Lone Star College-Houston North and Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) were awarded a $1.4 million National Science Foundation grant to attract, train and support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers.
“Lone Star College-Houston North is always looking for ways to support our students and broaden their horizons,” said Dr. Kimberly Lowry, LSC-Houston North vice president of Instruction and Student Services. “This partnership does just that by introducing STEM students to teaching and presenting them with a unique and special opportunity.”
LSC-Houston North students majoring in STEM fields will be given the option to take a free two-hour SFA course. The course will be held at LSC-Houston North and led by Dr. Tarcia Hubert, LSC-Houston North Math professor.
The course is part of the SFA JacksTeach program, which is a replica of UTeach, a nationally recognized STEM teacher preparation program. This program allows students to obtain a four-year bachelor’s degree and a secondary teaching certification without adding any additional semesters of coursework.
Students participating in the course will experience what it’s like to teach in a STEM field at the elementary and middle school levels. LSC-Houston North has partnered with Aldine ISD to allow students participating in the course to work with STEM teachers who will act as their mentors. The students will be able to observe the mentor teachers’ classrooms and even teach a few lessons.
“We are excited to partner with students and faculty at Lone Star College-Houston North who share the JacksTeach team’s commitment in preparing excellent STEM teachers,” said Dr. Jane H. Long, associate professor and director of the SFA JacksTeach program.
Students who successfully complete the course and decide they would like to pursue a STEM degree with a teaching certification will be offered an opportunity to transfer to SFA and finish their Bachelor of Science degree with just over $30,000 in scholarship funds.
In addition to scholarship funds, students participating in the program will receive early exposure to teaching in classrooms, increased accessibility to completing a bachelor’s degree, individualized support, and access to a mentoring network. This collaboration between LSC–Houston North, SFA and Aldine ISD will contribute to increasing quality, quantity and diversity in STEM teaching.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2021 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and ranked 35th in Texas in the Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers By State’ list. LSC consists of seven colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.