Track 4 Noyce Grant Supports Community of Practice focused on Teacher Retention and Effectiveness

Alabama A&M University has received a $77,770 grant from the National Science Foundation to participate in a national research initiative focused on improving STEM teacher preparation, effectiveness and retention in high-need school districts.

The award is part of a $1,232,951 NSF Track 4 Noyce Research grant led by Middle Tennessee State University and running from September 2025 through September 2028. Rather than funding scholarships, the grant supports a multi-institutional Community of Practice designed to advance research and collaboration among science and mathematics teacher educators across the country.

AAMU mathematics professor Dr. Salam Khan serves as co-principal investigator, with Dr. Samantha Strachan, associate dean for student success and associate professor of secondary education in science, serving as co-investigator. Alabama A&M joined the project after the University’s previous Noyce scholarship grant concluded, when the lead institution invited AAMU to participate in the research collaboration.

The project aims to address persistent national challenges in recruiting, preparing and retaining effective secondary STEM teachers in high-need school districts. Through data-driven research and sustained collaboration, participating institutions will examine the factors that influence teacher persistence and classroom effectiveness and identify strategies to strengthen STEM teacher preparation programs.

As part of the research, faculty will work with science and mathematics educators, including Alabama A&M Noyce Scholars who are now teaching in high-need school districts. The study includes large-scale data collection, quantitative and qualitative analyses of teacher experiences, classroom observations, student perception surveys and interviews with early-career STEM teachers. Researchers will integrate findings to better understand which programmatic features contribute to long-term success in the classroom.

Alabama A&M is one of nine institutions participating in the consortium, which also includes Central Washington University, North Dakota State University, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Houston, the University of Nevada-Reno, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Findings from the project will inform evidence-based practices for recruiting, preparing and supporting STEM teachers in high-need schools, while the Community of Practice framework will promote professional development, shared learning and sustainability across participating institutions. The research is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which also funds studies on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers nationwide.

“This project allows us to contribute to national research while learning directly from science and mathematics teachers who are working in high-need classrooms, including our own Noyce Scholars,” Strachan said. “By collaborating with educators and institutions across the country, we are helping to strengthen STEM teacher preparation and improve outcomes for students who need it most.”