National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program: Rural Advancement of Students in STEM via Excellent Teacher Support: A Statewide Maine Alliance

About This Grant

The National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program Regional Alliance project aims to recognize outstanding STEM educators in high-need schools that advance educational excellence in the Northeast Region. This project will support ten (10) STEM Teacher Corps Members by recognizing and rewarding their accomplishments and effort to enhance STEM teaching and learning in high schools. The project will also provide professional development, mentorship and support to 200 other STEM teachers within the region by supporting an Associated Community of Teachers (ACT) to strengthen STEM education in Maine. Both STEM Teacher Corps and ACT members will be involved in Summer Institutes to strengthen content knowledge for teachers teaching out of field and build their confidence and knowledge of place-based, project-based learning, which they will bring back to their school districts. The proposed project components will enable exemplary and innovative STEM Teachers to participate in Summer Leadership Academies and establish relationships with each other to support the enhancement of STEM education. This project at the University of Maine includes a partnership with the Maine Department of Education, whose leaders will be members of the project Leadership Team and External Advisory Board. Project goals include (1) to identify, recognize, reward, and retain 10 excellent, innovative high school teachers (the Corps members) with experience in high-need districts and expertise in fields of particular regional and national shortage: computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics/physical science, and integrated teaching across disciplines; (2) to develop a STEM Teacher Leader career pathway for Corps members, preparing them to support and mentor new STEM teachers, particularly those who have not graduated from traditional teacher preparation programs, and leveraging Corps members’ expertise to lead professional learning experiences for members of the ACT; (3) to provide STEM and STEM education learning experiences to meet the professional needs of the Corps members for their continued development in their teaching, mentorship, and leadership roles; (4) to strengthen and expand partnerships among local communities and schools across Maine for the benefit of both; (5) to support the Corps members in leveraging resources of the University of Maine System in support of their ongoing professional learning and commitment to student learning, and to provide opportunities for them to contribute to preparing new teachers at these institutions; and (6) to conduct research and formative evaluation to shape the project and contribute general knowledge to address important challenges of STEM education in rural regions. This Regional Alliance project is supported through the National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program. The NSF National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program supports outstanding STEM educators in high-need schools that advance educational excellence in our Nation's preK-12 classrooms. 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.