FAQs

 

Common Questions

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program provides grants to STEM majors to become teachers in high-need school districts. PennWest Edinboro was awarded $1.2 million towards this mission.
ENTS stands for Edinboro Noyce Teacher Scholar. The ENTS program is part of the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program with the mission to increase the number of STEM teachers in high-need educational agencies (school districts).
For information on Robert Noyce, check out his biography from PBS.

A “high-need local educational agency” is one in which one or more of the following conditions is met:

  • a high percentage of individuals from families with incomes below the poverty line (search the national directory for schools of interest at the TCLI website);
  • a high percentage of secondary school teachers not teaching in the content area in which the teachers were trained to teach; or
  • a high teacher turnover rate.

More specifically, a “high-need” school district has at least one of the following criteria:

  • The district has at least one school in which 50 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for participation in the free and reduced lunch program established by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42U.S.C.1751 et seq.)
  • The district has at least one school in which:
    • More than 34 percent of the academic classroom teachers at the secondary level (across all academic subjects) do not have an undergraduate degree with a major or minor in, or graduate degree in, the academic field in which they teach the largest percentage of their classes.
    • More than 34 percent of the teachers in two academic departments do not have an undergraduate degree with a major or minor or a graduate degree in, the academic field in which they teach the largest percentage of their classes.
  • It has at least one school whose teacher attrition rate has been 15 percent or greater over the last three school years.

According to the 2020-2021 data from the , the following public high schools in Erie and Crawford Counties that qualify as “high-need” based on free/reduced lunch programs are:

  • Cambridge Springs Jr/Sr HS
  • Cochranton Jr/Sr HS
  • Conneaut Area Senior High
  • Corry Area HS
  • Erie HS
  • Fort LeBoeuf HS
  • General McLane HS
  • Girard HS
  • Harborcreek Jr/Sr HS
  • Iroquois Jr/Sr HS
  • Maplewood Jr/Sr HS
  • McDowell HS
  • Meadville Area HS
  • North East HS
  • Northwest PA Collegiate Academy
  • Northwestern HS
  • Perseus House Charter School of Excellence
  • Saegertown Jr/Sr HS
  • Seneca HS
  • Union City HS

All Noyce scholars will benefit from:

  • Science and mathematics content knowledge to prepare teachers to become highly qualified science and mathematics educators.
  • Training in teaching strategies to adapt curriculum to meet the diverse needs of integrated classrooms.
  • A high-quality teacher preparation program focusing on preparing teachers to be culturally responsive teachers.
  • Peer support within cohorts of Noyce Scholars as they progress through the program together.
  • Mentorship from master teachers and education research scholars throughout the program.
  • Career development workshops to prepare for transitioning into the teaching profession.
  • Support for successful application for teaching license following graduation.
  • Continued support and mentoring throughout the first 2+ years in a high-need school district.
For the purposes of the ENTS program, qualified STEM majors are biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Undergraduate degrees in health science or secondary education with a concentration in a STEM field are not considered STEM degrees for the purposes of this scholarship. Students must be majoring in a STEM degree from Edinboro’s College of Science and Health Professions and be seeking certification through the School of Education.
Please refer to Edinboro’s School of Education webpage for information on how to become certified to teach in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  • Junior or seniors who demonstrate proficiency in a STEM content area (biology, chemistry, physics or mathematics) with a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Junior or senior STEM majors or a recent STEM graduate
  • Full-time enrollment as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student
  • U.S. Citizenship
Scholars are selected based on a competitive application process. This process addresses the interest in teaching in middle or secondary education in a STEM area and within high-needs schools. Applicants are asked to share information in an essay about their educational experiences and what they hope to achieve from the ENTS program. Applicants will be ranked based on their essay by the ENTS Leadership Team, letters of recommendation and interviews.
Applications for the Noyce scholarship are accepted anytime throughout the school year.
The scholarship is intended to cover costs for candidacy and certification. Here's a link to Edinboro's tuition and fees.
  • Undergraduate scholars receive scholarships up to $17,150 per year for two years.
  • Post-baccalaureate scholars receive one $30,000 stipend to be used in one year.
The Noyce Award is a forgivable loan, so it's in between a loan and a scholarship.  The loan is 100% forgiven upon successful completion of the teaching obligation in a high-needs school following graduation from the Noyce program. The teaching obligation is two years in a high-need school for each year of scholarship funding provided through the ENTS program.
Yes. The scholarship is considered part of the total financial aid package allocated to each student through the Financial Aid Office. Once we notify the Financial Aid Office that you are receiving a scholarship, they will send you a revised financial aid package. Typically, the scholarship/stipend first goes to cover any unmet need you have, and then will replace self-help (work-study & loans) that you have. You will have an opportunity to decline the Noyce scholarship and revert to your original financial aid package if you so desire.
If you are not already admitted to the 4+1 teacher certification program, you must complete the application process and be admitted into the appropriate teacher education program through Edinboro’s School of Education. While you are completing your STEM degree, you and other Noyce Scholars will participate in professional development opportunities such as workshops and seminars aimed at helping them develop the skills that they will need to be effective teachers in high-needs schools.
Scholarship awards will be made primarily based on academic merit, with consideration for financial need and diversity.
After graduation, you are expected to complete two years of teaching in a high-need school district for each year that you received the scholarship. You are also expected to participate in surveys and research interviews as part of project and program evaluation efforts.
Students can work up to 15 hours per week during the semester at another job while in the ENTS program. The expectation of receiving the scholarship/stipend is that you can focus more on your studies and participate in required seminars and service opportunities.
Noyce graduates continue to be supported through the Noyce program once they have graduated and are in the classroom. Scholars will continue to stay in contact with their faculty and local school mentors for the first year after graduation. Scholars are also invited to an alumni panel at the end of every academic year to share experiences in the classroom with each other and with current scholars. Scholars are always welcome back for events on campus such as seminars.
No, you can teach at any high-needs school in the United States to meet the service requirement.

The ENTS Program is specifically designed to prepare teachers for teaching in a high-need environment. In addition to tailored coursework and field experiences, the program includes components designed to foster a strong support network, such as:

  • Summer workshops
  • Trips to local conferences
  • Mentorship from specially trained teachers in high-need schools as well as PennWest Edinboro faculty

At the end of the program you will have significant experience working in high-need schools, which will enable you to understand and overcome the unique challenges posed by such an environment.

If a Noyce Scholar fails to comply with the agreement, the funding becomes a loan that must be repaid. All funds received will be repaid plus relevant interest until the full amount is recovered.
Upon acceptance of the Noyce award, you will be required to sign an agreement committing to teach in high-need school districts two years for every year of Noyce funding. Scholarship recipients (i.e., undergraduates) have eight years to fulfill their commitment and stipend recipients (i.e., post-baccalaureates) have four years. The TEACH Grant agreement will serve as a model for the Noyce award agreement to monitor employment and to collect repayment of scholarship funds if necessary.

Thank you to the following universities for providing answers to frequently asked Noyce Scholarship questions:

Contact Us

Roger Wolbert, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
160 Ross Hall
Email: ents@pennwest.edu
Phone: 814-732-1190