Strengthening Indiana’s Future through the 21st Century STEM Teachers Scholarship Program

Investigators: Lynn Bryan (PI), Muhsin Menekse (co-PI), Selcen Guzey (co-PI), and Jill Newton (co-PI).

The overarching goal of this project is to strengthen Indiana's future by expanding the number and diversity of students who pursue a degree and career in K-12 STEM teaching and who develop enhanced knowledge and skills for integrating engineering design into science, mathematics, and technology instruction. We propose to continue the 21st Century STEM Teachers Scholarship Program in which recipients complete not only a rigorous plan of study in one or more of the STEM disciplines that leads to state licensure, but also an Integrated STEM Education Degree Concentration Program in which they develop enhanced knowledge and skills for STEM integration in K-12 instruction. In the previous funding cycle, we were able to fund 13 scholarship recipients.  

To continue accomplishing our vision, we will:

• RECRUIT—Enhance our comprehensive plan for recruiting over the two-year grant period a new cohort of 12 prospective teachers from diverse backgrounds who will be highly qualified and prepared to teach STEM disciplines through integrated STEM approaches in K-12 classrooms in Indiana. We also will continue the scholarship funding for the inaugural 13 scholarship recipients, for a total of 25 teachers who will pursue a career in STEM teaching and who will develop enhanced knowledge and skills for STEM integration.
• TRAIN—Provide rigorous preparation to prepare the next generation of top-tier STEM teachers who possess: (a) deep subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in at least one science, mathematics or technology field, (b) well developed knowledge and skills to integrate cross-cutting content, processes, and practices beyond their discipline of expertise; and (c) well developed knowledge and skills for teaching diverse student populations in K-12 classrooms in Indiana.
• PLACE—Implement a comprehensive plan for placing scholarship recipients in grades K-12 in underserved Indiana school corporations as well as school corporations experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers in K-12 STEM disciplines.
• MAXIMIZE—Maximize the cost effectiveness of funds provided by the Indiana Commission of Higher Education for the 21st Century STEM Teachers Scholarship Program by utilizing the majority of funds for scholarships and leveraging existing resources.
• RETAIN—Refine and implement a comprehensive plan to mentor, support and retain 21st Century STEM teachers through their degree program and into their first years of teaching.
• OPTIMIZE—Optimize opportunities for the 21st Century STEM Teachers Scholarship Program by leveraging existing university resources and cultivating new partnerships with entities that support student and teacher achievement in STEM-related fields.

This proposed project will fill a critical need in Indiana to place 25 high quality, effective K-12 STEM teachers in underserved Indiana schools as well as schools that are experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers in K-12 STEM disciplines. We believe that by preparing top-tier 21st Century STEM teachers to teach a STEM content through the integration of engineering design in culturally and socially relevant ways, these teachers will have highly positive impact on elevating K-12 STEM learning as well as increase STEM interest among a diverse population of Indiana students.