GK-12 Program Description
NJ Alliance for Engineering Education (NJAEE) ‘15 –‘16
Stipend Supported Opportunity for High School STEM
Teachers in North – East New Jersey
Applications Accepted Until May 15, 2015
Candidate Notification By May 29, 2015
Objective: To create a partnership that promotes the integration of problem solving, innovation
and inventiveness within mainstream high school STEM curricula, while fostering the crossfertilization of innovative teaching methods across K-12 and university level education.
-----------------------------------------------------------------The New Jersey Alliance for Engineering Education (NJAEE), funded by the National Science
Foundation (NSF) GK-12 program, is seeking applications from teachers interested in working with
science and engineering graduate students at Stevens Institute of Technology.
NSF developed the GK-12 program recognizing that in addition to being competent researchers, STEM
graduate students must be able to communicate science and research to a variety of audiences. To support
this goal, the program supports GK-12 Fellows, who develop enhanced communication and teaching
skills working alongside high school teachers in the classroom up to 10 hours per week. The graduate
students are expected to also inspire broad based scientific discussion in the K-12 learning environments
and stimulate interest in science and engineering among the students.
Each teacher assigned to support a Graduate Fellow will provide guidance in the development and
delivery of lesson plans, will make use of the Fellow’s science and engineering knowledge in support of
classroom and laboratory programs, and will provide the opportunity for the Fellow to deliver lectures in
the classroom.
For participating teachers, the program provides a stipend of fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500) per
year, in addition to tuition coverage of up to three thousand dollars ($3,000), for participation in two three credit graduate credit classes designed to support the teaching of scientific materials in the
classroom. Additional workshops and advanced scientific research seminars will also be provided
throughout the year.
In order to attain the maximum benefit of this program your participation will involve the following:
1. Working with, and mentoring one science or engineering graduate student who will support you
in your classroom ten (10) hours per week.
2. Attendance at up to four workshops (for both the teachers and graduate students) during the
school year. The subjects to be presented at these workshops will include materials related to
STEM subjects appropriate for application in high school classrooms. Subjects will cover topics
such as “Developing Critical Thinking: a problem solving skill for teachers and students”; and
“Developing Problem Based Learning Activities” presented by Montclair State University; and
Entrepreneurship, Research Applications, Communication Skills, and Patent Processes presented
by Stevens faculty.
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3. Providing support to an External Evaluator to assure the provision of timely program evaluation
information.
4. Participation in a three (3) day “Summer Institute” to be held the last week of June 2013, the
purpose of which will be to describe and discuss the goals of the GK-12 program, including
expectations, potential school activities as related to grade level, subject, students, and
curriculum. Also included will be team building with the Graduate Fellow(s) assigned to your
school. In addition there will be a half-day Saturday workshop held during October 2013 to
review the critical aspects of the GK-12 program and facilitate the initiation of the program.
A graduate course credit opportunity is also provided to the participating teachers that include
attendance at two – three credit graduate courses (offered as independent study programs and reimbursed
through the GK-12 Grant). The supported courses include those offered by Montclair State University
(e.g. Innovations in Teaching, and Pedagogy; and The Art & Science of Teaching and Learning.)
Alternative course attendance will be considered for those cases where the offered material is redundant
due to previously attended classes or classroom experience or particular graduate course endorsement is
obtained from the school principal.
For more information, please see http://www.stevens.edu/njaee
An application can be obtained at
http://www.stevens.edu/njaee/fileadmin/njaee/pdf/Teacher_Application.pdf
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