NextGen STEM Teacher Preparation in Washington State (NextGen-WA)

This $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF IUSE program) will help create the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) teacher-preparation programs in the state.

The program is built around a common vision of STEM education in Washington State, and Western’s $1.8 million is part of a larger $3 million grant that was distributed among seven state partners: Western, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, WSU-Vancouver, UW-Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. Also participating in the study are faculty from the University of Washington, Washington State University, Walla Walla University, Whitman College, Heritage University, Northwest University, Western Governor’s University, and Seattle University as well as a number of two-year institutions and K-12 schools.

NextGen-WA is a collaborative effort by all the partners to make the science and mathematics teachers of tomorrow far more ready to enter the classroom and prepare Washington students for 21st century STEM jobs. By collaborating, instead of competing, we hope that NextGen-WA can serve as a model that can be replicated in other states or regions.

Besides creating better prepared STEM teachers, our project will also address a critical state need for graduating more teachers who reflect the state’s demographic diversity.

For more information go to the NextGen website

Edward Geary, Principal Investigator, email: Edward.Geary@wwu.edu
Roxane Ronca, Project Director, email: Roxane.Ronca@wwu.edu
Julie Antilla, Co-Principal Investigator, SPU, email: antillaj@spu.edu
Kathryn Baldwin, Co-Principal Investigator, EWU, email: kathrynb@ewu.edu
Jennifer Dechaine, Co-Principal Investigator, CWU, email: dechaine@cwu.edu
Tamara Holmlund Nelson, Co-Principal Investigator, WSU Vancouver, email: tnelson1@vancouver.wsu.edu