From the Laboratory to the Classroom (Lab2Class): Building Capacity
for Math and Science Teaching in DC
Project Overview| Lab2Class seeks to improve the teaching of
secondary school science and mathematics in Washington, DC. This goal
will be achieved by recruiting STEM professionals with strong
backgrounds in science and math to teach in the DC schools. The
teaching fellows will be enrolled in a one-year intensive Masters in
Teaching program after which they will teach in a DC school for at
least four years. Lab2Class is a collaborative project between
American University's (AU) School of Education, Teaching, and Health,
AU's Departments of Mathematics/Statistics and Environmental Science,
the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the District of Columbia
Public and Public Charter Schools. Lab2Class extends the successful
work of the Math for America-DC project by expanding to science
education. The program is funded through grants from the National
Science Foundation and the Toyota USA Foundation.
Lab2Class Fellow Benefits and Commitments| Lab2Class fellows receive
a full tuition scholarship for a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT):
Secondary Education in Mathematics or Science (biology, chemistry or
physics) at American University. During the 14-month MAT program,
fellows also receive a living stipend of $23,500. Fellows commit to
teaching in a DC public or public charter school for four years and
receive a salary supplement of $10,000 per year for each of the four
teaching years. The living stipends and salary supplements are
awarded to help fellows transition from their current careers in math
and science into the teaching profession. Fellows also receive
mentoring support and monthly professional development seminars
throughout the five-year Lab2Class program.
The Lab2Class program will prepare math and science teachers who have
deep content understanding to have the pedagogical skills to be
effective teachers. The Lab2Class program is unique for its
pedagogical innovations in teaching to traditionally under-prepared
urban students. The coursework focuses on providing Fellows with a
comprehensive understanding of how to teach their content at the
middle and high school level that will lead to deep student
understanding and high student achievement. In addition, ongoing
mentoring and professional development programs will be provided to
challenge and empower fellows to think innovatively about how they
teach and effectively use appropriate assessments tools for
instructional decision-making.
Broader Project Goals| The overarching goal of Lab2lass is to
increase the quality of math and science teachers in Washington, DC.
In so doing, we will also develop a cadre of teaching professionals
who will have the skills to take on leadership roles and engage in
more systemic changes to improve STEM education in the District and
beyond. An important outcome of this effort, by working with the
ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse communities in DC public
and public charter schools, will be an increase of underrepresented
minority students in STEM fields. An aspirational goal of our effort
is to serve as a model of strong teacher development in STEM education.
Contact Us| Visit our website:
http://www.american.edu/cas/seth/grants/lab2class.cfm or contact
Julie Sara Boyd, Director of Teacher Education at American University
at [email protected] or 202-885-3727. Please let us know if you
are interested in the program. Please note that Fellowship recipients
must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or permanent resident aliens.
