Advancing STEM Education through the Development of Communities of Practice within Touro University STEM Teacher-Researcher Collaborative (TU-STRC) RESS Program

This Noyce RESS project aims to serve the national need of supporting in-service science/math teachers in research through participation in ongoing research projects with working scientists. Additionally, the project will support 24 science and mathematics teachers in high-need school districts by providing high quality and research-based professional development in a variety of research settings. The proposed project components will enable high-achieving teachers to participate in a community of practice with mentor scientists and fellow teachers in order to develop their own scientific understanding. Additionally, this project aims to support teacher participants in translating those experiences into inquiry-based science learning for the students in their classrooms and becoming leaders of science pedagogy in their schools. The project includes partnerships with Touro-COM medical school campuses in Harlem and Middletown, NY as well as the New Jersey School of Conservation. We will recruit in-service science and math teachers from high-need schools in New York City and Northern New Jersey as project participants. Project goals include supporting three cohorts of eight (24 total) in-service science and math teachers from high-need school districts in two consecutive years of rigorous, research-based professional development over a total period of four years. This project will be iteratively evaluated. Evaluation of the project will be guided by the following evaluation question(s): 1) How was the program implemented with regard to recruitment? 2) To what extent did teachers and mentor Scientists develop a network and ongoing Community of Practice? 3) To what extent did teachers develop stronger science identities and mentor scientists develop and refine skills in communicating science? 4) To what extent did teachers develop more complex understandings of scientific inquiry and their understanding of science teaching? 5) To what extent did teachers improve pedagogical skills in teaching STEM content and translate their research experience into the classroom? This RESS 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.