About

Rural and American Indian School Educators as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Leaders 

National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program has awarded (No. 2345186) the Science Math Resource Center a six-year, $3M Noyce Master Teaching Fellowships (MTF) Track 3 grant project, “Rural and American Indian School Educators as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Leaders (RAISE STEM Leaders),” to support and develop STEM teacher leaders in high-need rural and American Indian schools across Montana. This project is led by Dr. Fenqjen Luo, Associate Director of the Science Math Resource Center and Associate Professor of the Education Department. 

The goals of the RAISE STEM Leaders project are to: 

• Facilitate MTFs’ integration of funds of knowledge and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy into STEM curriculum and instruction.
• Empower MTFs to lead the design and facilitation of both formal and informal STEM activities within their schools and communities.
• Enhance MTFs’ leadership competence in STEM education.  

Building Capacity to Develop STEM Teacher Leaders 

The Science Math Resource Center has received a $75,000 grant (Award No. 2243541) from the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to fund the project, “Building Capacity to Develop STEM Teacher Leaders in Montana Rural and American Indian Schools.” This planning project aims to prepare and submit the Noyce Master Teaching Fellowships (MTF) Track 3 proposal “Rural and American Indian School Educators as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Leaders (RAISE STEM Leaders).” The interdisciplinary project team includes representatives from MSU’s Departments of Education, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Physics. Partners include School Services of Montana, the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, and Montana GEAR UP. 

The goals of this Capacity Building project are to: 

• Conduct needs assessments to determine the areas of teacher shortages and interest among science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers in Montana. 
• Strengthen partnerships with rural and American Indian school districts in Montana. 
• Develop methods informed by evidence-based principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to recruit and select potential STEM teacher leaders in partner rural and American Indian school districts. 
• Identify a teacher leadership development model that will support experienced and exemplary STEM teachers to become teacher leaders in partner rural and American Indian school districts.