preliminary analyses of a nationwide stem teacher recruitment & retention program marjorie...
TRANSCRIPT
Preliminary Analyses of a Nationwide STEM Teacher
Recruitment & Retention Program
Marjorie Bullitt BequetteFrances Lawrenz
Deena WassenburgJim AppletonPey-yan Liou
Catherine Wanjugi
University of Minnesota
Preliminary Analyses of a Nationwide STEM Teacher
Recruitment & Retention Program
Marjorie Bullitt BequetteFrances Lawrenz
Deena WassenburgJim AppletonPey-yan Liou
Catherine Wanjugi
University of Minnesota
Noyce program overview• Research shows persistent correlations between student
performance and teacher quality in science and mathematics (Sanders and Rivers, 1996; Jordan, Mendro, and Weerasinghe, 1997; Goldhaber and Brewer, 1996; National Research Council, 2000).
• Recent studies (Ingersoll 1999; Ingersoll, 2002) show that 56% of secondary students in physical science are being taught by teachers without a major or minor in physical science, and that students in high-poverty schools are 77% more likely to be taught by an out-of-field teacher.
• The Robert Noyce Scholarship Program is an NSF program, designed to “encourage talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers” by providing stipends and scholarships to qualified individuals who are training to become teachers (p. 1, NSF solicitation).
Methodology
Data sources:• Monitoring data collected for NSF • Online descriptions of teacher education
programs. • Review of data by two thirds of PIs Analyses: • Analyses were generally descriptive:
frequencies, percentages, and cross tabs.• Some data were combined into new categories
on basis of team review.
Results: Noyce projects
Noyce funds have been provided to 75 programs at 74 sites across the country.
Program features
12%
21%
25%
60%
67%
67%
79%
83%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
online coursework
portfolio
peer tutoring
student teaching
early field experiences ineducation
multiculturalexperiences
post program support
mentoring
Percentage of programs featuring or requiring the activity
Types of certification
This chart must be interpreted carefully• every state defines alternative and traditional certification differently • what counts as alternative in one state may be more similar to a
traditional path to certification in another state • numbers show how projects fit into their state’s arrangements for
teacher education
11%
8%
81%
alternative certification only
alternative and traditionalcertification
traditional certification only
Who is being recruited?
72%
64%
51%
65%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
undergraduates
graduates of otherinstitutions
career changers
people of color
Percentage of projects reporting active recruitment
What settings are teachers being prepared for?
47%
21%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
urban settings
rural settings
Percentage preparing for that setting
Results: Noyce scholars
Information on 618 Noyce scholars was analyzed.
Gender: more male teachers than in the larger population
Noyce numbers
Noyce % All public school teachers %
Male 233 38% 25%
Female 385 62% 75%
Noyce numbers
Noyce % All public school teachers %
White, non-Hispanic or not reported* 374 60.5 83.7
Black, non-Hispanic or not reported 80 12.9 7.9
American Indian or Alaskan Native, non-Hispanic or not reported
1 0.2 0.5
Asian, non-Hispanic or not reported 38 6.1 1.3
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic or not reported
1 0.2 0.2
Hispanic, single or multiple races 103 16.7 6.2
Multiple Races, non-Hispanic or not reported
4 0.7 0.7
Unidentified/insufficient data 17 2.8 N/A*The Noyce survey asked about race (first five options in the chart) and ethnicity (Hispanic) in separate questions, making a comparison with numbers from NCES challenging. In this table, individuals who selected a race but not an ethnicity (e.g., race=white, ethnicity=not reported) are included in the race they selected. Of this group, 57 reported their race to be white, 12 black, 5 Asian, 1 multiple races. Individuals who reported their ethnicity but not their race are included in the Hispanic category.
(Numbers are from nces.ed.gov, Characteristics of Schools, Districts, Teachers, Principals, and School Libraries in the United States. 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey.)
Race/ethnicity: fewer white teachers than in the larger population
Noyce recipients are mostly younger adults, though there are some more mature individuals. The mean year of births is 1974, the median is 1978, and the mode is 1981. There is a 40-year spread of birth years, from 1945 to 1985. The bar chart below shows the distribution of birth years. Note that the scale changes in 1971.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1945-1950 1951-1960 1961-1970 1971-1975 1976-1980 1981-1985
% of total
Age: mostly young; 40-year spread
Results: scholarship and stipend recipients
• Scholarships are intended for undergraduates majoring in a STEM discipline (58% of total); they can receive up to two years of funding.
• Stipends are intended for STEM professionals with an undergraduate and/or graduate degree in a STEM discipline(42% of total); they can receive one year of support for a teacher certification program.
• Both scholarship and stipend recipients commit to teaching for two years in a high needs school district for every year of support they receive.
Differences between scholarship recipients, stipend recipients who have
worked, and stipend recipients who have never worked
These groups differ in their age, gender balance, race/ethnicity, and previous experience.
Stipend recipients were further subdivided to separate those who had worked from those who had not because there were significant differences in some areas between these groups.
Gender: no significant differences
More stipend recipients are male than scholarship recipients, though the differences are not significant according to Chi square tests. There is no significant difference between the gender balance for stipend recipients who worked previously and those who did not.
Group Male % Female %
All Noyce recipients (N=618)
38 62
Scholarship recipients (N=359)
36 64
All stipend recipients (N=259)
41 59
Stipend recipients who have not worked (N=86)
42 58
Stipend recipients who worked previously (N=173)
40 60
Age: stipend recipients who have worked are significantly older than all others
While stipend recipients are generally older than scholarship recipients, the most important interaction is with previous work experience. Scholarship recipients and stipend recipients who did not work before beginning their teacher education program both have a mean birth year of 1977, while stipend recipients who worked previously (N=173) have an average age that is 10 years older.
Group Mean Birth year/SD
Current mean age
All Noyce recipients
1974/9.7 33
Scholarship recipients
1977/8.2 30
All stipend recipients
1970/10.3 37
Stipend recipients who have not worked
1977/5.0 30
Stipend recipients who worked previously
1967/10.2 40
Race/ethnicity: scholarship and stipend recipients; those who worked and those who did not work all differ
Noyce % (N=618)
Scholarship recipient % (N=359)
Stipend recipient % (N=259)
Stipend who have not worked % (N=86)
Stipend who have worked % (N=173)
White, non-Hispanic or not reported*
60.5 60.2 61.0 57.0 63.0
Black, non-Hispanic or not reported
12.9 12.0 14.3 9.3 16.8
American Indian or Alaskan Native, non-Hispanic or not reported
0.2 0.3 0 0 0
Asian, non-Hispanic or not reported
6.1 3.6 9.7 12.8 8.1
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic or not reported
0.2 0 0.4 1.2 0
Hispanic, single or multiple races
16.7 20.3 11.6 19.8 7.5
Multiple Races, non-Hispanic or not reported
0.7 0 1.5 0 2.3
Unidentified/insufficient data 2.8 3.6 1.5 0 2.3
*Groups were created as for the other race/ethnicity table.Only white, black, Asian and Hispanic groups were analyzed for significance.
Education: those who worked previously also have earned higher degrees
Given their young age, we wondered whether the “have not worked” group were mostly recent graduates, or if some also had graduate degrees. As the table shows, people who worked previously tend to have earned a higher degree than those who have not worked.
Degree Frequency Stipend recipient %
Stipend/have not worked %
Stipend/have worked %
Bachelor’s 191 73.7 91.9 64.7
Master’s 45 17.4 4.7 23.7
Doctorate 18 6.9 1.2 9.8
Other* 5 1.9 2.3 1.7
*In the “other” group, two individuals have law degrees, and two have completed some but not all of their doctorates.
General area of previous occupation Mean length of occupation = 8.7 years
Distribution of previous occupation(N=173)
21.4
12.7
17.90.6
9.2
4.6
4
0.6
18.5
10.4
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
K-12 Education
Informal Education
Higher Education
Social Services
Business
Other
The list of previous occupations includes diverse job titles. Here are just a few, chosen to give a sense of the range:
Research Scientist/Pharmaceutical Testing ScienceGeologist/USGS ScienceGraphic Artist/ Computer Specialist TechnologySenior nuclear engineer EngineeringMath Analyst for Engineering Company MathematicsNon-certified science teacher K-12 EducationMuseum Educator & Youth Radio Director Informal EducationUpward Bound Youth Leader Informal EducationCollege Professor Higher EducationSocial Services, Substance Abuse Treatment Social ServicesFinancial Analyst BusinessPension Analyst BusinessBank teller BusinessFisherman and masonry business BusinessArchitect OtherLandscape gardener Other
Only half of career changers come from STEM professions
Distribution of professional groups
52.6
18.4
18.5
10.4
STEM professions
Education/social services
Business
Other
Program departure
In the “other” category, reasons indicated that the individual in question decided that teaching was not a good career choice, given the demands of the profession.
Reason Frequency % of all departures % in the whole population
Left to pursue other academic interests
5 9.4% 0.8%
Failed to meet program requirements
20 37.7% 3.2%
Left to pursue employment
3 5.7% 0.5%
Left due to family and/or economic constraints
9 17.0% 1.5%
Other 3 5.7% 0.5%
Unknown 13 24.5% 2.1%
Total 53 100% 8.6%
Prepared to teach but not teaching Reason Frequency Percent of those
not teachingPercent in the whole population
Has not yet completed requirements for a teaching credential
6 40.0% 1.0%
Chose a different career path
3 20.0% 0.5%
Unable to find a job in preferred area
1 6.7% 0.2%
Family/personal constraints
2 13.3% 0.3%
Unknown 3 20.0% 0.5%
Total 15 100% 2.4%
Conclusions• The Noyce program supplies funds to a diverse
set of institutions across the country, • Institutions work in different ways to prepare
STEM teachers for diverse settings.• Noyce teachers less likely to be female and white
than the average teacher.• The Noyce program is designed to attract two
groups:– well-trained undergraduates (scholarship recipients) – STEM professional career changers (stipend
recipients)• There are insignificant differences in gender
balance and significant differences in racial/ethnic make-up of these two groups.
• The racial and ethnic make-up differences may reflect the existence of programs that make outreach efforts to particular communities, or they may reflect more significant differences about career paths of different racial and ethnic groups.
• A third of the stipend recipients, those who have never worked, look more like the scholarship recipients than they look like their fellow stipend recipients in terms of their age and their previous educational experience.
• Of the true career changers, stipend recipients who worked, just over half come directly from STEM professions, while the other half come from business, education, or other fields.
• Thus, characterizing all stipend recipients as “STEM career changers” is not representative of their true experience; only about a third of stipend recipients fit into that category. In further analyses, we suggest dividing stipend recipients into two groups, to reflect the distinct difference in age and educational history between those who have worked and those who have not worked.
• Our future analyses will explore whether the area of previous experience has any effect on their experience and success as well.