Lafayette, LA– U.S. Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD (R-South Louisiana) today announced the University of Louisiana at Lafayette received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

The $127,449 award supports "The Louisiana Noyce Teaching Fellows/Master Teaching Fellows Planning Project."  Dr. Christina Eubanks-Turner, Dr. Peter Sheppard, Dr. Patricia Beaulieu and Dr. Kathleen Lopezlead the project aimed at developing the integration and implementation of a teacher preparation program for middle school teachers in Louisiana.

"I congratulate the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for earning this award,”Boustany said.  “Education is vital in preparing our next generation of leaders to guide the future of Louisiana and our local communities.  Louisiana educators are dedicated to their profession and this program will improve and enhance their skills in order to better prepare them for the challenges of educating and guiding our children in an increasingly competitive environment.”

“The Louisiana Noyce Teacher Fellows/Master Teacher Fellows Planning Project is a capacity building project to design a complete plan for the successful implementation of a teacher preparation program for middle school teachers of Louisiana,” said Dr. Eubanks-Turner.  “This grant is important because it is an effort to build capacity and infrastructure of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher preparation programs in Louisiana.   Our planning project will enhance critical partnerships across disciplines and organizations that will lead to transformative change in STEM teacher preparation in Louisiana.”

According to the NSF, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette mathematics and curriculum/instruction departments will partner with school districts in Lafayette and Iberia Parishes and the Allen J. Celestine Foundation to develop the Noyce Teaching Fellows/Master Teaching Fellows (TF/MTF) program.  During the 12-month planning period the team will identify best practices of successful teacher preparation programs, identify other partnering school districts and nonprofit organizations, secure matching funds and develop a comprehensive curriculum for the TF/MTF program.

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