Attracting and Retaining

Diverse STEM Teachers

Slides at bit.ly/STEMTeacherUpdate

Update and Input meeting

June 26, 2024

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Goals for this meeting

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• Provide context on Elevate Teaching & MN STEM Project
• Provide updates on progress to date for Elevate Teaching & MN STEM Project
• Invite participant input on future plans and developments
• Share opportunities for future involvement and use of resources

Who is here?

Introduce yourself

• Name
• Organization
• Role
• On a scale of 1 to 5, how familiar are you with Elevate Teaching and/or the MN STEM Project?

Context

• Smithsonian Science Education Center’s initiative to address the Diversity in STEM Teaching Workforce

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• MN STEM Project team participated in in the 2023 STEM Education Summit: Building a coalition for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse STEM Teaching Workforce.

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• MN STEM Project team was one of 20 cohorts nationally selected

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• MN STEM Project - first time MN had a presence (2024 - Owatonna PS was also selected)

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Team Members

Dr. Rose Chu, Team Co-Lead

John Olson, Team Co-Lead

Dr. Angela Osuji

Project Lead, ElevateTeaching.us;

former teacher educator & administrator, Metro State Univ; former Assistant Commissioner, MN Dept. of Education; former math teacher; former Honeywell research engineer

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Adjunct faculty, Urban Teacher Program, Metro State Univ; Former science specialist - MN Dept. of Education; Former physical science teacher

Science teacher - Shakopee Public Schools, Board member - MN Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, Council member - National Science Teaching Assn., Past president - Minnesota Science Teaching Assn.

Lyle Dandridge

Teacher Retention Specialist - Saint Paul Public Schools; Former life science and civil engineering teacher

Kayla Swanson

Design Team Program Manager & Project Director of the STEM Freedom School - Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center, Science Museum of MN; past youth development leadership roles in CA.

Dr. Faith Dukes, Team Mentor

Director of K-12 STEM Education Programs, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; former AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, NSF; former Education Coordinator, MIT Museum; former instructor, Science From Scientists

The Opportunity

Smithsonian STEM Education Summit - March 2023

Technical Assistance & Mentorship support - 18 months

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The situation for STEM teachers

In Minnesota

• 40% of students are persons of color (BIPOC)
• 6% of teachers are BIPOC
• 11% of Teacher preparation participants are BIPOC
• Candidates in teacher preparation programs in MN
• 5-8 General Science 189
• 9-12 Life Science 232
• 9-12 Chemistry 87
• 9-12 Physics 40
• 9-12 Earth and Space 23
• 5-12 Mathematics 507
• CTE Programs 155 (includes Agriculture, FACS, and Business)

Source: PELSB Supply and Demand Report 2023

We are trying to address these issues:

• Teaching is not considered a valued career
• STEM teaching is often not considered a STEM career
• Lack of diversity in STEM teaching workforce

Why?

How?

• Work with Grow-your-Own programs in schools and other youth-serving career exploration programs to include STEM Teaching
• Provide resources for STEM teachers to promote STEM Teaching as a STEM career option for their students, and
• Support STEM teachers in their pride as an educator AND a STEM professional, especially for teachers from underrepresented populations.

TeachMN20/20

(MnEEP)

Vision of Elevate Teaching

• Elevate Teaching is a movement that seeks to activate a network of champions for the teaching profession and shift how we view, talk about and relate to the profession to include the profound impact teachers have in our society.
• Elevate Teaching is part of the solution to attract more to the profession especially from communities of color and American Indian communities.
• Elevate Teaching envisions a teaching profession that is highly regarded and prestigious in our society, starting in Minnesota.

MN Teacher Marketing & Outreach Campaign:

High Level Campaign Goals (Phase 2)

1. Elevate the teaching profession
• Engagement and outreach

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• Attract more to become teachers (especially from communities of color and American Indian communities)
• Marketing and visibility
• Bridging from inspiration to becoming

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Three Themes & Six Key Messages

Teaching is Creative

Teaching is Legacy

Teaching is Teamwork

Teaching is

Community Building

Teaching is Opportunity

Teaching is Evolving

“We see you”

“We got you”

“You matter”

6 Key Messages and Champion Toolkit

https://www.elevateteaching.us/toolkit

• What aspects of Elevate Teaching interest you or your organization?
• What aspects of the MN STEM Project interest you or your organization?
• What are you noticing?
• What are you wondering?

Pause and Reflect

PHASE 2: TMOC

Approach Framework

Progress Update

Phase 2: Marketing Update

• Marketing and Advertising Agency: Neka Creative

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• Teacher Shoutouts

• Resources for Champions

Digital message toolkit

Social media posts

Digital Newsletter

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• MERCH to come :)

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… It is one thing to change perceptions, it is another thing to inspire action.… we look forward to working with you to create that “magic”.

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~Founder Rosemary Ugboajah

Phase 2: Outreach Update

• Youth Engagement Plan Development
• Continuation, or expansion, of Youth as Champions
• Youth customized key messages, social media content kits, and youth influencers
• Pathway partnership engagement
• “Be a Teacher Change the World” event with high students from 6 school districts
• NWSISD Giving Voice Leadership Conference
• Monticello High School College & Career Fair

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• Collaborative Community Partnerships
• Co-present events and convenings with local partners (e.g. in Greater MN)
• Support ANET Circles facilitation in local communities
• Amplifying teacher stories
• Pathway partnership engagements with postsecondary institutions as well as school districts
• CAMP2024 for 65 early career teachers in St. Cloud.

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• Train the Trainer // Workshop in a Box
• Developing framework/approach

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• Updated Key Message Kits
• Identified a possible partner for translation support

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• Enhanced Data Walk
• Developed data collection & tracking method to inform future data walk enhancements

Phase 2: Bridging Update

Roadmap

Profile

Navigators

Physical

Document:

Steps to become a teacher

Web-based tool:

Questions lead to resources

Human support:

Targeted and ongoing support

• Bridging workgroup
• Targeted conversations
• Develop pilot plan

Initial Activities

• Monthly planning meetings
• Initial meeting of potential partners
• Apple Valley Schools Career Fair - display and discussions
• MN Science Teachers Assn Conference - breakout session
• Presentation to Generation Next Teacher Diversity Project Team

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Progress Update

Kick-off Meetups in Feb and April 2024

• Goal: Create affinity space for STEM teachers/educators
• Goal: Gather advice/feedback on messaging and strategies for STEM Teaching
• Participants: 30 adults and 12 youth, mostly BIPOC math, science and CTE educators
• Conversations centered on the six-message framework of Elevate Teaching

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Progress Update

Special Thanks to Generation Next’s sponsorship!

Special Thanks to Science Museum KAYSC for hosting!

• Develop resources for Grow your own and youth programs
• Develop resources for STEM teachers to promote teaching
• Create materials for students interested in STEM teaching
• Continue to create space for STEM teachers, especially STEM teachers of color
• Continue to leverage the “assets” and tools to be created through Elevate Teaching
• Secure additional funding to support MN STEM Project

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Next Steps

Proposed Workshop

• Goal: Engage a small group of STEM teachers/educators to develop materials and resources
• Priority given to past participants of Elevate Teaching and/or the MN STEM Project activities
• Half day initial workshop in late July - establish processes, scope of work including potential work groups
• Continue development effort virtually?
• A final wrap-up workshop for next steps?

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• What are your top-of-mind reactions, comments, concerns, insights and ideas?
• What are you noticing?
• What are you wondering?
• Other strategies or approaches you are working on or are aware of to address similar challenges in STEM teaching?

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Pause and Reflect

Interest survey

• Contact information
• What areas of interest do you have?
• How would you like to be involved?
• Who else should we contact about this project?

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Go to bit.ly/STEMTeacherInterest

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Resources

• Elevate Teaching website
• Get the Facts Out
• Smithsonian STEM Education Summit
• Science Museum of Minnesota Ideal Center
• STEM Justice Toolkit

Thank you

Rose Chu, rose@pbs-rose.com

John Olson, johnolson98@gmail.com

Angela Osuji, angela.osuji@gmail.com

Kayla Swanson, kswanson@smm.org

Lyle Dandridge, lyle.dandridge@spps.org

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