NSF Award
2411774
The racial and ethnic diversity of the K-12 student population far exceeds the diversity of the current teacher workforce and teacher candidate pipeline. To address this gap, systemic changes in the structural and cultural dimensions of university teacher preparation programs are required. This project will leverage an existing consortium of STEM teacher preparation programs in Washington State to: (1) identify community assets and systemic barriers to recruiting and supporting STEM teacher candidates from historically underrepresented populations; (2) develop strategies for preparing STEM teacher candidates to enact culturally sustaining pedagogies; and (3) advance understanding of how universities can develop authentic partnerships with historically marginalized communities to support STEM teacher preparation. The significance of this project is that it aims to establish authentic partnerships with individuals and groups typically underrepresented in STEM and elevate the knowledge and leadership from marginalized communities to collaboratively address barriers and obstacles to becoming STEM teachers.<br/><br/>This project will employ a descriptive multiple case study design to understand how institutes of higher education work with their local communities to dismantle systemic barriers to recruiting and supporting students from historically underrepresented groups in STEM teacher preparation. Further, the project will investigate how these teacher preparation programs leverage the knowledge of leaders from marginalized communities to develop and share strategies for preparing future STEM teachers to enact culturally sustaining pedagogies. With sites spanning urban, suburban, and rural settings, this research will enhance our collective knowledge about contextual factors that support or constrain efforts to address inequities in STEM teacher preparation. The community-led work at each region is grounded in the principles of Targeted Universalism and will utilize tools and frameworks from the Equity-Driven Systems Change Model to center the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. Anticipated impacts include new recruitment and retention models for diversifying STEM teaching, revised curricula to infuse culturally sustaining pedagogy into STEM teacher preparation, and new equity-minded structures and policies to guide teacher education program decisions.<br/><br/>This collaborative project is funded by the EDU Racial Equity in STEM Education activity, which is supported by the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU). This activity supports research and practice projects that investigate how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce. Awarded projects seek to center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by systemic inequities within the STEM enterprise. Programs across EDU contribute funds to the Racial Equity activity in recognition of the alignment of its projects with the collective research and development thrusts of the four divisions of the directorate.<br/><br/>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.
