Blog

Teachers’ beliefs in what they can do are powerful. Decades of research illustrates interconnections between teaching self-efficacy, teacher effectiveness, (Wolters & Daugherty, 2007; Woolfolk et al., 1990) and student achievement (Anderson et al., 1988; Caprara et al., 2006). Teaching self-efficacy, defined as teachers’ beliefs in their ability to effectively handle the tasks, obligations, and challenges […]

Rural schools can be amazing places for STEM teachers to work. Rural schools may be a new teacher’s first choice because of a location near family or friends, or because they are seeking outdoor recreational opportunities—skiing, fishing, boating, or natural beauty—that can be found in rural places. Rural schools offer opportunities for leadership that may […]

As education professionals (for S.T.E.M. education, humanities, and the arts) who have taught in diverse K-20 settings and have facilitated faculty and staff development programs, we noticed a need for a systemic approach to promote inclusion, attend to equity, reflect on the implications of bias and systems of oppression, and to collectively move forward to […]

This year we will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program! This milestone has me celebrating two decades of success and evolution while also asking: What must the next 20 years of Noyce look like to cultivate a national cadre of K-12  STEM teachers and teacher leaders equipped to support America’s richly diverse […]

Teacher diversity is a contemporary issue in education circles that is prevalent in the current educational discussions. Few would discount the power and promise of diversifying the teaching force, especially in STEM fields; however, our research offers the field of STEM education new insight into the conversation. We counter that any discussions of teacher diversity […]