The College of William & Mary is set to receive more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation to place 33 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Monday that William & Mary will receive almost $1.2 million in federal funding to recruit science, technology, engineering and math — also known as STEM — students.
“This critical funding will support the recruitment of math and science teachers to six high need school districts,” the senators said in a joint statement Monday. “Enhancing STEM education is a critical priority, and we are thrilled that William & Mary students and the National Science Foundation are partnering with schools in the local community to pursue this important endeavor.”
The funding is an extension of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at William & Mary. The Noyce Program is an NSF initiative to meet the need for K-12 STEM teachers in U.S. schools by encouraging science and math majors in colleges and universities to consider a career in grades six through 12 education.
The idea, W&M biology professor Paul Heideman explains, is to develop expert teachers who not only know science and math, but who also know how to make science and math understandable to their students. The program awards substantial scholarships to college- and master’s-level STEM students who agree to teach math or science in a high-need school district. The Noyce Program also involves specialized courses, pedagogical training and in-school teaching experiences.
The program has forged ongoing collaborations in the Gloucester, New Kent, York County, Newport News, Hampton and Williamsburg-James City County school districts.
W&M News contributed to this report.
