The North Carolina New Schools organization is accepting applications for its third class of prospective STEM teachers. The 15-month program includes school-based training, online coursework and is designed to produce more teachers.
The NC STEM Teacher Education Program, or NC STEP, program information is available online.{/a}}
North Carolina New Schools, a non-profit organization, issued a press release Tuesday with more details and background about the program. There is no cost for the program.
Current holders of a North Carolina teaching certificate are not eligible.
The full release follows:
Innovative Preparation Program for STEM Teachers Seeks Candidates
Applications Open for Prospective Teachers
RALEIGH, N.C. – After spending 12 years as a scientist studying plant and animal viruses, Patricia Eagle is now back in school, learning how to teach science to high school students.
Zack Willett spent more than six years applying his skills as a mechanical engineer in legal disputes before deciding to apply them in the classroom instead.
Nicole Rice always wanted to teach, but detoured through a career as a hospital registrar before deciding to pursue her true interest: teaching science.
All three teachers-at-heart are taking an alternate route to the classroom through a program designed to prepare more teachers in math, science and technology by capitalizing on the seasoned skills, experience and motivation of mid-career professionals.
Eagle, Willett and Rice are among 16 members of the second cohort of teaching candidates to enroll in the NC STEM Teacher Education Program (NC STEP), an innovative cost-free certification initiative that blends intensive on-the-job preparation with online learning. The candidates spend several days a week at high schools that are partners with North Carolina New Schools, a non-profit organization that focuses on strengthening the skills of educators so that students graduate well prepared for college and careers.
The first seven candidates to complete the program this past summer now are all employed in schools in several districts, including Wake, Durham and Guilford. A high percentage of teaching vacancies in North Carolina high schools are in math and science classrooms, according to data from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
“The training that you get is top notch,” said Greg Stolze, an industrial engineer who completed the program after 25 years in manufacturing and distribution fields. Stolze now teaches science at Stanly Early College School. “It’s a great opportunity to work alongside a master teacher for an extended period and to receive high-caliber professional development. That’s the best of both worlds. You learn so much.”
Applications for a third class of 48 candidates are now being accepted to fill a cohort starting next summer for the 2014-15 school year. A small number of candidates will get an early start beginning in January. Applicants must have a four-year college degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) related field and have an interest in becoming a teacher of STEM courses in a North Carolina secondary school. Applicants who currently hold a teaching license are not eligible for the program.
The non-traditional teacher education program is administered by North Carolina New Schools and funded by the federal Transitions to Teaching grant program, which supports efforts to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals and recent college graduates interested in earning a teaching license through an alternative route. NC New Schools is one of 30 organizations nationwide awarded five-year grants from the U.S. Department of Education to train non-education graduates to teach in high-needs schools.
The NC STEP program focuses on training teachers in innovative and effective instruction of subjects now considered critical for strong high school preparation – science, technology, engineering and math – STEM in shorthand. Candidates in the 15-month program receive a year of school-based training at an innovative school supported by NCNS, combined with seminars and online coursework through WIDE World, a professional development program of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Even after less than three months, current interns praise the approach to teaching followed by the STEP program and the schools where they’re placed.
“You need to reach these kids in different ways than just lecturing,” said Patricia Eagle, a mother of two teenagers, who teaches at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability in Durham. She said the emphasis on active engagement by students helps them learn in ways she didn’t really appreciate until college and graduate school. “When you’re asked to think,” she said, “you actually learn.”
Nicole Rice said the hands-on preparation she’s receiving at Vance Early College High School allows her to see good teaching in action. “By going a traditional route, you’d have the theory, not the practice,” she said. And by interning in an innovative school, Rice said she’s exposed to approaches to teaching and learning that help reach students. “I like that they do a lot of group work,” she said. “In my high school you sat in rows and did work on your own.”
Rice said she wants to teach science in middle school after completing the program. “That’s where kids learn to hate science,” she said. “I want kids to learn to love science.”
After six years working in jobs related to his engineering background, Zack Willett said he wants to show students that what they’re being asked to learn has real application outside the classroom.
“I think I’ve done enough things to show the practicality and the applications of science,” Willett said. “We have to prepare students for everything.”
One other lesson from the real world that he said he’s sharing with students is the importance of writing.
“I wish I would have understood how important writing was when I was in high school,” he said. “I wish I had done way better.”
The teacher training programs are hosted this year at eight NC New Schools partner high schools: Caldwell Early College in Hudson; Cross Creek Early College in Fayetteville; Hillside New Tech High School and Southern School of Engineering and Sustainability, both in Durham; Early/Middle College High School at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, Stanly Early College High School in Albemarle, Vance County Early College High School in Henderson and Wayne School of Engineering in Goldsboro. Four additional schools will be added for the 2014-15 cohort.
Candidates are paired with experienced teachers as mentors during the year-long apprenticeships. They spend about 18 hours a week in their school, participating in all dimensions of school life, from classroom instruction to lesson planning. In addition to the 10-month internship, candidates also complete four online courses through WIDE World at Harvard Graduate School of Education and participate in seminars led by North Carolina New Schools. Candidates who complete the internship are hired by a local school district under a lateral entry license and then become fully licensed teachers in their first year of teaching. Candidates will complete their internship in a host school nearest to where they live. All tuition, training costs and materials are fully paid, valued at approximately $14,000. In addition, candidates receive a $2,500 stipend, $200 materials supplement for classroom supplies, support and guidance for completing licensure requirements and placement assistance following program completion, and mentor support throughout the 10-month internship.
Interested applicants can find additional information and materials online from North Carolina New Schools. The application deadline for start in July 2014 is March 5 and June 13 for summer acceptance, if space allows. Informational webinars describing the NC STEP program, including live question and answer sessions, will be hosted on the following dates from noon to 1 p.m.: Dec. 11, Jan. 15, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, and May 14. Potential applicants can click here to register for a STEP webinar.
Note: North Carolina New Schools is a public-private partnership working to ensure that every North Carolina student graduates ready for college, careers and life. We accelerate systemic, sustainable innovation in North Carolina public schools by supporting the development of effective schools, districts, and regions and cultivating talented teachers and administrators. Since 2003, we have partnered with districts, higher education, businesses and communities in every region of the state to ensure that all students graduate with the skills to lead productive lives.
