National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program: Strengthening Georgia Science Teachers Through a Teaching Corps, Mentoring, and Leadership Development

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 Southern Region. This project will support 12 STEM Teacher Corps Members by recognizing and rewarding their accomplishments and effort to enhance STEM teaching and learning in K – 12 science education. The Regional Alliance aims to address the shortage of science teachers by identifying science teachers who demonstrate exceptional science instruction, building a mentor network to support and retain new science teachers, and articulating leadership pathways for experienced science teachers The project will also provide professional development, mentorship and support directly to more than 100 other STEM teachers within the region through the use of Hubs, which will build and strengthen existing connections between the different participating organizations to impact the science teaching community. The alliance will consist of three Hubs. Hub STEM Teacher Corps will identify and support 12 Georgia-based STEM Teacher Corps teachers who will contribute and work within the other two Hubs. Hub Capacity Building will organize established learning opportunities into new programming that targets newly hired science teachers and builds the mentoring expertise of experienced science teachers. Hub Empower will curate support and leadership programming for science teachers across Georgia. The Hubs will reach every K-12 science teacher in Georgia and easily involve science teachers from across the state. Strategically engaging more science teachers in various connected learning opportunities will enhance the work of Georgia's science teachers. Georgia's students will benefit from a strengthened science teaching network by experiencing science instruction that enhances their knowledge and prepares them to be informed citizens and for science or related careers.    This Regional Alliance at the University of Georgia includes partnerships with Georgia Department of Education – Science division (GADOE), Georgia Science Teachers Association (GSTA), Georgia Science Supervisors Association (GSSA), Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center (GYSTC), Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA) and several Georgia schools and School districts. This project has three goals: 1) identify and draw upon the expertise of Georgia STEM Teacher Corps members; 2) empower current and emerging science teacher leaders; and 3) build and sustain science teacher learning networks. To accomplish these goals and ensure impact of the project, there will be an Executive Committee consisting of Hub leaders and Project Directors and an Advisory Committee comprised of local and national experts, and an external evaluator will monitor the project's process and productivity. The Hub-based research questions will contribute to an understanding of how: 1) a distributed leadership approach enhances the science education community, 2) science teachers are supported through an alliance to build their expertise and resilience, and 3) alliances can contribute to elevating the science teaching profession. The ongoing analysis of data within each Hub will improve the products of the Hubs and provide insights into retaining teachers and strengthening teaching systems. 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.