Project Profile

The primary goal of the STEM Teams strategies project is to build a bridge from isolated middle schools in rural NC to the high tech resources at research universities, to effectively teach STEM (science, mathematics, & technology) content and instill an understanding of the potential of STEM careers. The middle school teachers in the selected schools will be supported by an administrative team to guide, coach, and empower the teachers to make the most of the resources. The project builds on extensive pilot studies done by the Project Team with teachers, leaders, and students in similar districts in the region. STEM Teams will directly serve 45 STEM teachers, 60 students through the STEM after-school program, 32 leadership personnel, and all of the 2,300 students located in teachers' classrooms in 4 middle schools in these districts, each academic year. STEM Teams is driven by four research-based, key strategies: 1) Adopt new and emerging technologies to network and enhance learning across all teams, 2) Provide up-to-date STEM careers information to districts through a variety of student, teacher, and leader professional development featuring minority STEM scientists and STEM education experts, 3) Update students' and teachers' STEM skills and content knowledge, and skills explicitly connected to state/national STEM content standards and the school curriculum, and 4) Use a Strategic Teaming Model that builds leadership goals from within. STEM Teams will study the efficacy of the Strategic Teaming Model using a comparison group. Both quantitative and qualitative measures will be used to collect data on students' content knowledge, STEM interest and career awareness. Data will also be collected on teachers' attitudes, dispositions, and classroom enactment related to such factors as self efficacy, teacher dissatisfaction, & technological confidence. The project will leverage the on-going projects such as NC State College of Education's Friday Institute (www.fi.ncsu.edu) and the MEGA technology support network (www.ncsu.edu/mega). Research findings will provide evidence in support of the Strategic Teaming model to increase students' STEM content knowledge and STEM career awareness.