$9.6 million in STEM teacher grants awarded

stem

(INDIANAPOLIS) – Programs that prepare educators to teach in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subject areas again have resources to continue that work in Indiana schools. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has awarded over $9.6 million to 16 organizations and colleges from across the state that support STEM teacher preparation, recruitment, retention and professional development.

The STEM Teacher Recruitment Fund was created by the General Assembly in 2013 to increase the number of high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers in Indiana school corporations encountering shortages of qualified teachers and in schools located in underserved areas. This is the fourth round of grant funding.

“The careers fueling Indiana’s economy and future growth require STEM-related skills and experience,” said Indiana’s Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers. “Training more Hoosier teachers in these subject areas and ensuring they are working in schools that have a shortage of those subject areas is critical to the goal of having more Hoosiers prepared to succeed in high-demand STEM fields.”

The selected programs focus on placing high-quality teachers in underserved STEM classrooms and high-need school districts by providing access to coursework necessary for STEM teachers to continue teaching dual-credit courses; supporting teacher mentorship programs; offering teacher training models; increasing rural access to computer science content and teaching; and recruiting and developing teachers for advanced manufacturing and logistics.

2019 STEM Teacher Recruitment Fund Award Recipients

  • Conexus Indiana: $200,000
  • Independent Colleges of Indiana/Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning: $2.4 million
  • Nextech: $600,000
  • Purdue Research Foundation (two programs):
    • Strengthening Indiana’s Future Through the 21st Century STEM Teachers: $255,000
    • STEM Teacher Retention Through Mentoring: $300,000
  • Teach for America: $2.25 million
  • University of Southern Indiana Foundation (two programs):
    • Teaching Eagles Scholarship Program: $200,000
    • New Experiences for Instructors of Dual Enrollment (NExIDE): $240,000
  • Project Lead The Way: $700,000
  • Ball State University Foundation – Hoosier STEM Academy: $602,000
  • University of Evansville: $110,000
  • Indiana University Foundation (two programs):
    • Dual-Credit STEM Pipeline: $750,000
    • Growing Tomorrow’s STEM Teachers: $325,000
  • TNTP: $257,000
  • Educate ME Foundation: $172,000
  • Marian University: $240,000

For more information on the 2019 STEM Teacher Grant recipient programs, see the full listinghere.