Conference: Strengthening the Capacity of Minority Serving Institutions to Compete in the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program

The project aims to serve the national need of addressing education equity by building the capacity of researchers at minority serving institutions (MSIs) to pursue funding from the Robert Noyce Teacher Preparation and the National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Programs. The project will facilitate technical assistance opportunities tailored to enhance participants skills in three critical areas: grant writing, project planning, and collaboration. We will provide a structured training program that includes pre-and post-workshop webinars, live workshops, and individualized consultations led by subject matter experts to empower participants with the competence and confidence needed to secure funding for their initiatives, effectively plan and execute projects, and foster strong, collaborative partnerships. The project at the Quality Education for Minorities Network will provide hands-on support to prospective applicants over the entire lifecycle of proposal development. The goal is to provide information, guidance, and networking opportunities to assist in successfully developing and submitting proposals to the two STEM teacher-focused programs. We will: 1) plan and conduct a 2.5-day annual proposal development workshops for 120 faculty researchers to increase their awareness of the two funding opportunities; and 2) provide post-workshop mentorship and guidance led by QEM consultants to encourage and support the development and submission of competitive proposals. Through this initiative, we anticipate a significant increase in the quality and quantity of proposals submitted by researchers at MSIs, driving forward innovation and excellence in STEM education. This conference 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 conference proposal is also supported by the NSF National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program which supports the elevation of the STEM teacher profession by selecting and recognizing outstanding STEM educators that advance equity in our Nation’s PreK –12 classrooms and provides professional development of STEM teachers. 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.