Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy Preparing for Sixth Year of Providing Mentoring Support to Middle Level Educators

Premier Professional Learning Program Now Accepting Applications for the 2021-2022 Program

ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Applications are now being accepted for the sixth annual Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy. The program—designed specifically for middle school teachers (grades 5-8)—was established to enhance teacher confidence while increasing their understanding about the skills needed for a scientifically literate workforce. Administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), this year the Academy will help 25 teachers located in public school districts in select Northrop Grumman communities across the United States.

“The Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy program provides a platform for educators to work directly with scientists, engineers and technologists to gain a better understanding of what they do every day,” said Stephanie Fitzsimmons, PhD, manager, corporate citizenship, Northrop Grumman. “This hands-on program exposes educators to critical workforce skills in action which will help them back in their classrooms as they support students who are drawn to STEM careers.”

“Teachers play a critical role in setting a solid foundation in STEM and preparing students for success in a technology-driven workforce,” said Erika Shugart, PhD, executive director, NSTA. “The Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy gives educators a unique professional learning experience, enabling them to connect their curriculum to real-world applications, which enriches and strengthens their teaching and brings relevance and context to student learning.”

Teachers selected for the program—who will be known as Teacher Fellows—will:

Attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Chicago, Illinois and pre-conference workshops, July 18-24;
Participate in an immersive, 25-30-hour externship at a local Northrop Grumman facility, where they will be partnered with an engineer/technologist to observe and experience critical workforce skills in action (July 11-15 and/or 25-29, 2022);
Engage in online professional learning via a comprehensive NSTA membership package which will include a variety of web-based professional learning activities, including a specially designated online learning community;
Develop lesson(s)/units that integrate an authentic and real-world application and new pedagogy strategies based on their program experiences; and
Access tools/resources to develop strategies to share their learning with colleagues to build capacity within their schools and districts.

Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy Eligibility

Educators can apply to become a Teacher Fellow if they are:

Current middle school (grades 5-8) science, engineering, and/or technology classroom teachers located in public school districts in select Northrop Grumman communities;
Must be a full-time public middle school classroom teacher, and will be a full-time public middle school classroom teacher through December 2022;
Have a minimum of two years of middle school classroom teaching experience; and
Have a strong desire to advance their district’s STEM education in support of the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards by applying real-world applications in the classroom.

For more information about the Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy or to learn how to apply, visit the Academy website. Applications must be submitted no later than December 3, 2021.

About the Northrop Grumman Foundation

Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation are dedicated to expanding and enhancing sustainable science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education opportunities for students globally. With an emphasis on middle school and university level students, our engineering and technology-based partnerships are designed to excite, engage and educate students as they defend cyber networks, engineer autonomous vehicles, explore space and more. In addition, we provide workforce-relevant professional development to middle school educators to advance their competence in teaching STEM subjects, in turn, inspiring students to explore STEM careers and increasing their STEM skills proficiency. In 2020, we contributed over eight million dollars towards these initiatives.

About NSTA

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 40,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field.