POST Scholars prepare to teach in high-need classrooms

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø students know education is good for their future, and many want to improve the future for others: neighborhoods, broader communities, government, the planet. For education majors, the goal to improve lives can be complicated by financial hardship on all sides: their own, and that of their future students.

This is how the Promoting Opportunities in STEM Teaching (POST) scholarships can make an extraordinary difference.

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø awards $10,000-$30,000 POST scholarships to five or six secondary education majors in STEM fields who commit to teach at least four years in high-need school districts after graduation.

While the awards are based on merit, amount per student is based on need, averaging about $20,000 in both the junior and senior years. The POST scholarships are funded by a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation¡¯s (NSF¡¯s) Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

According to Dr. Mike Egan, associate dean of academic affairs, the POST scholarships may be used for tuition, room and board, even books. ¡°We try to distribute as equitably as possible, so that none of the scholars will have to take out a penny of loans,¡± he said.

Along with financial support, the program provides enhanced learning experiences such as participation in regional and national conferences, research with an Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø STEM professor in the summer between their junior and senior year, and mentorship following graduation.

'Oh my gosh. Perfect.'

That¡¯s what math education major Anna Bross thought when she first heard about applications for the POST Scholarship in summer of 2020.

With a mom who had taught in Chicago public schools, Bross already knew she wanted to teach in a high-need school. Paying her own way through college, she is excited about a future where she and the other POST Scholars can ¡°focus more on our students, and not so much on stress about loans.¡±

POST Scholar Sarah Allen, also a math education major, graduated from a high-need high school: nearby United Township (UT) in East Moline, Ill. Even before learning of the POST Scholarship program, which creates student-teaching partnerships with certain high-need districts in the Quad Cities, Allen said she¡¯d considered going back to UT to teach.

¡°Teaching in a high-need school might sound intimidating to some people, but I think it¡¯s an exciting thing to do,¡± Allen said. ¡°It gives you a better chance to really make an impact as a teacher.¡±

Special learning opportunities for POST Scholars build their enthusiasm by building their knowledge in topics especially important to being effective teachers in high-need schools. Both Allen and Bross participated (virtually, in 2020) in conferences where they had opportunities to network with other POST Scholars nationwide.

For Olivia Ruffatto, Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø POST Scholar in biology education, a virtual summit she attended over the summer was just one of the ¡°new and interesting doors¡± the scholarship has opened for her.

¡°As I continue on to becoming a licensed teacher, I could potentially present at conferences, do research, or become a teaching fellow,¡± she said, ¡°all very exciting opportunities I didn¡¯t know were available to me before this scholarship.¡±

Like all education majors, they will spend a semester student teaching as seniors. The Quad Cities is particularly beneficial for education majors because it offers so many different settings for student teaching¡ªincluding high-need schools, where the POST Scholars will focus.

Talk to the experts¡ªevery day, if you want to.

For her summer research experience, Ruffatto will be part of a team working with Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s Upper Mississippi Center. She¡¯s unsure of the specific focus, but that¡¯s OK, since she loves ¡°everything from cell bio to invertebrates and animal taxonomy.

¡°I think that¡¯s what¡¯s most exciting to me about becoming a teacher. I get to share a broad range of topics I really love, and hopefully get students excited about them, as well!¡±

Both Allen and Bross are excited to research culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) this summer, working with Dr. Rayford Harrison, Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø assistant professor of chemistry. ¡°Our research is going to be interview-based, which sounds really awesome to me,¡± Allen said.

Developing high-quality communication skills is one benefit of being a student in STEM education at a college of the liberal arts and sciences. Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø in particular provides something more: uncommon support from professors and mentors, which does wonders for confidence in the classroom.

¡°Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø is a small community,¡± Dr. Egan pointed out. ¡°The future math teachers are my advisees and I¡¯ve known them since they were first-year students.

¡°I hear other schools that have NSF Noyce grants really struggle to recruit students. We don¡¯t have that problem ¡­ It¡¯s almost like we don¡¯t have to recruit. We simply have to invite.¡±

An invitation to collaborate on your brightest future, with funding to help you along the way¡ªthat¡¯s Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø.