Philadelphia Regional Noyce Partnership Scholarship Program (PRNP-s)

PRNP-S Program Components

PRISE was awarded a $1.45 million National Science Foundation collaborative 5-year grant to recruit, prepare and retain STEM Teachers. After 5 years, the program has recruited 31 scholars and has supported 59 new STEM teachers through a 3 year new teacher support professional learning community.

Six of our PRISE partner institutions were involved in this project:

Arcadia University, Bryn Mawr College, Community College of Philadelphia, LaSalle University, Saint Joseph’s University and Temple University.  Saint Joseph’s University is the lead institution on this project and Dr. Tanya Berezovski is the Principal Investigator.    

The program has several components:

1.  Scholarships to STEM majors

2.  Three years of cohort-based support for the Noyce Scholars

3.  A summer STEM teaching internship program for students from Community College of Philadelphia

Goals:

•  Increasing the number of STEM majors that enter and remain in teaching in high-need schools in the Philadelphia region

•  Increasing the social capital of Noyce program participants at all levels

•  Increasing Noyce teachers’ understanding of Culturally Responsive Teaching practices

•  Increasing Noyce teachers’ knowledge of Education for Sustainability content and pedagogical practices

In order to fulfill these goals, PRNP-S implemented a number of program activities that took place within a learning community structure and included a focus on social capital building, culturally responsive teaching and education for sustainability:

1. Scholar Learning Community. A year-long cohort based learning community that brings together preservice Noyce scholars supplementing the preparation they receive at their institution’s teacher preparation program. (Henceforth, we use the term scholar to refer to the pre-service teachers.)

2. First Year New Teacher Learning Community. A year-long cohort based learning community that follows new Noyce teachers into their first year of service providing them with targeted induction and mentoring support.

3. Second Year New Teacher Learning Community. A year-long cohort based learning community that supports Noyce teachers’ transition into their second year of service, facilitates their use of in-school collaborators and helps them assume leadership roles in their schools.