Hanselman co-authors study on preparing STEM educators

Jennifer Hanselman, associate provost and dean of research, has published an article in the journal Cogent Education. The article, “MassTeach: a statewide strategy to increase and broaden STEM teacher participation,” was co-authored by Arne E. Christensen, associate professor of biology at Westfield State University, and Allison S. Little, assistant commissioner for P-16 Alignment and Outreach at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The paper addresses the global teacher shortage, a persistent challenge that has become more acute since the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in STEM subjects. The MassTeach program, developed using ten years of statewide higher education enrollment data, coordinated efforts by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and faculty across the community college (2-year) and state university (4-year) systems to increase participation in the STEM teacher workforce. 

Recognizing that enrollment at community colleges reflects the socioeconomic makeup of their surrounding communities, which are underrepresented in the STEM education pipeline, MassTeach coordinated supports to facilitate student transfer from 2- to 4-year institutions toward earning a teaching license in a STEM field. Tracking MassTeach participant data enabled visualization of individuals’ progress within this statewide context. In their paper, Hanselman and her co-authors note that data showed that support from the MassTeach program facilitated participants’ progression from community college to teaching licensure; however, no single support was identified as sufficient. The coordinated supports of MassTeach highlighted the importance of intentional efforts to engage with all students and the flexibility required to respond to their ongoing needs in pursuit of their career goals.

MassTeach is supported by the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program of the National Science Foundation.