CSME TEACHER FELLOWS (PRE-SERVICE)

Each year, CSME supports a cohort of more than 70 STEM majors and credential students interested in being K-12 teachers. Fellows join a community of aspiring teachers and gain experience in the field. The Fellows receive extra mentoring, special seminars and access to a dedicated study center. Fellows who commit to a minimum number of hours of public service receive stipends.

Since the programs’ founding in 2008 through Fall 2012, 158 Fellows have performed over 19,000 hours of service for nonprofits and community groups and more than 25 local schools. $382,000 in stipends have been awarded, and the Fellows have been supported in winning over $285,000 in outside awards. The cohorts reflect the diversity and demographics of the SF Unified overall teacher population. Through Fall 2012:

97% of Fellows graduated in STEM or are on track.
87% of the Bachelors got/getting a credential.
88% of the Credentials got a K-12 teaching job. (100% of Credentials who were undergrad Fellows).

The program has increased the % of SFSU STEM credential students coming from SFSU (from 5% to 30-40%), increased the number of math majors with a teaching concentration from 25 to over 80, and gotten high satisfaction ratings.

In 2011, the National Science Foundation awarded SFSU a $1.2 million Noyce grant to expand the Teaching Fellows program. As a sign of the changed culture due to the Teacher Fellows program, we note that recruiting for our 2003-2008 grant shared with San Jose State netted only 29 applicants over 5 years across two campuses. The Fall 2012 Noyce cohort received 23 applications from SFSU alone.

The CSU Chancellor’s Office calls it “a model for the state and nation.” An outside evaluator praised it as “a kind of oasis for many who might not otherwise have such a place in a large State University.”