GA‑ESTEEM

A National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Project

About

Georgia-Elevating Science Teachers Excellence Everyday Matters (GA-ESTEEM) is a five-year National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program focused on enhancing an existing state-wide alliance to strengthen and sustain the next generation of K-12 science teachers. Over the course of five years, GA-ESTEEM proposes to enhance the alliance between the Georgia Department of Education science division (GaDOE), Georgia Science Teachers Association (GSTA), Georgia Science Supervisors Association (GSSA), Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center (GYSTC), regional education service agencies, and faculty from Georgia institutes of higher education.

Members from these organizations will form three hubs that will:

Recruit, identify, support, and draw upon the expertise of 12 Georgia National STEM Teacher Corps (GA-NSTC) members
Develop, enact, and sustain programming that builds the capacity of newly hired K-12 science teachers
Empower current and emerging science teacher leaders through advocacy and leadership programming

Through the work of the hubs, the participating organizations will strengthen and enhance their alliance in order to impact the science teaching community in Georgia.

Executive Committee

Steven King, GSTA, Oglethorpe County Schools, K–12 School
Amanda Buice, Georgia Youth Science & Technology Centers, Inc., nonprofit organization
Melissa Niemi, Muscogee County School District, School District/RESA
Jeremy Peacock, Jackson County School System, School District/RESA
Brittney Cantrell, Forsyth County Schools, School District/RESA
Judie Beccaro, GaDOE, government agency
Julie Luft, University of Georgia, Institute of Higher Education representative
Paula Lemons, University of Georgia, Institute of Higher Education representative
Mark Baine, University of Georgia, Institute of Higher Education representative

GA-ESTEEM is funded by the National Science Foundation through Cooperative Agreement 2500739.

Hubs

The hubs are the core of the project. The hubs will engage in synergistic alliance building and discovery with a focus on teachers to ensure the success of all students in science. The alliance building will occur through purposeful work of the hubs to solve pressing problems in science education in Georgia. There are three hubs in this project.

Hub 1: Georgia National STEM Teachers Corps (GA‑NSTC)

This hub is responsible for recruiting, screening, interviewing, identifying, and supporting the work of 12 GA-NSTC members.

Hub coordinator: Amanda Buice, co-PI, GYSTC

Hub 1 Members

Lisa Benson, Chattooga County Schools, GSSA
Christian Cali, Cobb County School District, GSTA
Jenna Henkel, GYSTC
Judie Beccaro, Georgia Department of Education, government agency
Robert Bice, Berry College, Institution of Higher Education
Reagan Biwott, Metropolitan Regional Educational Service Agency
Martha Milam, The Heritage School, GA-NSTC
Marc Pedersen, Paulding County High School, GA-NSTC
Giovanna De Oliveira Moreira, University of Georgia, graduate student

Hub 2: Capacity Building

This hub is responsible for supporting newly hired K-12 science teachers and cultivating qualified science mentors in Georgia. It is building and overseeing a mentoring micro-credential in science and developing and administering an online mentoring program.

Hub coordinator: Melissa Niemi, Muscogee County School District

Hub 2 Members

Jordan Tidrick, Cobb County School District, GSTA
Malissa Jones, Muscogee County School District, GSTA
Lynn Larsen, GYSTC
Laura Canepa-Redondo, GaDOE
Jessica Banks, Columbus State University, at-large member
Jeff Keese, Mercer University, Institution of Higher Education
Megan Heberle, Tybee Island Maritime Academy, Savannah-Chatham Public Schools, GA-NSTC
Giovanna De Oliveira Moreira, University of Georgia, graduate student

Hub 3: Empower

This hub is responsible for empowering and elevating science teachers in Georgia. The hub is conducting research in teacher advocacy to develop and enact an advocacy plan for science teacher organizations, and to promote webinars and leadership pathways to science teachers in Georgia.

Hub coordinator: Jeremy Peacock, Jackson County School System

Hub 3 Members

Crystal McDowell, Columbia County Schools, GSTA
Michelle Bergozza, Dougherty County School System, GSSA
Pam Parks, GYSTC
Renee Shirley-Stevens, GaDOE
Alicia Reno, City Schools of Decatur, at-large
Jaclyn Murray, Mercer University, Institution of Higher Education
Doug Doblar, Gwinnett County Public Schools, GA-NSTC
Paulo A. C. Loureiro, University of Georgia, graduate student