The Amgen Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching, have announced a new program to support middle and secondary school science educators in their first years of teaching.
The NSTA New Science Teacher Academy, co-founded by the Amgen Foundation, is a professional development initiative created to help strengthen quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence, and improve teacher content knowledge.
The Amgen Foundation presented NSTA with a three-year, $3 million grant to support up to 200 science teachers across the nation in the academy each year.
“NSTA believes that quality teaching is the single most important factor in bolstering student achievement,” said Gerry Wheeler, executive director, NSTA.
Wheeler cited statistics from the University of Pennsylvania that indicate almost 30 percent of all beginning teachers, including those teaching science, leave the profession after three years in the classroom.
“The NSTA New Science Teacher Academy seeks to not only help reduce the high attrition rate in the science teaching profession, but more importantly provide new science teachers with the professional development, resources and mentoring support they need to succeed in the classroom,” Wheeler said.
The New Science Teacher Academy has two tiers of participation: NSTA Fellows and NSTA Associate Fellows. Both tiers will include a year-long series of science-related activities and professional development opportunities. NSTA Fellows and Associate Fellows will also have access to grade-specific journals, teaching tools and online science information. NSTA Fellows will receive additional online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline.
The program also includes financial support to attend NSTA’s annual National Conference on Science Education. The 2008 national conference will be held next year in Boston on March 27-30.
Each year, the fellows supported by the Amgen Foundation will be named Amgen-NSTA Fellows and Amgen-NSTA Associate Fellows. A selection committee, comprised of NSTA leaders, will choose the 2007 Amgen-NSTA Fellows and Associate Fellows to participate in the 2007-2008 Academy.
“Partnering with the NSTA to provide this innovative program underscores the Amgen Foundation’s commitment to elevating the quality of science education in the U.S.,” said Jean Lim, president, Amgen Foundation. “We are excited to be investing in the success of promising new science teachers by providing important resources to help them navigate through the early years of their classroom experience.”
For more information about the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy or to learn how science teachers can apply to become an Amgen-NSTA Fellow or Associate Fellow, visit www.nsta.org/academy.
