NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded nearly $1.2 million to Salisbury University (SU) to produce more middle and high school teachers in science and mathematics. SU’s Noyce project provides $1,500/year internship stipends to freshmen and sophomores and $10,000/year scholarships to juniors and seniors.

Project Title: Recruitment and Induction of Secondary STEM Teachers Integrating Lesson-Study as a Continuous Improvement Learning Mechanism

With support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality mathematics and science teachers. The project encourages SU STEM majors to become mathematics and science teachers in high-need schools through the use of first year and sophomore school-based internships and junior and senior scholarships. All STEM majors participating in the project work together to design and analyze lessons under the guidance of expert teachers in Wicomico County Public Schools. Scholarship recipients benefit from a teacher education curriculum that includes enhanced attention to instructional technology and equity issues in schools.

Support for scholarship recipients continues into their first years of teaching, as the project provides expert mentor teachers and peer communities to ensure their successful professional induction. Scholarship awardees are required to teach for two years after graduation for each year of funding received. SU students may fulfill this commitment in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, or Worcester counties, or another high-need district in the U.S.

Project Goals
The project goals are to:
1. Award junior/senior level Noyce scholarships of $10,000/year to 36 academically talented SU STEM majors with emphasis on including those from underrepresented populations;
2. Motivate 24 first year/sophomore level SU STEM majors not yet in the professional teacher education program to pursue teaching by hiring them for early field experience internships;
3. Help scholarship recipients develop strong content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge as they complete their degree programs;
4. Support scholarship recipients as they graduate and enter teaching by providing an induction program that fosters their development as skilled and reflective practitioners;
5. Lay the foundation for the long-term retention and success of scholarship recipients as STEM teachers in high-need school settings.
Over a five-year span, the project will produce 36 new STEM teachers by supporting undergraduates as they complete majors in the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics, and Physics while they also prepare to teach. Wicomico County Public Schools, a high-need local education agency, will partner with SU to provide school-based clinical experiences and mentors for SU STEM majors. Lesson study, a research-based method for continuous improvement of teaching, will be a key component of the clinical experiences. Quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered to address research questions including: (1) How does lesson study participation influence STEM majors’ motivations to teach?; (2) To what extent does lesson study encourage academically talented STEM majors to pursue teaching careers?; and (3) To what extent does lesson study encourage STEM majors from racial minorities to pursue teaching careers? Findings related to these research questions will be disseminated at professional conferences and in journals, adding to the knowledge base about best strategies for preparing STEM teachers. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 mathematics and science teachers in high-need school districts and experienced and exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 teachers in high-need school districts.
Eligible Majors
The following are four-year curriculum guides from the University catalog for the eligible majors:
All majors must complete SU’s Professional Teacher Education Program
Application Procedures

Freshmen interested in applying for SU Noyce internships should express their interest via email to one of the four professors listed in the “Contact Information” portion of this page.

Sophomores interested in applying for SU Noyce Scholarships should do so via SU’s Academic Works website.
Contact Information
Mathematics Education Contacts:
- Dr. Randall Groth (regroth@salisbury.edu)
- Dr. Jennifer Bergner (jabergner@salisbury.edu)
Science Education Contacts:
- Dr. Starlin Weaver (sdweaver@salisbury.edu)
- Dr. Gail Welsh (gswelsh@salisbury.edu)

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DUE- 1852139. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.