Mentoring in the Midst of TeachHOUSTON: Examples From a National Science Foundation–Supported STEM Teacher Education Program

• In Event: 35.063 - Mentoring Practices: What Works, for Whom, and Where

Abstract

The teachHOUSTON program at the University of Houston began in 2007 as a collaboration between the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), the College of Education, and two local school districts, and has since expanded to eleven local school districts. The program’s central aim is to address the shortage of qualified math and science teachers in the U.S. (Craig, Evans, Bott, Stokes & Abrol, 2017). teachHOUSTON is directly aligned with the national goal of the Prepare and Inspire report (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010) to train 100,000 new quality STEM middle school and high school teachers in the country. teachHOUSTON provides flexible degree plans that fully integrate grade 7-12 teacher certification courses within the four-year degree plans for NSM majors without additional time or cost. The program prepares teachers utilizing rigorous research-based instruction that integrates content and pedagogy provided by faculty members with extensive teaching experience in public schools.

The following percentages characterize teachHOUSTON graduates: 95% of the program’s graduates are teaching in Greater Houston; 80% of the graduates are teaching in high need schools; 88% of the graduates continue as public school teachers beyond five years; and the program graduates one of the largest pools of chemistry teachers in the country (top 2% of universities nationally). teachHOUSTON’s graduates reflect the population of the second most diverse campus in the U.S.: 37% Hispanic, 31% White, 19% Asian, and 13% African American (Boser, 2014).

Central to the success of teachHOUSTON is the layered ways in which formal and informal mentoring occurs (Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005). The students work with master and mentor teachers in early and ongoing field-based experiences; attend workshops and conferences; participate in internships on-/off-campus; belong to professional associations alongside their peers; attend sessions designed for their parents and themselves; and interact regularly with formative and summative grant evaluators. During student teaching, preservice teachers meet with faculty, apprentice teaching supervisors, and district cooperating teachers to design student-centered, engaging instruction appropriate for all students which reflects strong STEM knowledge and pedagogy and fosters a positive climate for learning, equity, and excellence. As the definitions and characterizations of mentoring are wide ranging (Campbell & Campbell, 1997; Freeman, 1999; Watson, 1999), so too are the enactments of mentoring lived by teachHOUSTON faculty and students. The development of these mentoring relationships along with the efforts taken to maintain these connections, underscore the enduring and dynamic (Friday, Friday, & Green, 2004, p.628) nature of the mentoring process.
This paper presents teachHOUSTON’s layered form of mentoring as an ongoing discursive practice (Orland-Barak, 2002, 2005, 2012) cultivated via knowledge community interactions (Craig, 1995, 2007; Curtis et al., 2013; Olson & Craig, 2001). Exemplars involving physics education (Paige Evans), parent-student seminars (Donna Stokes), ongoing mentoring (Leah McAlister-Shields) and formative (Gayle Curtis) and summative (Cheryl Craig) evaluation processes will be spotlighted. Tensions and complexities having to do with mentoring against a backdrop of school-university partnerships will also be discussed (Chan, 2015; Chan & Clarke, 2014).

Authors

• Cheryl J. Craig, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Paige K. Evans, University of Houston

• Donna Stokes, University of Houston

• Leah McAlister-Shields

• Gayle A Curtis, Texas A&M University - College Station