Welcome to the CTI-INSPIRE presentation! We are currently in our first year of funding, and our first Summer STEM Teaching Interns are engaged in their internships and a related 200-level summer course.

We are very excited and proud to have this program at IUPUI and in the Indianapolis community. Opportunity and access cannot be underestimated in changing the demographics of a STEM teacher workforce.

Tambra, I am sure through your work with the Freedom School Partners (https://www.indyfreedomschools.org/) and your research in general, you have been able to see first hand the benefits of a more diverse and representative pool of teachers. Thanks for visiting!

This project sounds very interesting, and needed! I am interested in how you recruit the college students. Your description on the right mentions "aggressive" approaches. What has worked?

Catherine, that is a great question! Our project provides full tuition support for students once they are college juniors or seniors in a STEM major. One of the challenges we face in trying to recruit underrepresented minorities is that by the junior year, attrition has greatly reduced the pool of available students. So, much of our effort is aimed at ensuring that eligible students make it to the junior year. Two ways we do this are by (a) recruiting high-achieving, high school juniors and seniors; and (b) providing financial and academic supports to interested college students during their freshman and sophomore years.

Thank you for sharing your project! What are the additional resources you provide to the freshmen and sophomores besides the summer internships - for example internship training, STEM course resources, etc.?

Danielle, thanks for asking. During the academic year preceding the summer internship, summer interns meets once a month for about 90 minutes. During this time we engage in workshops aimed at answering career oriented questions and familiarizing them with aspects of teaching that are not generally covered in methods courses. We invite practicing educators to visit with them and discuss their respective career trajectories. The types of topics we address include: careers in non-formal spaces and careers in administration; navigating the politics of K-12 schools; building effective partnerships with industry; and building effective partnerships in the community. These monthly workshops are one of the resources we provide and we have found that they help the interns to build a network among themselves.

Intriguing project. I find this idea to be a creative approach to engage students, particularly racially and ethnically diverse students in STEM education and teaching. In my experience, a lot of these identified student groups get to their junior and senior year of college STEM studies and then decide that education is something they wish to explore after "deep reflection" on aspects of who they are, what interests them, or their own experiences. Or, you find groups who after graduation consider education and seek lateral entry positions (as best as possible) to get into education. My question or thought is, have you all considered expanding your work to students in later "developmental" stages? Also, when it comes to licensures or ways by which they can engage in STEM teaching (like informal experiences)? 

Terrell, it's good to hear from you! I appreciate those questions. For your first question, the current structure of the program grew out of programmatic conditions at IUPUI. One of those is the limited recruitment pool among the upperclassmen. Your second question boarders on being prophetic. We have a newly developed "grow your own" partnership with a local district that offers modified preparation for elementary certification. The district-level administrators love the program and have expressed interest in a similar offering for secondary STEM certification.

 Dr. Mutegi,

I am very excited about this project and the impact it will have on reshaping the STEM Education teaching landscape!  

Dr. Mutegi, 

Thank you for your leadership on this very important project in STEM education! All students deserve teachers who "look like them". I can't wait to hear more about the progress in the near future! 

Dr. Mutegi, I was excited to learn more about your program that is providing resources to students interested in pursuing STEM teaching as a profession our community. Can you share how the success of internship placements in teaching will be tracked? 

Very exciting program! I'm curious about the role of the community college in your collaboration. Are community college students able to participate as interns? Also, have you seen an increase in STEM interests from the K-12 students exposed to the interns?

Such important work!  Please keep doing it!  As an African American male STEM educator of 29 years, I know exactly how important it was for me to have STEM teachers who looked like me.  Question: Is there a support system for the new teachers after they enter the classroom?  What is that?  Are you connecting them to local, state, and regional networks like chapters of the National Alliance of Black School Educators?  

Jomo,

I wish this program had been around when I was in school. One of the great things about teaching is that it can force you to learn your own coursework better. Are you looking at how in-school academic performance changes alongside participation in this program?

As one of the interns in this program, I think this will be an amazing experience. It is always good to be a helping hand in developing the minds of young people and allowing them to be exposed to STEM(M) is a bonus. 

Thank you for sharing, very informative !

Excited about the program. So far it has been a fun and eye opening experience in the world of math and science teaching. 

This program has changed my view on teaching and teachers. It has show me how important teachers are to the world. Working hand in hand with my mentor has shown me how much work she puts in before and after school. As a student you do not see that side. 

Hi Jomo: Very powerful and important work! I love that you bring in community members to provide support for and share insights with the teaching interns. I would love to hear more about how you set this up and provide for continued interactions with community members. 

Thanks Jomo! I deeply value the participation with community, and understand how it has to be organic. It would be good to think more with you on how this matters both in school science and in TE. Thanks for such a powerful program!

I echo other’s sentiments that this is a great video and a very needed project. I’m excited to work along with the team. 

I am excited to work with this group of educators in assisting and guiding the next generation of K-12 educators as they prepare for a future in teaching. This program will help in filling a void in under-represented teachers in Indiana.

Jomo, this is great work! As you progress, I'd love to see your curriculum/syllabi. I'm looking for models about how to productively integrate culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogy as a regular and integrated feature of our entire elementary education program and will look to your program as a model. 

Wonderful project! Thanks for sharing, Jomo.

Great program! Please keep in touch. I would like to see how we can work together.