Three Tennessee Tech University faculty members have received a $760,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to help build the workforce of future STEM educators. The funding will provide scholarships for students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to add teacher licensure while remaining in their STEM degree programs.

“This scholarship program allows students to pursue their STEM major while also preparing to become licensed teachers,” said Holly Anthony, professor of mathematics education at Tech and lead investigator on the grant. “For every semester that they receive the scholarship, they agree to teach one year in a high-need school district.”

She adds that graduate students can also use the scholarship to pursue teacher licensure after having already received their bachelor’s degree in a STEM field.

Anthony is joined on the project by Stephen Robinson, chair of Tech’s Department of Physics, and Chris Wilson, chair of the Department of General and Industrial Engineering. Together, the team will prioritize licensure in physics, mathematics and chemistry — fields the faculty say face persistent teacher shortages in Tennessee.

“Across both public and private schools in the state of Tennessee over the last 10 years, we’ve only licensed three physics teachers,” Anthony said. “So, this is a very high-need area. School districts simply cannot fill those positions.” Robinson added that schools also need qualified teachers for upper-level math and chemistry courses.

Through the grant, Tech expects to support 22 students – building on the university’s status as the largest producer of teachers in the state of Tennessee. Scholarship recipients may receive up to $6,000 per semester for as many as four semesters.

“It’s enough to pay for their classes. We’re really excited about that,” said Anthony. “That’s up to $24,000 that a single student can receive in scholarships to do this work.

The program also offers paid early teaching experiences through Tech’s Millard Oakley STEM Center, enabling STEM majors to test whether teaching is for them before fully committing.

“They can come and work STEM events with K-12 students as part of that,” Anthony added. “It’s a great way to test out whether teaching might be for them.”

Students can work up to 150 hours at $10 an hour as part of that early experience, she said, and additional paid summer internships will let participants lead outreach and develop lessons.

Wilson noted that the inclusion of engineering students in the project creates an even stronger and broader pool of future STEM educators.

“This project is one among many important collaborations between the STEM-infused academic programs at Tech,” said Wilson. “As the largest college on Tech’s campus, the College of Engineering has unique capabilities to bring to bear in this effort. We meet students in the college every day with natural teaching abilities and a passion for passing on STEM skills they have already mastered, so we hope many of those students will consider participation in this program.”

While students supported by the grant’s scholarships may teach in any high-need district nationwide, Tech is giving priority to three Upper Cumberland counties identified as local high-need partners: Jackson, Overton and White County Schools – part of a broader university effort to support and uplift Tennessee’s rural communities.

Robinson noted the program allows Tech to continue supporting these STEM educators even after they have completed their degree through mentorship and professional development opportunities.

“The research shows that when people enter their first teaching position, there’s a high dropout rate because they don’t get the support they need,” Robinson explained. “So once our students graduate from our program and get into a teaching position, we do support them for two years after that with mentorship from local teachers and professional development support.”

Robinson added that mentor teachers will receive stipends and scholars will have opportunities to attend conferences and join professional organizations paid for through the grant.

As a native Tennessean and former high school math teacher herself, Anthony takes pride in knowing that Tech is positioned to help grow the next generation of local STEM educators.

“We were just thrilled that NSF recognized that need in this region and was willing to fund it,” concluded Anthony. “This means 22 new STEM educators – potentially right here in the Upper Cumberland region – that we would not have had otherwise.”

Tech students enrolled in STEM majors who are interested in teaching careers and exploring scholarship opportunities available through the grant can contact Anthony at [email protected].