CU program awarded $322,000 for science, math teacher training

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) announced a $322,000 award Oct. 22 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to Cornell for scholarships for students training to be teachers in science and mathematics. In exchange for the funding, some Cornell education students will have their tuition offset and they will work in some of the neediest school districts in New York state. Schools that will benefit from the program include those in rural, urban and tribal districts, and school systems with high teacher turnover.

At Lansing High School, Oct. 22, U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert announces a $322,000 education grant that will help offset tuition for Cornell education majors -- such as, from left, graduate students Lakiea Wright, who teaches chemistry at Elmira Free Academy, and Krista Harwick, who teaches biology at LaFayette High School -- who agree to teach science or math in needy districts. Deborah J. Trumbull (next to Boehlert) is director of the Cornell Teacher Education program. Robert Barker/University Photography

"Education is something that's very important to the future of this nation," said Boehlert, who is chair of the House Science Committee. He represents portions of Tompkins County, including the town of Lansing and parts of Cornell. "This is a dollars-for-service concept and it will help to educate our leaders of tomorrow."

The award, announced at a media conference at Lansing High School, is part of $6.9 million in grants by the NSF to 15 U.S. universities and colleges, aimed at stemming the loss of mathematics and science teachers in the nation's neediest schools.

The Robert Noyce Scholarship teacher-training program was proposed by Boehlert more than a decade ago but was not funded by Congress until two years ago. He proposed the idea because in recent years students in the United States have been falling behind those many other countries in mathematics and science proficiency.

The NSF program, now in its first full year of open competition, will fund the education of more than 650 new K-12 teachers throughout the nation this year. The scholarship is named for the late Robert Noyce, co-founder of Intel Corp. "This grant is a step in the right direction," Boehlert said.

The award to Cornell will provide scholarships to six student-teacher trainees for four years to help fund their graduate studies in the Cornell Teacher Education (CTE) program. In addition, four Cornell undergraduates over three years -- all with majors in mathematics or science -- will be given scholarships for their senior-year study at Cornell. They will then complete the master's portion of the program.

Scholarship recipients will agree to teach for two years in K-12 in a high-needs school district for each year of scholarship or stipend support. As new teachers, the Noyce scholars will be given support and mentoring through CTE and through other programs on the Cornell campus that offer summer workshops for practicing teachers.

Deborah J. Trumbull, Cornell associate professor of education and CTE director, said that the NSF funds, which provide both scholarship support and stipends, will enable prospective teachers to begin their careers with a significantly reduced debt. "The reduced debt load will make it easier for these talented and enthusiastic young people to pursue careers in high-needs schools, which typically cannot pay the salaries that are offered by the wealthier suburban school systems," she said.

CTE, based in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, specializes in the preparation of secondary teachers for agriculture science, mathematics and the sciences. CTE students complete more than 100 hours of field work in schools close to the Cornell campus, and many go on to teach in rural and high-needs schools across New York state.

The NSF funds will be awarded to current undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, as well as to holders of B.S. degrees who want to become teachers.

Joan T. Prival, the program's director at the NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources, noted that the grants go a step further than just helping prospective teachers get their diplomas. "We know that a large number of people drop out of teaching early on because of the difficulties associated with the first years of teaching," Prival said. "There's a lot of support for the recipients so they become successful teachers."

The program was partly funded through the enactment by Congress last year of the National Math and Science Partnerships Act -- a component of President Bush's No Child Left Behind plan announced in his rst State of the Union address -- which initially provided $5 million. Congress has committed $7 million to the program for this year's budget. The NSF manages the Math and Science Partnerships program.

"There is nothing more rewarding than shaping a young mind," said Boehlert. "Now, with this award, principals and superintendents have more than prayers to go on."