Examining the impact of a university-district partnership for STEM teacher education

Purpose The purpose of this study is to report on the impact of a partnership program intended to improve the preparation and retention of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) teachers and to share lessons learned from efforts to implement the program. In this study, the STEM Teacher Fellowship (STF) program is a partnership between a regional university and a local school district in the Southeastern United States. Design/methodology/approach We analyzed data collected as part of the program to understand its impact on teachers' continued participation in the workforce. We conducted a thematic analysis of the focus group data to understand participating teachers' perceptions of the impact of the program on their practices, identities and career aspirations. Findings At the time of analysis, 27 of the 28 STF cohort members (Cohort 1 n = 9; Cohort 2 n = 19) had graduated from the university with a master’s degree in the arts of teaching, and the majority are still teaching successfully in the partner school district. Cohort members perceived the program to have positively affected (1) their teaching, (2) their continued participation in the teaching workforce, (3) their career aspirations and (4) their sense of belonging. Originality/value In addition to a description of the program and the findings related to its impact, we share four lessons learned from the design and implementation of the STF program. These lessons are intended to inform those conducting partnership-oriented teacher education work in their own contexts.