Recruiting STEM Professionals into Noyce

Greg Rushton, Ph.D. Nancy Overley, MBA

Kennesaw State University

Who DOES Noyce Recruit?

University of Minnesota Evaluation of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, Final Report Section Five: Combined Analysis of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program using ORC Macro and UMN Evaluation Data, May 2009.

Noyce Phase I, 2007-2012

• Focus on chemistry, physics students only

• Recruit from KSU, GT juniors, seniors

• 1-year MAT program

Who Has Come?

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Noyce Phase I Scholars to Date (Summer 2011)

MATPMATCMATB

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Demographics of Noyce Scholars

senior un-der-grad43%

(n=19)

new grad28%

(n=12)

2nd career29% (n=13)

Local statistics-Every year in Georgia 15,000 new teachers are needed. Georgia’s

colleges and universities only produce approximately 5,000 teachers per year.

-Only 68% of science teachers in Georgia have a major or minor in some science field.

-Recruitment and retention is one of the most critical issues facing Georgia schools.

-Teacher turnover has a significant price tag. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission estimates that the annual cost exceeds $300 million.

Teacher Recruitment & Retention Study, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, 2007.

Career Changers SummaryIndividuals who entered teaching after working 3 or

more years in a different field

-69% of principals and 77% of teachers say they have colleagues who were career changers

-35% of all teachers came to teach after another career

-Approximately 1/3 of all new teachers in the U.S. come from alternate routes

“Career Changers in the Classroom: A National Portrait,” Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., February 2010, Conducted on behalf of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Noyce Track II, 2011-2016

- Recruitment of STEM professionals into chemistry, physics teaching

- Retention of 9-12 chemistry and physics teachers through TF/MTF professional development (teacher leadership) program

Local K-12 Chem/Physics Teacher Pipeline

-As of 2008, there were 147,000 individuals working in the science and engineering fields in Georgia. This data does not include individuals working in the computer technology fields.

-Of the 125,000 Georgia Tech alumni, 106,527 graduated with STEM degrees and currently 42,087 are currently located in Georgia.

- Approximately 2000 Local ACS members in GA Section

Career Changers Report (2010)

Profiles of Career Changers (into K12 Teaching)Demographic PercentMen 27%Women 73%

Whites 78%

Minorities 18%

Bachelor’s 43%Graduate 52%

Career Changers vs. Chemistry Teachers Career Changers Chemistry Teachers Science

TeachersMen 27% 47%

52%Women 73% 53% 48%

Whites 78% 93% 88%Minorities 18% 5% 13%

Bachelor’s 43% 47% 42%Graduate 52% 53% 58%

“Career Changers in the Classroom: A National Portrait,” Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., February 2010, Conducted on behalf of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation“Status of High School Chemistry Teaching,” December 2002 , Horizon Research, Inc., P. Sean Smith, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Career changers/chem teachers/science teachers- Age

- 29% of career changers start after age 43

- 46% of career changers are 35-49 and 37% are 50+

- 55% of science teachers are 31-50 and 26% are 51+

Career Changers in the Classroom: A National Portrait,” Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., February 2010, Conducted on behalf of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation“Status of High School Chemistry Teaching,” December 2002 , Horizon Research, Inc., P. Sean Smith, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Career Changers May Persist Longer in K12Length of Teaching Career Percent

   

Length of service: 3 years or less 15

Length of service: 4 to 6 years 22

Length of service: 7 to 10 years 22

Length of service: 11 to 15 years 23

Length of service: 16 to 20 years 18

Reason to Change to Teaching Extremely/ Reason Codes

Quite Important

%

Finding the job personally rewarding 93 Personal Satisfaction

Contributing to society and making a difference 89 Altruism

Working with children 86 Personal SatisfactionTeaching a subject that really interests you 80 Personal Satisfaction

Having a schedule that allows you greater time for family and personal interests 63 Personal Satisfaction

Opportunities for professional growth 51 Personal Satisfaction

The health care benefits you would receive as a teacher 43 Logistical/Practical

The retirement benefits you would receive as a teacher 38 Logistical/Practical

Improving your salary or compensation 34 Logistical/Practical

The job is held in respect by our society 32 Personal SatisfactionNeeding a new job after being laid off or losing a previous job 10 Logistical/Practical

Messaging to Prospective TFs• Focus on what is important to career

changers (altruism vs. salary issues)

• Give attention to media outlets that reach older STEM professionals

• Target women

Project Approach for Recruitment of Noyce TFs

-Project manager with marketing management experience

-Develop message, branding

-Focus groups(current and prospective career changers)

-Locate media outlets (AJC, professional societies, alumni associations)

-Social media (early career STEM professionals)

Noyce I Marketing Materials

Alumni Magazine Ad

Newspaper ArticleKennesaw State Recruits Science Professionals to the ClassroomKennesaw State Recruits Science Professionals to the Classroom

With the national emphasis on improving science and mathematics education, a new Kennesaw State University program to put experienced science professionals in the classroom is well-timed. The I-IMPACT Noyce II program is designed to bring highly qualified individuals into the 7-12 classrooms, particularly in the areas of chemistry and physics. “The sciences are usually the most difficult areas to staff,” said Dr. Greg Rushton, the director and principal investigator of KSU’s Noyce Teaching Fellowship Program. “Our goal is to find the people who are working or have worked in science professions, who have the academic qualifications to enter a teacher-prep program, and who want to teach.” Kennesaw State received a $2.83 million grant to recruit, prepare and retain science professionals and to develop current teachers as master teachers. It also funds scholarships, travel and professional development. In addition, the money will be matched by KSU, bringing the program’s total budget to about $4.2 million. “This is an indication that KSU does want to make a positive impact on science education in our state,” Rushton said. “Not only have we shown we have the capacity to be competitive with these kinds of awards, but by committing resources to it at this difficult financial time, we’ve made it a priority.” This latest grant is KSU’s third Noyce award. The others were earmarked to recruit undergraduates as science majors. The newest program is one of just eight similar programs in the country, and KSU is the only one that focuses strictly on

science. One of the biggest advantages Noyce fellowships offer students is financial support, said Dr. Charles Amlaner, KSU’s vice president for research. “It helps people who may not be able to afford science, technology, engineering and math education,” Amlaner said. “It allows us to take people who are in some of the physics, chemistry and tech areas and retrain them to be teacher-educators, and that’s a phenomenal contribution to the pool of science educators.” Teaching fellows are eligible to receive $10,000 toward the cost of the 14-month program, Rushton said. “So while you earn a master’s [degree] and a teaching certification, the scholarship pays for schooling. Then for the next four years, candidates earn an additional $10,000 a year as a stipend while they work in high-needs districts, usually areas of high poverty or teacher turnover.” The fellowship made the program an attractive option for Michele Lumpkin, a former chemist and private school teacher who wants to work in the public school system. The 40-year-old mother of three will begin her studies in the summer. “Finances were a major consideration and having that extra money was very helpful,” Lumpkin said. “It offsets the burden of not working. But the best thing about the program is that it will help me make contacts. I’ll be meeting other professionals in my field. And I’ll be getting my [teaching] certification and master’s at the same time.” Rushton said the program will appeal to a broad cross-section of candidates, including many like Lumpkin, who are raising families.“For people

who have worked for five to 10 years, had to move all over the country, or juggled a family, this lifestyle is very attractive,” he said. “There’s no doubt it’s challenging and it can be difficult, but there are a lot of benefits to K-12 teaching. You get a sense of service to your community, and you can alter the trajectory of someone’s life. You can’t put a dollar amount on that sort of professional satisfaction. “And in addition, teaching is a family-friendly career for people who want work-life balance.” Though science teaching salaries often start in the mid- to high $40,000s, teaching offers a degree of job security even in uncertain economic times, Rushton pointed out. “There’s stability; schools aren’t being closed and shipped off-shore. When the economy is good, our salaries don’t go up as fast as other professionals, but in down economies, we don’t go down and we don’t lose our jobs as easily.” The overall goal of the Noyce program is to make teaching an attractive alternative for science professionals. “People working in the science fields have opportunities that others do not because they’re in high demand,” Rushton said. “That can make teaching less attractive. But we want to change that. The stronger the teachers are in the schools, the better the education of our K-12 students.”

AcknowledgementsKennesaw State University College of

Science and Mathematics

Kennesaw State University College of Education

Georgia Institute of Technology

NSF-DUE Award # 1035451

Questions and Discussion