Northern Michigan University partners with Michigan Technological University for “Partnering to Prepare STEM Master Teachers for Michigan's Middle Schools” project

Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University are partnering on an initiative called “Partnering to Prepare STEM Master Teachers for Michigan’s Middle Schools.” The project is funded through the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program from the National Science Foundation, and aims to prepare middle school teachers to become STEM education experts. 

According to an article on Northern Michigan University’s website, Joe Lubig, who serves as the university’s associate dean for the School of Education, Leadership & Public Service, was quoted as saying of the partnership and project, “Northern is proud to partner with Michigan Tech to explore a unique pathway for STEM teacher development that infuses classroom-based STEM content through an applied pedagogical approach. This cohort apprentice-style teacher preparation approach supports developing STEM teachers through a two-year process, leveraging MTU's expertise in STEM content, NMU's expertise in teaching practice, and the school site's access to master teacher mentors. It is our hope that the learning we gain from this program will allow us to replicate this type of teacher development on a broader scale.”

This Master Teachers Program will take 30 current teachers in STEM subjects and help them become leaders in their respective communities to improve science-related education in middle schools. The school districts that are eligible for participation in the Master Teachers Program are Copper Country Intermediate School District, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Kentwood Public Schools, Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency, Menominee County Intermediate School District, Midland Public Schools, and Upper Peninsula Center for Educational Development.

Current classroom teachers in the above eligible school districts will undergo a two-year leadership program to help them become leaders in increasing engagement with STEM learning and in becoming mentors to other teachers and students. Participating teachers will receive a stipend during the program. The first 20 teachers who will participate in the program will need to already have a master’s degree, and the next 10 teachers will earn their master’s degree in educational instruction curriculum via online courses from Northern Michigan University during their program.

The partnership between Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University is crucial to the master’s degree portion of the project. Most of the content of the online courses will come from Northern Michigan University’s existing master’s degree program. Michigan Technological University will contribute its instruction relevant to integrated science for middle school educators to the program.

Marianne Semones, who is the project team lead and senior research scientist at the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University, said, “The significance of this program lies in its mission to develop and empower teacher-leaders within high-need school districts. These leaders play a crucial role in mentoring new educators, forming a dedicated cadre of teachers in Michigan focused on improving STEM education and providing a stable and effective learning environment for students.” 

For more information about Northern Michigan University, visit the school’s website.

For more information about Michigan Technological University, visit the school’s website.