JoinScaling Up for STEM Initiative
Sponsored by: The Northrop Grumman Foundation
“Our vision for STEM education is that every student experiences the joy and wonder of science, learns how STEM can be used to solve local and global problems, sees the pathways they can take into STEM-related careers, and feels welcomed and valued in classrooms.”
Call to Action for Science Education: Building Opportunity for the Future.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2021, Washington, DC
About The Scaling Up For STEM Initiative
The Scaling Up for STEM Initiative, sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, provides middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) teachers with a yearlong immersive professional learning experience designed to enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence in science, technology, and engineering; and increase STEM career exposure while boosting teacher understanding about the skills needed for a scientifically literate workforce. The program provides a tailored approach to support teachers’ efforts to create an equitable learning environment that increases student interest, participation, and academic success in STEM education.
Participation
Educators selected for this yearlong program—who will be known as STEM Teacher Fellows—will
- Attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Philadelphia (March 26-29, 2025). Conference registration and a ticket to a pre-conference workshop are provided by the program. Two nights of lodging and 3 days of parking are included.
- Engage in online professional learning, including synchronous Web Seminars and asynchronous Professional Learning Units, via a comprehensive NSTA membership package.
- Explore high-quality equitable STEM instructional materials, STEM careers, and workforce skills utilized by Northrop Grumman scientists, engineers, and technologists.
- Supported implementation and integration of resources centered on real-world problems and phenomena with an emphasis on STEM career awareness and workforce skills based on program experiences; and
- Participate in a capstone project to reflect and leverage your program learning.
Teachers and administrators are encouraged to apply! Below are potential benefits for teachers and administrators.
Teachers
Build alignment with a national community on the elements of high-quality STEM instructional materials and how to implement high-quality STEM instructional materials
Identify changes to classroom culture and procedures to support the development of STEM identity and workplace skills.
Create a culture of shared experience and mutual support within the Fellows community.
Develop leadership skills.
Administrators
Build alignment with your team on the elements of high-quality STEM instructional materials and how to implement high- quality STEM instructional materials.
Create a culture of shared experience and mutual support with your school team.
Build connections and community with other Administrator Fellows.
Eligibility
Teachers can apply to become a Scaling Up For STEM Fellow if they are full time teachers at a public school and are:
- Currently full-time middle school (grades 6–8) or high school (grades 9-12) science, engineering, technology, and/or career and technical education classroom teachers;
- Have a minimum of two years of classroom teaching experience; and
- Be strongly motivated to advance their district’s STEM education in support of the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards by applying real-world applications in the classroom.
- Priority will be given to educators who work in Title 1 public schools located within 250 miles of Philadelphia, PA; as well as educators who work in Northrop Grumman Community partner schools located within 250 miles of Philadelphia, PA.
Administrators can apply to become a Scaling Up for STEM Fellows if:
- They are full time administrators at a public middle or high school.
- Bring at least two teachers in their school or district that meet the teacher requirements to also apply to the program.
- Strongly motivated to advance their district’s STEM education in support of the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards by applying real-world applications in the classroom.
- Priority will be given to administrators who work in Title 1 public schools located within 250 miles of Philadelphia, PA; as well as administrators who work in Northrop Grumman Community partner schools located within 250 miles of Philadelphia, PA.
We will be accepting 40 Middle School and 40 High School teachers, and 20 administrators.
We will be holding an informational web seminar for those who are interested in participating in the fellowship on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 7 PM – 8PM ET. Register for this free web seminar here.
The Deadline to Apply is December 13th, 2024. Notifications of acceptance will go out the week of December 16, 2024. Teachers will need to include a letter of support from a school or district administrator as part of the application.
If you have colleagues who might be interested and meet the requirements, please forward this to them.
Questions
For additional program information or questions, please contact,
Michelle Phillips, Education Specialist, at mphillips@nsta.org.
About the Sponsoring Organization
The Northrop Grumman Foundation is focused on increasing access to the tech workforce and removing barriers to STEM and workforce education initiatives across K-12 to post-secondary pathways. Our goal is expanding the STEM pipeline by ensuring the enrollment and success of members of the military and veteran communities and those who have traditionally been underserved and excluded.