Long-term Professional Development
The Notre Dame STEM Teaching Fellows is a multi-year, school-team-based program for middle-grade (4th–8th) STEM teachers. The program elevates participants’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions, empowering them to make STEM education a force for good for their students and school communities.
The two-and-a-half-year Fellowship is anchored by three Summer Institutes held on-campus at the University of Notre Dame. These institutes consist of various courses focused on STEM instructional practice and teacher leadership. During the academic year, Fellows apply their summer learning by participating in instructional coaching groups. These groups meet regularly to provide a collaborative environment for continued professional development and growth.
Additionally, two mid-year summits extend the work of the Summer Institutes, allowing teachers to reconnect and gather in person at various locations across the country. Together, these experiences provide 250 hours of professional development throughout the duration of the program.
School Teams
Our program uniquely focuses on developing both the individual teacher’s instructional practice and the strength of a school-based team. Fellows apply in teams of three to five members, creating a critical mass within their buildings to establish effective STEM learning opportunities for all students.
Over the course of the two-and-a-half-year fellowship, these teams develop, plan, execute, and measure a school-specific STEM Blueprint Plan. We specifically target the middle grades because this developmental stage is vital for fostering STEM interest and engagement, particularly among underrepresented populations.
In addition to their coursework, Fellows and their students participate in ongoing research throughout the program. This research focuses on teacher leadership, STEM instructional practices, and the relationship between STEM learning environments and student interest, achievement, and identity.
Foundational Tenets
A focus on human flourishing is central to the dispositions, knowledge, and practices in our STEM Teacher Leadership Framework. We draw on four foundational tenets – tenets drawn from Catholic Social Teaching and applicable in both religious and secular settings – that provide an action-oriented and person-centered approach to promoting justice.
Collectively, these four tenets provide a set of principles that can help guide the words, beliefs, and actions of STEM Teacher Leaders towards cultivating a thriving school community. We believe that it is essential for these principles to be deeply woven and integrated into the fabric of teacher leadership, and as such, these positions are seamlessly embedded throughout each of the domains and descriptions of the Framework.
The Experience
How to Apply
