North Central College has received a five-year, $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help it educate future STEM teachers.
The money was awarded through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, and is the largest NSF grant the college has received, according to a news release from the college.
Supporting students in the STEM field
It’s earmarked to help the college in its efforts to support students in the STEM field.
More than $800,000 will go toward scholarships for students in financial need who are planning to become STEM teachers in Chicagoland high-need schools.
“Recruiting and retaining diverse teachers has been shown to improve academic outcomes for all students,” said Dr. Lindsay Wexler, associate professor of education at North Central College. “This grant increases our ability to recruit, support, and train new Illinois STEM teachers, who will then educate diverse populations of students in local, underserved communities and work proactively towards reducing academic opportunity gaps.”
Encouraging “culturally responsive” teachers in science and math fields
The money will also support North Central’s Commitment to Recruit Educate and Assist Teachers in Equity (CREATE) project.
The CREATE project was formed by a collaboration between the school’s College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education and Health Sciences, along with Elgin’s School District U-46 and Elgin Community College.
It’s an initiative to encourage and support “culturally responsive” teachers in the fields of science and math.
“Projects funded by the NSF are known to not only advance, but to transform the frontiers of knowledge, and I am deeply proud of our faculty for their work to expand opportunities within STEM education.” said Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá, North Central College’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Over the past two and a half years, the college has received more than $3 million in grants from the NSF.
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