Career Awards for Science and Mathematics Teachers

Career Awards for Science and Mathematics Teachers provide $175,000 over a period of five years ($35,000 per year) to eligible teachers in the North Carolina public school system.  Candidate eligibility and institutional nomination requirements are set out below.

Candidates
Nominations
Proposals
Download full program brochure (PDF)

•  Candidates in middle school and high school must hold licensure to teach science or mathematics in North Carolina and have at least five years of teaching experience with at least 70 percent of their time devoted to teaching science or mathematics courses.
•  Candidates in elementary schools, who can be science or mathematics specialists, must have at least five years of teaching experience with at least 30 percent of their time teaching science or mathematics.
•  Candidates must have superior knowledge of science or mathematics, excellent teaching skills, demonstrated leadership, and a commitment to continue teaching in the North Carolina Public School system.
•  Candidates must be currently licensed North Carolina public school science or mathematics teachers who teach in grades K-12.
• Candidates must be citizens of the United States.

Nominations for Career Awards for Science and Mathematics Teachers must have the support and commitment of superintendents, principals, and teachers in North Carolina’s public schools. Special consideration will be given to teachers in underperforming or needy North Carolina public schools. In the statement of nomination, the principal must demonstrate that the necessary environment for successful science or mathematics teaching exists at the school and that there are opportunities for the teacher to be mentored and to mentor other teachers. For high school and middle school teachers, this statement should guarantee that the teacher will spend at least 70 percent of his/her time teaching science or mathematics. For elementary school teachers, this statement should guarantee that the teacher will spend at least 30 percent of his/her time teaching science or mathematics and at least 20 percent working with other teachers.

• Include a plan from the superintendent and principal for the teacher’s career development
• Include strategies on how the teacher’s skills and content knowledge will be utilized to increase student performance in science or mathematics
• Describe how the school tracks this performance data to help the teacher with instruction
• Describe how individualized student goals can be achieved
• Demonstrate how the teacher will be mentored at the school and by whom
• Demonstrate the district and the school’s commitment to developing the teacher’s skills
• Outline how these skills will be utilized to benefit his/her school and district, including such things as how the teacher will mentor and train other teachers or develop modules or other science or mathematics curriculum materials
• Explain the benefits to the teacher and to the school of the additional salary support which will be provided by the North Carolina State Board of Education that enables each award recipient to receive a 12-month schedule
• Include a training plan to show how the teacher’s knowledge in science or mathematics will be expanded (see Professional Development below)
  
• Describe how the teacher will reflect on the development of his/her demonstrated pedagogical skills (see suggestions below)

Professional Development

Professional development for teachers must align with the North Carolina standards for the science or mathematics curriculum, be content-based training that explores key topics in significant depth, and be relevant to the teacher’s individual growth. Funds for advanced course work are permitted by the Career Award.  Any equipment purchased by the award recipient can be transferred to another North Carolina public school if the teacher relocates. In addition to the professional development offered by school districts and the Department of Public Instruction, the following list contains a sampling of recommended organizations offering professional development opportunities for teachers in science and mathematics:

• All Kinds of Minds
  
  
• The Hill Center
  
  

• North Carolina Math Science Education Network
  

• North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
  

• North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center
  

• North Carolina Science Teachers Association
  

• North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  

• National Science Teachers Association
  

• North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching

The proposal should describe how the teacher will reflect on the development of his/her demonstrated pedagogical skills.  This could include an electronic journaling, blogging, or note booking system, and should be done on a weekly basis to track development of best practices over time. The North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center website at www.ncsmt.org will serve as the host for this information. Interested teachers will be encouraged to submit articles for posting, create multimedia productions, or publish their work in key education journals to improve the quality and advance the field of teaching.

Questions regarding candidate or institutional eligibility should be directed in advance to Melanie Scott, senior program associate, at (919) 991-5107.