Targeted, Sustainable, Adept: Transforming Jackson State University STEM PD Delivery for Mississippi 6-12th Grade Teachers during COVID-19

Abstract

Since 2019, Jackson State University’s (JSU) Minority Advancement through Recruitment and Retention in Science via Outreach Program (MARRS-OP) developed a series of PD programs designed for 6th-12th science teachers in under-resourced Mississippi school districts, many of which educate primarily Black students who go on to enroll in JSU’s largest college, the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET). In March 2020, MARRS-OP’s original program design was modified to implement innovative online programming with all due care and speed. All MARRS-OP changes were designed to expand and sustain the reach of virtual STEM teaching and learning opportunities by means of online PD delivery formats able to accommodate sessions – particularly for lab experiments – that could be lengthy and require detailed interactions. The PD topics included: equity and inclusion by design in calculus-based physics; equity tools for problem solving, mentoring in STEM domains; intersectionality, neuroscience, and quantitative data; and several other science subject-based courses centered around equity and technology. Online resources were especially apportioned to ensure participant teachers’ access to program PD and labs, as well as national online opportunities. Tools for assessing MARRS-OP outcomes included an online readiness screener for data collection; pre- and post-program activity survey data collection; teacher remote readiness check-in; teacher presentation reviews; student data collection; and interviews with teachers. Despite an array of challenges faced by teachers, including limited student access to the internet and the need to translate remote science lessons so as to engage students, teachers reported statistically significant increases in confidence from the beginning of the year as compared to its end in their ability to teach biology, as well as in their ability to teach physics from pre to post. Teachers also saw value in remote PD, as it provided real-time strategies for teaching their students, the ability to see virtual instruction from their students’ perspective, ways to engage students virtually, and the possibility to collaborate virtually with other teachers and expand their network. This article shows that by preparing science teachers to reflect and teach with great intention, focus, and flexibility and to customize approaches for students in their classes, initiatives such as MARRS-OP can serve as empowering resources and opportunities that can connect teachers with their students, despite the accessibility and engagement challenges encountered in the sudden shift to online pedagogy.