芭乐视频 has received a six-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation designed to provide a comprehensive training and mentorship program for STEM teachers.
Part of the NSF鈥檚 , the Pacific Noyce STEM Storytellers program provides 12 students full tuition to pursue their Master of Arts in Teaching degree, followed by four years of coaching, mentorship and training through the university and other partners.
The goal of the program is to place high-quality teachers in high-need schools and to provide the training and tools to ensure long-term success and retention, said Professor of Education Kevin Carr.
鈥淭he first piece of a teacher鈥檚 career is really important,鈥 Carr said. 鈥淎nd if you can build in the right pieces during that time, their likelihood of retention over the long term almost becomes assured.鈥
Upon completion of their degree, during their first year in the classroom, teaching fellows will receive 55 hours of professional coaching from experienced science teachers who have demonstrated success in high-need schools. In the third and fourth years of the program, teaching fellows will have the opportunity to work with researchers, providing hands-on instruction in the lab and research setting that can be used in the classroom.
In the fifth year of the program, fellows will use their knowledge to teach others in the program and provide professional development to other STEM teachers in their districts.
Much of the training, Carr said, will focus on research that shows that students get more excited about science through contextual examples, through storytelling, and exciting the emotional centers of the brain.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to equip these teachers to use science as a place for students to experience this kind of transcendent thinking,鈥 Carr said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e preparing them and equipping them to engage students鈥 emotions in learning science, and it鈥檚 those emotions that are the missing piece.鈥
In addition to paying full MAT tuition at Pacific, teaching fellows will receive a $15,000 salary supplement in each of the final four years of the program, covering training, teaching and other expenses.
The Pacific Noyce STEM Storytellers Teaching Fellowship will accept six students for the 2026-2027 academic year and six students in 2027-2028.
As part of the grant鈥檚 sub-award with Willamette University, the Pacific Noyce STEM Storytellers program will also aim to recruit undergraduates with an interest in teaching science. The 鈥淭ry Teach鈥 program will place students in local schools for a trial teaching experience with the support of master teachers and faculty members.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to recruit sophomores, juniors and seniors to take on a short experience at a local school, maybe even with one of our Noyce graduates who is in the area, and spend a couple of weeks where they can try teaching,鈥 Carr said.
The grant application was prepared by Carr, Kevin Johnson, professor of chemistry and director of undergraduate research, and Jason Niedermeyer, an applied faculty member in Pacific鈥檚 graduate education program, along with David Craig, professor of biology at Willamette University.
芭乐视频 has been involved with the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program since 2010. Through several grant awards and programs, Pacific has prepared over 100 STEM teachers to teach in high-needs schools over the last 15 years.