Your
background in mathematics & science (or STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math) makes you an ideal candidate for switching into a career in math or
science teaching. The two areas of greatest shortage in New York State teacher
supply are mathematics and science.
Noyce
scholarships support STEM major students transferring into Bachelors degree science
or math teacher preparation programs as either a Junior or Senior. Noyce scholarship
recipients may receive a maximum of $8500 per year for up to two years. Applicants
who already hold a STEM Bachelors degree and who enter either a post-baccalaureate
or Masters Degree teacher certification program may be eligible for a one year
maximum Noyce stipend of $10,000. Noyce
scholarships and stipends are intended to recruit new science and mathematics
teachers by defraying real study costs (tuition, room, board etc.) for individuals
transitioning to a STEM teaching career. Noyce scholarship and stipend recipients
are expected to teach two years in high needs districts for every year of scholarship
or stipend support received. Participants
must complete their certification program within two years; and they must meet
their teaching commitment within six years of completion of the program. Participants
who fail to meet the teaching requirement will be expected to repay the NSF the
amount of their Noyce support plus 5% (fixed annual interest).
It is
estimated that the nation's schools will need to hire 2.2 million teachers, including
240,000 middle and high school mathematics and science teachers, in the next decade
due to projected enrollment increases, anticipated retirements, and the attrition
of new teachers (National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching
for the 21st Century, 2000). Furthermore, the demand for certified teachers
has increased as student course-taking in high school science and mathematics
has increased and as states implement the teacher quality requirements of No Child
Left Behind with respect to teacher content knowledge in the assigned field of
teaching (CCSSO, 2003). Research
on effective teachers has shown persistent correlations between student performance
and teacher quality (Sanders and Rivers, 1996; Jordan, Mendro, and Weerasinghe,
1997). Teachers' content knowledge, particularly in science and mathematics, is
an important factor in determining student achievement (Goldhaber and Brewer,
1996, National Research Council, 2000). A large percentage of
science and mathematics teachers lack even a minor in their teaching field, with
56% of public secondary students receiving instruction in the physical sciences
from teachers without a major or minor in the physical sciences and 27% of students
receiving mathematics instruction in classes taught by teachers lacking a minor
in mathematics. Although the problem of out-of-field teaching
is widespread, students in high-poverty schools are 77% more likely to be taught
by an out-of-field teacher than students in low poverty schools (Ingersoll,
1999, 2002). As many as 50% of new teachers in urban school districts
leave the teaching profession within their first three years, further exacerbating
shortages and misassignment of teachers. A survey of urban school districts conducted
by the Council of the Great City Schools and Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., in
1998-99, indicated that 95% of responding urban school districts had an immediate
demand for high school science and mathematics teachers. Eighty percent reported
a need for middle school science and mathematics teachers (Urban Teacher Collaborative,
2000). The
Robert Noyce Scholarship program, authorized under the National Science Foundation
Authorization Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-368), responds to the critical need for K-12
teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by encouraging talented
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and STEM professionals
to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools. The
program provides funding to institutions of higher education to provide scholarships,
stipends, and programmatic support for STEM majors and STEM professionals to enter
and complete teacher credentialing programs. Scholarship recipients are required
to complete two years of teaching in a high need school district for each year
of scholarship or stipend support. The program seeks to increase the
number of K-12 teachers with strong STEM content knowledge. |