Three faculty members in East Carolina University’s College of Education and Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences have been awarded a five-year, $1,449,713 grant – “Using a Microcredential Model to Prepare Secondary Mathematics and Science Teachers to Meet the Needs of Rural, High-needs Districts” by the National Science Foundation. This grant provides scholarships for math and science teachers in eastern North Carolina, as well as gain insights into their early teaching experience.
The National Science Foundation Noyce Grant is named for famous physicist Dr. Robert Noyce, who advocated for improving public education in mathematics and science. The grant supports 30 scholarships for ECU students to earn science or mathematics licensure and a degree in mathematics or science. In addition to the scholarships, the grant provides scholars with mentorship from former ECU Noyce scholars and support and training for the scholars and their mentors in working in our unique rural, high-needs schools.
The grant also funds research on the use of microcredentials in teacher education. Working with ECU’s Rural Education Institute, scholars and their mentors will earn three microcredentials to better prepare them for meeting the needs of students in rural schools, which are prevalent in eastern North Carolina.
Noyce Scholars are required to double major in mathematics or science education and in a STEM field such as mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics or geology. To best support Noyce Scholars across both majors, faculty leading the grant represent a collaboration between ECU’s College of Education and Harriot Thomas College of Arts and Sciences; specifically the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education and the Department of Biology. Dr. Charity Cayton (MSITE) will serve as Principal Investigator with Drs. Maureen Grady (MSITE) and Heather Vance-Chalcraft (Biology) serving as Co-Principal Investigators.
Local education collaborators for the newly funded grant include Greene County Schools (Greene Central High School, Greene Early College High School) & Pitt County Schools (Ayden-Grifton High School, Farmville Central High School, and North Pitt High School). The grant also partners with five local community colleges (Pitt Community College, four more to be identified) to form a sustainable model to recruit, support, and retain transfer students pursuing licensure in mathematics and science education as members of the ECU Noyce Scholars Program.
After earning licensure in mathematics or science, Noyce Scholars are required to teach in high-needs school districts for one year for each semester of financial support. Scholars from the most recent, previous grant have predominantly chosen to teach in North Carolina, with five scholars currently teaching in NY, NJ, IL, TX, and AR.
For more information on the ECU Noyce Program contact:
Dr. Charity Cayton
Department of Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education
369A Flanagan Building
East Carolina University – College of Education
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
For information on the NSF Noyce Grant program, visit http://nsfnoyce.com