A new grant given to the College of St. Scholastica will allow it to offer scholarships to more than 30 students aiming to teach science or math in a high-needs area.
The National Science Foundation awarded the college $1.2 million to increase the number of new math and science teachers committed to teaching in rural and urban high-need Minnesota communities around Duluth, St. Cloud and St. Paul. It is a five-year project. The idea is to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, and help fill a teacher shortage in those areas.
In 2015, St. Scholastica conducted a survey of regional school administrators regarding STEM education. Nearly half indicated that teaching positions in chemistry, biology and math would be hard or impossible to fill - results consistent with statewide data seen in the Minnesota Department of Education Supply and Demand Report.
Most of the money will be used to provide Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarships to 34 students, with a focus on students with financial need and those who are underrepresented in teaching science and math, including first-generation college students, women and students of color. The scholars will be mentored throughout the program and continuing through their first year of teaching. They will be expected to teach for two years in a high-need school for each year of scholarship funding received.
A STEM teaching internship program also will be developed. Those interested should contact Sharon Lohman at slohman@css.edu .
