What is the Noyce STEM-4-STEM Program?
The Noyce Secondary Teacher Education at Montclair for STEM (STEM-4-STEM) is dedicated to recruiting, preparing, and supporting new science and mathematics teachers for New Jersey’s high-need K-12 school districts. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation and offers scholarships equal to the amount of New Jersey in-state tuition and fees,
as well as an annual stipend of $2,000 to undergraduate or graduate biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics, and physics majors admitted into the Montclair State University Teacher Education Program.
The Noyce STEM-4-STEM involves key features:
- Financial support for two years of undergraduate teacher preparation.
- A series of professional experiences designed to support high-quality science teaching.
- Intensive and well-supervised school-based field experiences.
- A partnership with Bergen Community College to better understand and support the needs of STEM students transferring to MSU.
Students will study and conduct their fieldwork experiences in cohorts. Regular cohorts help Noyce Scholars form a community in which they can develop the knowledge and understanding necessary for successful science teaching and learning in high-need districts. In addition, the Noyce program has established partnerships with the Kearny, Passaic, and
Hackensack school districts for this project.
Who may participate in the Noyce STEM-4-STEM Program?
The Noyce STEM-4-STEM Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students at Montclair State University who are preparing to teach science or mathematics at the middle or high school level (6-12), and who have been admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Undergraduate students apply to
the Teacher Education and Noyce STEM-4-STEM programs at the same time, and students transferring from two-year institutions are encouraged to apply.
Graduate students must apply the semester prior to their final year in their program. In addition to meeting requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program, scholarship recipients must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 in the major and a demonstrated commitment to teach in an urban or otherwise high-needs district.
What’s different about the Noyce STEM-4-STEM Program?
- Coursework for Noyce scholars focuses on preparing science teachers for today’s diverse classrooms.
- Noyce Scholars will benefit from programmatic support for a wide variety of professional experiences such as attending professional conferences, conducting the job search.
- Noyce Scholars belong to a small, supportive learning community. They take many of the teacher education courses as a cohort, participate in their school experiences in cooperative groups, and collaborate on projects throughout the program. The Noyce faculty and staff provide students with enriched advisement and support.
- Cooperating teachers, mentors, and community internship supervisors are carefully selected and work collaboratively with Montclair State faculty and staff to create the best possible learning situations for Noyce Scholars.
- Scholars receive ongoing support during the first year in the classroom with high-quality mentors.
What is it like to be a Noyce Scholar at Montclair?
Let’s hear from the Noyce Scholars themselves!
What are the students’ responsibilities to the program?
Participants agree to participate in a professional sequence of courses that prepares them to teach science in high-need settings.
- Fieldwork/student teaching in partner schools
- Maintenance of an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout the program
- Participation in program events and periodic cohort meetings
- Commitment to teaching science for or mathematics for two years in a high-need public school upon graduation for each year of support they receive as a Noyce scholar. Most Noyce Scholars receive two years of support and therefore are obligated to teach for four years.
How to Apply
There are two steps in the application process, a video essay and online application. In the video essay, applicants are asked to create a 2-3 minute video introducing themselves, talking about why they would like to become a science or mathematics teacher, and their aspirations for the program.
Contact Information
Noyce STEM-4-STEM Program
Dr. Douglas Larkin
Department of Teaching and Learning
larkind@montclair.edu