside their Bachelor of Science in a STEM content area and be enabled to be highly effective science and mathematics teachers with extensive expertise in culturally responsive teaching in rural environments. This project at the University of Nevada, Reno includes partnerships with Great Basin College and Elko County School District, which is a rural high-need school district in Nevada. Project goals include the recruitment, preparation, and retention of 10 undergraduates across seven program areas (Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Mathematics, Atmospheric Sciences, Chemistry, Geology, and Physics) over the five years of the project. If successful, these efforts will result in the development of a pipeline of highly qualified, STEM educators who serve Nevada's rural communities and provide a model to address the nationwide shortage of STEM teachers prepared to teach and live in rural communities. The project will be iteratively evaluated. The following elements are proposed to guide the evaluation approach: (a) whether the project succeeded in meeting its stated goals (outcomes), (b) aspects of the project that were integral in facilitating and hindering success (lessons learned), (c) intended and unintended outcomes of the project (accomplishments), and (d) aspects of the project that are sustainable beyond the funding cycle of the grant. The results of this project will be disseminated to help enhance the field. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.