Center for Science and Mathematics Education receives $286,000 to research professional growth and retention of science teachers
The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Science and Mathematics Education has been given $286,000 to develop and pilot test a quantitative instrument for examining the professional development of career science teachers.
The National Science Foundation awarded the research grant, and Dr. James Barufaldi, Center director, and Dr. Mary Hobbs, program coordinator for the Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science Teaching will serve as co-principal investigators. The grant is based on prior research by Hobbs, which was conducted at Texas Tech University as part of her dissertation study.
"The purpose of the grant is to discover those important experiences in science teachers' careers that have spurred their professional advancement," says Barufaldi, Ruben E. Hinojosa Regents Professor in the College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction. "Using behavior-over-time graphing, we hope to develop a tool that will uncover empowering professional growth opportunities that these seasoned science teachers have experienced and then use that information to create highly effective professional development models. Ultimately, we're aiming to find successful ways to help science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers grow professionally, and, of course, to retain them in the teaching field."
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education, which is located in the College of Education, offers training opportunities for science teachers in Texas schools and promotes strong undergraduate and graduate programs in math and science. The Texas Regional Collaboratives program, led by Dr. Kamil Jbeily, is the largest science outreach program in the Center.
- Kay Randall, Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, 512-232-3910
