Grants, STEM Education

Educators in High-Needs Schools to Get Training to Help Them Teach STEM

A program from the National Science Foundation is aiming to support the recruitment and education of STEM teachers for high-need school districts.

• By Sri Ravipati
• 04/07/16

Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania has received a $1.2 million grant through the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which responds to the critical need for quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers in underserved middle schools and high schools.

Following the example set by another college in the area, Susquehanna’s program will prepare STEM majors for a career in teaching in underserved areas. The university plans to recruit Noyce scholars from historically underserved populations, such as minority, low-income and first-generation students.  

“It is important that the teachers we graduate not only have deep knowledge about their content area, but also a vested interest in their students and the communities they come from,” said Valerie Allison, chair of the Department of Education at Susquehanna, in an article posted on The Daily Item. “We know that when students from underserved communities view their teachers as community members, they are more likely to see themselves as capable of pursuing similar academic and professional paths.”

Beyond a traditional teaching education, students in the program will be trained in linguistic, cultural and economic diversity through certificate courses and field placement. For example, a scholarship recipient can become certified as an English as a Second Language (ESL) program specialist. Additionally, all scholarship recipients will be required to complete two years of student teaching in one of the following high-need school districts: Harrisburg School District; Shikellamy School District, Northumberland County; Upper Darby School District, Delaware County; or Williamsport Area School District.