STEM Pilot Granted
$1.5 million grant to fund MassTeach program
Holyoke Community College, Westfield State University, and Springfield Public Schools will leverage a $1.5 million state grant from the National Science Foundation to develop MassTeach, a new model for increasing and diversifying the ranks of educators prepared to teach STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) in high-need school districts.
HCC, Westfield, and Springfield Public Schools were one of three regional partnership groups selected for the pilot program, by the state Dept. of Higher Education, which received the NSF award.
Students selected for the program will receive $20,000 scholarships, divided into two $10,000 stipends, said Allison Little, STEM director for the Dept. of Higher Education HCC will recruit potential candidates for entry into the program beginning in fall 2018 with the first cohort beginning in spring 2019.
In this region, many of the candidates are expected to come from HCC's STEM Starter Academy program, which gives high school students a chance to take free STEM college classes and learn more about STEM careers.
"While Massachusetts is a national leader in K-12 education, there is a sense of urgency to recruit and diversify the STEM teacher pools, and in particular to serve our Latino and black students," said HCC math professor Ileana Vasu, coordinator of HCC's STEM program. "MassTeach is predicated on the belief that decreasing diversity gaps by recruiting teachers from community colleges like HCC will improve underrepresented minority student achievement."
State officials hope to expand MassTeach to all 15 community colleges and nine state universities within three years, eventually placing 50 new teachers in STEM classrooms with 50 more teacher candidates in the post-secondary pipeline. Further, they hope MassTeach will serve as a new national model for recruiting, training and retaining STEM educators.
"We are thrilled to be working with Springfield Public Schools and Holyoke Community College to help educate aspiring STEM teachers and increase the diversity of teachers in our area schools," said Westfield State president Ramon S. Torrecilha. "This collaborative program is indicative of Massachusetts' progressive approach to education and a gracious endorsement by the NSF to support our teachers and students across the Commonwealth."
Currently, 90 percent of Massachusetts teachers are white, compared with an overall student population that is 60 percent white. One of the expectations of MassTeach is to place new teachers in urban communities where they grew up and attended school, allowing grant evaluators to gauge whether educators' local roots serve as a catalyst for student retention.
"What's exciting about MassTeach is that it is not a stand-alone initiative that will end once the federal grant is spent," said Carlos E. Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education.
"This program is built on the solid foundation of our new transfer system, regarded as one of the most comprehensive and student-friendly systems in the nation. We're very pleased that the NSF has recognized our ability to effectively move STEM teacher candidates from community colleges to state universities to urban districts where their talents can be put to good use."
The five-year grant was awarded through NSF's Robert Noyce Scholarship track. It is the first of its kind awarded to a state higher education system and will be used to simultaneously address two critical issues: the overall shortage of trained and licensed STEM instructors and the lack of under-represented minorities currently teaching in the Commonwealth's K12 classrooms.
The new program, intended to be both sustainable and scalable, will utilize "A2B" (associate to bachelor's) degree pathways that are part of the statewide MassTransfer system. MassTransfer allows students to begin their undergraduate education at one of the state's community colleges and then transfer to any state university at a substantial cost savings and without a loss of credit.
MassTeach scholars will receive $20,000 scholarships as well as academic advising to keep them on track to transfer, graduate with a STEM degree and obtain a STEM teaching license. By drawing from the highly diverse community college population, MassTeach will cultivate a culturally rich pool of potential educators who are often the first in their family to attend college and likely to reside in economically disadvantaged urban districts where the need for qualified and diversified STEM instructors is most acute. DHE developed the program in collaboration with campus administrators, faculty, and staff.
"Highly qualified, effective and diverse educators is a strategic focus of the Springfield Public Schools. It is intentional and embedded in our mission because teacher quality is a key determinant of student success," said Daniel J. Warwick, superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools. "We are so pleased about the MassTeach grant and how it aligns so closely with the district's "grow your own" initiatives. MassTeach will enable us to move closer to our goal of a more diversified teacher workforce, especially in the area of STEM where there is a critical shortage not just in Springfield but also nationwide."
PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC students lead a STEM Exploration Day for Springfield High School students last spring.
