Expanding opportunities for the next generation of stem teachers to meet america's needs

The National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education awarded $4.1M to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to enhance the preparation and professional development of STEM teachers within the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The three-year project, running from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2028, delivers a comprehensive suite of products and services designed to strengthen the national infrastructure for STEM teacher preparation. Key deliverables include annual national summits, virtual proposal preparation workshops, curated blog and newsletter content, and a digital platform for housing and sharing tools and resources among Noyce participants and stakeholders.

The initiative employs a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) framework to facilitate structured knowledge-sharing, technical assistance, and dissemination efforts among STEM teacher educators, principal investigators, evaluators, and program leaders. The evaluation component utilizes mixed-methods assessments including surveys, focus groups, social network analysis, and usage tracking to measure shifts in knowledge, collaboration patterns, and the application of research-informed practices. Findings will be disseminated through annual reports, policy briefs, and a public-facing resource hub, contributing to evidence-based improvements in STEM teacher recruitment, preparation, and support strategies across diverse educational contexts.

Abstract

This project aims to enhance the preparation and ongoing development of stem teachers through national convenings, and professional learning activities designed for participants in the national science foundation?s robert noyce teacher scholarship program. The initiative is designed to engage a wide range of stem teacher educators, principal investigators, evaluators, and program leaders in structured knowledge-sharing, technical assistance, and dissemination efforts. Through an annual summit and coordinated year-round programming, participants are expected to strengthen their ability to implement research-based strategies for recruiting, preparing, and supporting effective stem educators across a variety of contexts. The project plans to support the development of a skilled stem teaching workforce to meet current and future national needs in education and innovation. The project intends to apply a networked improvement community (NIC) framework to guide collaboration and continuous learning within the noyce community. The proposed activities include national summits, virtual proposal preparation workshops, a curated blog and newsletter, and an evolving digital platform to house and share tools and resources. The evaluation plan is designed to use mixed methods?surveys, focus groups, social network analysis, and usage tracking?to assess shifts in knowledge, collaboration patterns, and application of research-informed practices. Findings will inform project improvement and will be shared through annual reports, briefs, and a public-facing resource hub. The project results are intended to contribute to strengthening the national infrastructure for stem teacher preparation and program effectiveness. This conference 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.