Overview
MassTeach is a program designed to recruit and support more STEM teachers of color who start their college careers at a community college.
Contact
Allison Little
Assistant Commissioner, P-16 Alignment and Outreach
Principal Investigator, MassTeach
(617) 994-6935
alittle@dhe.mass.edu
PartnershipsMultiple Campuses
Background
MassTeach is a program that is designed to recruit more teachers of color into K12 classrooms by intentionally partnering with community colleges. Students who are studying a STEM field at any of the fifteen Massachusetts community college and are interested in giving back to their community through teaching should consider applying to MassTeach. Students who are selected to be MassTeach Scholars will be part of a program with other people in MassTeach. As a group, Scholars will receive advising, testing support, tutoring, and be part of a community.
About
Program Description
MassTeach is a program that is designed to recruit a more diverse teacher workforce, particularly teachers of color, into K12 classrooms by intentionally partnering with community colleges. Students who are studying a STEM field at any of the fifteen Massachusetts community college from any background and are interested in giving back to their community through teaching should consider applying to MassTeach. Students who are selected to be MassTeach Scholars will be supported through a cohort-based model and meet regularly with other students participating in MassTeach, including Scholars from across the Commonwealth. During these meetings, Scholars discuss how to support equity in the classroom, how to work with administrators to support common goals, and how to navigate taking course work in STEM and in education while at the university. At the institution, with support of your MassTeach advisor, you will receive customized course taking guidance, as well as being connected to tutoring and testing support. While no scholarship funding will be guaranteed during the 2024-2025 school year, the program will support Scholars to apply to eligible and relevant scholarship programs for financial assistance.
Benefits
After five years of supporting MassTeach Scholars, we have come to recognize that the supports are the most valuable benefit that students receive who participate in the program. Be part of a community of likeminded students from across the Commonwealth who are interested in giving back through service via classroom teaching
As a MassTeach Scholar, you would:
- Participate in MassTeach cohort meetings with other community college transfer students who are also pursuing STEM degrees and want to become high school mathematics or science teachers in high needs about six times per year
- Receive coordinated transfer support from community college and university faculty
- Receive customized course advising from university faculty
- Help navigating which scholarships are available to students studying STEM and/or education and assistance in completing applications
Who Can Apply
Any Massachusetts community college student is eligible to apply. Students should be studying a STEM field and need to be interested in teaching. Specific requirements to apply include:
- Students of color are strongly encouraged to apply
- Passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and for teaching
- On the pathway to transferring to a partner state university
- Bridgewater State
- Fitchburg State
- MCLA
- UMass Amherst
- Westfield State
- Worcester State
Students are welcome to apply any time before they are ready to transfer to a partner university. Students who have earned less than 45 credits can apply as early admits. Students who are accepted as early admits will need to complete their Associate’s degree requirements before joining the MassTeach program.
Prior to beginning at the university, it is the expectation—but not a requirement—that all MassTeach Scholars will have passed the courses below (Check with community college faculty for course number and name information)*:
- Introduction to Education
- Introduction to Psychology
- Adolescent or Developmental Psychology
How to Apply
The application period is now open and applying is easy! Applications are due no later than April 5, 2024. Applications after this date may be reviewed pending availability.
- Open the MassTeach application.
- Acquire a copy of your transcript to have ready to upload as part of the application; this can be done by asking an advisor or through the Registrar
- Complete all parts of the application and submit form, including uploading your transcript (unofficial transcripts will be accepted).
- Get a letter of recommendation from a STEM or education professor from your community college. Recommendations can be sent directly to Allison Little (alittle@dhe.mass.edu) with the subject line “MassTeach Application: Recommendation for (name of applicant).
Please direct all questions to Allison Little (alittle@dhe.mass.edu).
FAQs
I haven’t earned my Associate’s degree yet. Should I still apply?
Students officially become MassTeach Scholars when they transfer to the university. Students should apply in the spring before they are transferring or any semester before then. We highly encourage students to complete an Associate’s degree prior to transferring because students need to be entering as a junior (a student with 60-credits or more toward a degree) to be eligible to receive the money the scholarship funds.
What happens if I don’t complete the program?
This program is designed to support STEM community college transfer students who are interested in becoming teachers through intentional and coordinated advising and participation in a community via a cohort model. Any scholarships that a student receives may have its own requirements about repayment of funds if a student does not complete the program. Advisors can help go over this information with you and/or help you find this information.
Why is this limited to only certain schools for 2024?
MassTeach supported its first cohort in 2019 at three state universities: MCLA, Westfield State, and Worcester State. In 2022, the program grew to include STEM transfer students at Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, and UMass Amherst. For the time being, these six universities are the only institutions connected to this program.
Upcoming Info Sessions
No events scheduled
Student Perspectives
Haley Brault
Westfield State University
Hi everyone! My name is Haley Brault. I went to Holyoke Community College and received my associate’s degree in Biology in 2019. I am now a transfer student at Westfield State University looking to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology and a certification fin secondary education. As a curious and observant person, I am naturally drawn towards science. To me, knowing how living things work and function is intriguing. Biology and other sciences are based on the principle of constantly questioning what is happening around you, and I feel that I already possess that level of inquisitiveness. I have so much knowledge to share, which is why I have gravitated towards teaching. I joined MassTeach because it is challenging to become a teacher and to be a teacher, so having a support system behind me is and will be extremely helpful. With a growing shortage of STEM teachers, I feel inspired to step up and be a part of the group of future educators ready to instill change for the future of our country. I am excited to see what teaching teaches me. I am also eager to inspire future generations of students to pursue what they are passionate about- whether that be STEM or not.
Mark Brown
Holyoke Community College
My name is Mark Brown, and I am an early admit MassTeach Scholar who is planning to start in Fall 2020. I am a nontraditional student who is currently studying at Holyoke Community College and working towards becoming a high school math teacher. After this year, my plan is to transfer to Westfield State University to complete a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a secondary license to teach.
I have always loved math, the love of which was only rivaled by my enjoyment of chemistry. After working in the retail world for several years, I decided to go back to school. I have found that over the years, I enjoy helping people to learn and to incorporate that into my new career path. After a great deal of deliberation, I finally settled onto becoming a math teacher and thus far couldn’t be happier with my decision. Math is puzzles written in numbers and one of the building blocks to pretty much everything in the STEM world, and I look forward to sharing that joy and wonder with others. I applied to MassTeach because I knew I wanted to be a high school math teacher and MassTeach offered me aid in doing just that; you don’t need to fit into some special category, you just want to teach STEM. I liked and appreciated that. What I’m most looking forward to as far as MassTeach goes is meeting others with a similar mindset and intent.
Karen Dziewit
Holyoke Community College
My name is Karen, and I am majoring in mathematics at Holyoke Community College and plan to attend Westfield State University in Fall 2020. Before starting at HCC in 2017 and being actively involved with STEM Starter Academy, I earned my GED in 2013 through the Massachusetts Career Development Institute (MCDI). Currently, I am a member of NSF-S-STEM Scholars and a peer mentor for STEM, representing and inspiring underrepresented students majoring in STEM. My interest in STEM started when I learned that mathematics holds the most imperative roles in everyday life because it is instrumental in developing problem solving and critical thinking skills. I am very passionate about STEM because it has inspired and founded so many new and exciting discoveries in the universe. I applied to MassTeach to inspire future students to pursue STEM so they can also experience the possibilities that STEM offers. I strongly believe that educators are born to make a difference. My career choice will give me the opportunity to inspire, make change, and give back to the community.
Jay Turner
Worcester State University
Hi, I’m Jay. I currently study chemistry and secondary education at Worcester State University. I transferred to WSU in the fall of 2018 after graduating from Quinsigamond Community College with an associate degree in chemistry, and I still work for QCC as a lab technician and chemistry tutor! My interest in STEM has many roots, evolving from a love of and curiosity about nature, a desire to understand and work towards solutions for human illness after my mom’s death due to cancer, to a belief in the use of science and technology to help solve some of the great issues facing humanity. I was particularly drawn to chemistry due to the breadth of the field, and I find satisfaction in understanding what the world is made up of and how it works. I applied to MassTeach because I’m excited about my field and am drawn to work that helps people but wasn’t sure about the direction I was taking. The program ended up being a great opportunity to explore a path that I didn’t necessarily think of as an option before hearing about it. As a prospective teacher, I’m excited to share my passion for science with my future students and see what it’s like on the other side of the classroom!
MassTeach is funded through the National Science Foundation’s Robert F. Noyce Scholarship program (DUE 1748400).
