About the Program
A new scholarship focuses on Kansas State University science majors who want to become certified teachers. The program is called K-State TEACH and is a collaboration between the departments of curriculum and instruction, physics, geology, chemistry and biology.
The effort is funded by the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship Program. This particular scholarship program is designed to increase the supply for highly qualified middle and high school teachers in the science areas.
"Science teaching nationally and in the state of Kansas are both underserved," said Larry Scharmann, professor and former department head of secondary education. "We want to try and attract a population that wouldn't necessarily be attracted using normal channels. This grant is not available to someone in the college of education, we have our own sources of support for them. This is to attract an extended population of teachers."
Upon completion of the TEACH program, scholarship recipients are required to teach two years in a high needs school district for each year of scholarship received. A high needs school district is defined as serving a high percentage of individuals from families with incomes below the poverty line, a high percentage of English language learners, and/or a high percentage of rural populations.
"High needs school districts often have a tough time recruiting new teachers, especially in the sciences," Scharmann said. "A lot of times in small, rural schools you will see teachers teaching subjects out of their discipline – such as a biology teacher in a physics classroom. By attracting these new teachers we hope to close this gap."
Students interested in the K-State TEACH Program can contact:
Dr. Christopher Culbertson
213 Chemistry & Biochemistry Building
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6685
Email: culbert@ksu.edu
→ Download the K-State TEACH brochure [pdf]
→ Download the K-State TEACH poster
Watch a video about Teaching Physics: