U-M Aims to Train 100,000 STEM Teachers by 2021

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The University of Michigan School of Education’s LessonSketch online platform and TeachingWorks organization have joined Michigan State University and other national organizations in the effort to train 100,000 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers by 2021.

“It’s going to take innovation, creativity, and hard work to respond to this national challenge,” says Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the U-M School of Education and director of Teaching Works. “Together, LessonSketch and TeachingWorks bring a lot to the table as we continue to make a difference in training excellent teachers.”

LessonSketch and TeachingWorks are among nearly 200 partners involved in the nationwide 100Kin10 program, which aims to prepare students with high-quality STEM knowledge and skills to equip them for success in the work place. Through the initiative, the programs will have access to research opportunities, solution labs, collaboration grants, and a funding marketplace.

Ball says LessonSketch, an online program that studies teaching practices, is an integral partner in the initiative. “It’s a testament to the great commitment (the program’s designers and developers) have made to support mathematics teacher educators by creating a multifaceted tool that enhances the work of pre-service and in-service teacher education,” she says.

Since the program was first established in 2011, 100Kin10 partners have recruited and prepared 12,443 teachers in the STEM fields. They are projected to prepare nearly 37,000 teachers by 2016, five years into the project’s 10-year timeline.