University of Kentucky NOYCE Fellows Program: New Opportunities Yeilding Classroom Excellence: Scope for Training Participant Costs

The UK- New Opportunities Yielding Classroom Excellence (UK-NOYCE) Mathematics and Science Fellows Program seeks to attract senior class students and practicing professionals in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM) to become credentialed secondary mathematics and science teachers through a collaborative effort by the College of Education, College of Engineering, and College of Arts and Science at the University of Kentucky. UK-NOYCE recipients will be expected to teach secondary mathematics and sciences in selected districts which meet high need criteria because they lack qualified mathematics and science teachers. The targeted high need districts (52) have long-standing partnerships with UK through the ongoing Appalachian Math Science Partnership and former Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative. The program objectives are: (1) Attract students and practicing professionals in the STEM disciplines into Secondary Mathematics and Science Education; (2) Make available to these students an integrated range of support services designed to enhance academic success, for example, collaborative advising from the College of Education, College of Arts and Science, College of Engineering, and College of Agriculture; and (3) Increase the number of graduates in Secondary Science and Mathematics Education. Specific aims to achieve these objectives include: (a) Ensure scholars are of high academic ability by requiring a GPA of 3.0, which is maintained throughout their participation in the program; (b) Make a strong effort to recruit traditionally underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines (women, minorities, and disabled students) into the UK-NOYCE Scholarship Program; (c) Encourage all UK-NOYCE scholars to complete their degrees within one calendar year of entering the MIC program; and (d) Assist UK-NOYCE scholars in obtaining Secondary teaching positions in the targeted regions of Kentucky (including Appalachia). The UK-NOYCE scholarship recipients will matriculate through the Masters of Arts in Secondary Education with Initial Certification (MIC) Program at The University of Kentucky. In total, 40 fellowships (minimum 25 new students) of $12,000-$15,000 will be used for tuition, fees, and other supplies for both senior and graduate level students. The MIC program is an intensive one calendaryear program that leads to both a master's degree and initial Kentucky teacher certification (grades 8-12). Emphasis is on strong math/science background content and UK-NOYCE applicants must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The UK-NOYCE Fellows will be members of two, concurrent cohorts: a pedagogical foundations cohort and a math or science content cohort. A cross-college team of faculty designs and supervises integrated experiences for students. Partner-schools provide apprenticeship experiences for MIC participants. Intellectual Merit: STEM students and practicing STEM professionals trained as educators can integrate their knowledge and skills of their corresponding content disciplines with mathematics and science standards-based content to provide cognitive apprenticeships in STEM learning for their students-developing K-12 learners as inquirers and problem-solvers who can make sense of their environments through scientific investigation and as designers who can alter environments through planning and testing. Broader ImDacts: In keeping with the National Research Council (NRC) recommendations, the UK Colleges of Engineering, Education, Arts and Science, and Agriculture partnership establishes a regional pipeline and institutionalizes the effort to increase the number of highly qualified secondary mathematics and science teachers in the region. In terms of the impact to the K-12 mathematics and science pipeline, if each UKNOYCE Fellow has an average of 100 students, over 4000 secondary mathematics and science students will be educated each year by a highly qualified teacher trained in real-world applications of STEM through their content preparation and effective pedagogy through their pre-service teacher training. Finally, the UK-NOYCE Fellows Program will provide opportunities for STEM majors and practicing STEM professionals to participate in a diverse range of potential work environments with UK faculty for years to come.