The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics recently praised University of California CalTeach, a program that encourages science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) major students to pursue teaching. At UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, undergraduate and graduate students can pursue STEM teaching through CalTeach programs.
Over $2.2 million has been allotted to CalTeach by the UC to recruit and prepare a pipeline of qualified teachers to alleviate the critical need for more STEM teachers in California. CalTeach allows over 1,700 STEM students to pursue teaching careers, thereby strengthening the pool of secondary math and science teachers for future middle school and high school students.
As undergraduates, UC Santa Barbara students majoring in science and math can participate in UCSB CalTeach classes and fieldwork to prepare them for a teaching credential as part of the Science and Mathematics Education Minor. Through the NSF-funded Noyce CalTeach Physical Sciences and Engineering Program (CTPSE), select students gain experience through internships and explore teaching careers in chemistry, engineering, physics, and computer science.
Graduate students at the Gevirtz School who have participated in CalTeach are eligible for Noyce Teacher Scholar awards. Currently the Gevirtz School offers two different Noyce fellowships: the Noyce CalTeach Physical Sciences and Engineering award available for students seeking a secondary credential in chemistry or physics and the Noyce STEM Teachers for English Language Learners: Excellence and Retention (STELLER) award available for students seeking a secondary credential in mathematics or science and who want to focus on ways to effectively teach mathematics and science to English Language Learners. Recipients of Noyce Scholar awards commit to two years of teaching in a high-need school after graduation.
Earlier this year, UC Santa Barbara was named a Hispanic-Serving Institution, indicating that 25 percent of undergraduates attending the school are Latino. UCSB is the first member of the American Association of Universities and the fourth UC campus to earn the Hispanic-Serving Institution designation.