The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant will be used to recruit students to three STEM teaching programs from diverse cultures and two-year institutions and support them through their college career and for the first three years following graduation. The scholars will participate in a learning assistants and learning assistant leaders program and serve their field experience in diverse and high-needs settings.
“As we work to address teacher shortages across Minnesota and our country, we must invest in students who want to serve their communities as educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar in announcing the grant. “These National Science Foundation awards promoting STEM education will help Bemidji State University and St. Cloud State University increase the number of STEM teachers and prepare our students for the jobs of the future.”
The Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and supports experienced K-12 STEM teachers to become master teachers in high-need school districts. It supports research on persistence, retention and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.
St. Cloud State is partnering with Anoka Ramsey Community College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College and the St. Cloud Area School District on the project. Bemidji State University was awarded a separate grant aimed at increasing the number of mathematics teachers in rural areas.
Dr. Melissa Hanzsek-Brill is the principal investigator on the grant along with co-principal investigators Dr. Kevin Haglin and Dr. Jennifer Jay.
“Too many Minnesota schools are struggling to find STEM teachers to fill their classrooms — especially schools in rural areas,” said Sen. Tina Smith in announcing the grant. “Ultimately, these teacher shortages limit opportunities for our kids to do well in STEM subjects and become interested in STEM careers. I’m glad that Bemidji State University and St. Cloud State University are working to address this problem, and that the National Science Foundation is supporting their work. I am especially pleased that the grant will emphasize recruiting students who begin their education at two-year institutions. I hope that these projects will succeed in increasing the number of STEM teachers and help our students get the best education possible.”
St. Cloud State is seeking to triple the number of STEM teachers it produces to meet local needs in the field. The grant will provide employment on campus and full scholarships to 24 scholars over the five-year life of the project. Scholars can begin their path to becoming a Chemistry, Mathematics, or Physics educator at any of the three partner institutions, Anoka Ramsey Community College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College, or St. Cloud State. Scholars will graduate from St. Cloud State.
In addition to supporting these scholars, the grant is funding development of a reproducible model for recruiting students to the field and supporting them as they begin their STEM teaching careers. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting STEM teaching majors from diverse cultural backgrounds including students who begin their higher education career at two-year institutions by involving P-12 educators and two-year institution faculty in efforts to recruit, prepare and support STEM teachers.
If you would like to learn more about this scholarship program, contact:
Melissa Hanzsek-Brill, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Office: ECC-157
[email protected]
