44792.
The California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway is hereby established for the purpose of recruiting, training, supporting, and retaining qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals, including military veterans, as mathematics and science teachers in California. The California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway shall be administered by the California Center on Teaching Careers, as established in Section 45 of Chapter 29 of the Statutes of 2016 (Senate Bill 828 of the 2015–16 Regular Session). The activities associated with the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:(a) Developing and distributing statewide recruitment materials encouraging interested STEM professionals to pursue teaching careers in mathematics and science.
(b) Conducting outreach to interested STEM professionals, including military veterans, to recruit them to second careers as teachers in mathematics and science.
(c) Developing partnerships with the STEM business and industry community to support the recruitment of retiring STEM professionals as tutors, supporting educators, and credentialed teachers, and establishing a public-private partnership that builds a STEM teacher pipeline.
(d) Providing information to STEM professionals regarding the requirements for obtaining a teaching credential in mathematics and science and how to complete those steps, applying to teacher preparation programs, and accessing financial aid.
(e) Creating California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway fellowships to assist program participants in the transition into the teaching profession and the completion of the requirements to obtain a teaching credential.
(f) Placing STEM professionals interested in teaching in instructional roles in school and out of school in order for them to support STEM learning and motivation among pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(g) Establishing agreements with teacher credentialing programs to facilitate rapid achievement of teaching credentials by STEM professionals and placement of participants in high-need schools for professional preparation and subsequent employment.
(h) Supporting STEM professionals in experiences leading to STEM teacher leadership, including, but not limited to, obtaining additional teaching authorizations in a STEM discipline and participating in research internships at STEM laboratories.
(i) Providing ongoing support and professional development for California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway participants as classroom teachers to foster high rates of retention and teacher leadership.
(j) Conducting the required evaluation of the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway pursuant to Section 44793.