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Bayer Awards $150,000 to National Science Teachers Association

On Apr 24, 2014

Bayer Corporation’s Bayer USA Foundation has awarded the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) a $150,000 grant over three years to continue the Bayer-NSTA Fellows program and to expand the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy to all middle and high school science teachers throughout New Jersey.

This latest grant marks the second Bayer USA Foundation grant to NSTA for this program, bringing Bayer’s total commitment to $350,000.  It is part of Bayer’s ongoing commitment to improve science education and science literacy through the Bayer Making Science Make Sense® program.

The grant will support nearly two dozen of New Jersey’s sixth through 12th grade science teachers in the first few years of their careers with an array of professional development resources and tools.  Bayer-NSTA Fellows receive a comprehensive NSTA membership package, online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline, and the opportunity to participate in a variety of web-based professional development activities, including web seminars. In addition, each Fellow receives financial support to attend and participate in NSTA’s annual National Conference on Science Education held each spring.

The first class of seven Garden State Bayer-NSTA Fellows just returned from their conference experience.  The teachers, who hail from Northern and Central New Jersey, include:

  • Courtney Burns, Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, Wyckoff
  • Melissa Carroll, Pine Brook Middle School, Manalapan
  • Samantha Eulo, High Tech High School, North Bergen
  • Courtney Jackson, Westwood Junior/Senior High School, Township of Washington
  • Kerry Parker, Cranford High School, Cranford
  • Deborah Spencer, Morristown High School, Morristown
  • Susan Marie Terra, Westfield High School, Westfield

“As a company with a long history of helping to strengthen U.S. science education, Bayer is acutely aware that attracting and retaining the best and brightest science teachers is critical if we are to expect our students to compete successfully with their global peers,” said Sarah Toulouse, executive director, Bayer USA Foundation and Bayer’s U.S. Donations Officer. “That is why Bayer is extremely proud of our longstanding partnership with the National Science Teachers Association and particularly its New Science Teachers Academy.”

“The ability to learn and grow professionally can have a profound effect on the quality of the teaching force and the performance of students,” said Dr. David Evans, executive director, NSTA. “We are so pleased to have support from industry leaders, like Bayer, for this program, which provides early-career science teachers with the mentoring, tools and resources necessary to not only succeed in the classroom, but inspire the next generation of informed citizens, scientists and engineers.”

The NSTA New Science Teacher Academy is a year-long professional development program to help reduce the high-attrition rate among science teachers who are new to the profession.  Research shows that nearly 50 percent of early-career teachers leave their jobs in the first five years. Intended for science educators entering their second through fifth year of teaching, the Academy aims to reverse this trend by promoting quality science teaching, enhancing teacher confidence and classroom excellence and improving teacher-content knowledge.

Since its inception in 2007, the Academy has provided high-quality professional learning opportunities to nearly 1,000 science teachers nationwide.

NSTA and Bayer have opened the call for entries to the 2014-2015 NSTA New Science Teacher Academy.  Science teachers located throughout the country who will be entering their second through fifth year of teaching and whose schedule is a minimum of 51 percent middle or high school science, can apply to the become an NSTA Fellow.  The deadline for applications is August 22, 2014.  To apply, please visit:  http://www.nsta.org/academy/2014/FellowApplication.aspx.