Fellows - Teachers

What are the values of the Stipend and Tuition for a PhD fellow:

The 12 month stipend for ECOS PhD fellows is $27,500 (NOTE: We have a supplemental grant submitted to raise PhD stipends to $30,000 - processing on this grant has not been completed as of June 30). It will be divided into 12 equal payments. Receiving payment each month is contingent upon meeting the expectations outlined in the contract fellows signed after being selected. ECOS will reimburse PhD fellows up to $10,500 dollars per academic year. If you are an in-state resident, ECOS will only reimburse you up to the actual cost of your tuition.

 

What is the value of the stipend for an undergraduate student?

The total value is $10,000. Undergraduate stipends are awarded in two parts. The summer fellowship is $4000 and paid in three equal sums. The academic year fellowship is $6000, and is contingent upon full participation and quality work during the summer. It will be divided into $3000 for the fall semester and $3000 for the spring semester.

 

Does ECOS have a leave policy?

The ECOS directors recognize that personal emergencies occur and that family status may change over the course of a year. Some events that might necessitate requesting leave include, but are not limited to, personal or family illness, death in the family, and pregnancy requiring maternity or paternity leave. When a fellow will need to be gone for more than 2 weeks but less than a month, it will be necessary to request a leave of absence. No fellowship payments will be made for the period of the leave. However, the missed time can be added onto the end of the fellowship. For example, a fellow who had to have knee surgery and miss a month for recovery time could extend the fellowship to the end of July beyond the typical end date of June 30.

 

What if I need to take more than one month of leave due to a change in family status or a personal illness?

Missing more than a month of ECOS activities changes the dynamic of the team and, therefore, requires that the ECOS directors consider possible alternative arrangements for the fellow and her/his team. If a fellow needs to miss more than one month of ECOS activities, the ECOS directors will meet with the fellow to explore options for a deferment of the fellowship for one semester.

 

What if I need leave for field work?

Leave to conduct field work or for other reasons will only be approved if it was negotiated AT THE TIME OF SIGNING THE ECOS CONTRACT. Missing more than a month of ECOS activities changes the dynamic of the team. Remember that

Fellows were chosen based on the expectation that they were available in residence at UM for the duration of the fellowship period. Unless otherwise negotiated, fellows are expected to be at a stage in their research where they will be based on campus so that they can fully participate in all ECOS activities with their teams and schools. If a fellow determines that s/he will need to be absent for one or more long periods during the fellowship year, and these absences were not negotiated ahead of time, the ECOS directors may find it necessary to cancel the remaining months of the fellowship.

 

When will I know if I need to add a representative of ECOS to my committee?

The ECOS staff will review application materials and notify students if they need to add a committee member by the first week of September of the fellowship year. If you would like to have an ECOS committee member, please let Carol Brewer know and we will make arrangements for this right away.

 

How should I plan my schedule around the typical holidays in the academic calendar?

ECOS fellowships for PhD students operate according the K-12 CALENDAR. Fellows are expected to be in their schools when the schools are in session. This means that fellows will have a shortened break over the New Year holiday and need to be back for school the first week of January in a typical fellowship year. In general, spring break for the schools and UM occur during the same week and fellows are not expected to be available during that week. The school year ends the second week of June. The remaining two weeks of June will be used to wrap up the fellowship year. The ECOS fellowship officially ends on June 30.

Undergraduate fellows are expected to be available during the regular dates UM is in session. The fellowship year for undergraduate fellows ends on May 31.

 

I have an opportunity to work (or I have a job) during the academic year.

ANSWER FOR PhD FELLOWS : Participating fully in all ECOS activities is critical for the success of the program and an expectation of professionals. Here is another way to look at allocating your time and organizing your schedule around the ECOS program. The National Science Foundation has provided a very generous fellowship of $27,500 for an expectation of 20 hours per week as a fellow in our program. This stipend level is indicative of the commitment the NSF has made to giving graduate students the financial flexibility to meet all of the GK-12 program goals AND to do their research. Here is yet another way to put the fellowship in context. If you scale this to

a fulltime salary, it is $55,000 per year PLUS up to $10,500 for your tuition. This scaled salary is MORE than a new assistant professor makes, more than many associate professors make, and far more than the annual compensation for a fulltime postdoc. The fellowship represents a significant investment in your professional development and we expect that during the fellowship year you will organize your schedule to fit around ECOS.

 

ANSWER FOR Undergraduate Fellows : Please organize your work schedule to fit around your ECOS schedule. If working interferes with your full participation on your team, a conference with the ECOS directors will be necessary to remediate the conflicts.

 

My schedule can be unpredictable and may occasionally interfere with team meetings.

DO NOT MISS MEETINGS unless you are sick in bed, hospitalized, or in jail.

 

Okay, so I am sick or in jail and need to miss a meeting. What do I do?

First notify your team of the conflict with as much lead time as possible to see if the meeting can be rescheduled. The note the conflict on you activity log. If it cannot be changed, it is your responsibility to make up the time missed and make sure that you are up-to-speed with activities that were discussed and/or planned in your absence.

 

Is there a dress code at the schools?

We expect all ECOS fellows and staff to dress professionally when they are in residence at local schools. While we recognize that clothing reflects personal style and personality, meeting expectations for professional dress will be a first step to gaining respect of both school faculty and students. We have been asked to recommend clothing that is neat, clean, and distinguishes fellows as professionals in the school (suggestions from teacher colleagues include khaki pants, skirts, etc.). They specifically recommend that fellows do not dress in revealing/provocative clothing, "grunge/goth" attire, or clothes that are "fashionably" torn or shredded. You get the idea - dress modestly like the rest of the teachers at the school J .

How reliable is the "Do you have a question" section in our activity logs? If we pose a question there, when should we expect and answer/should we expect an answer?

ECOS leaders will be looking over activity logs once per week. So we will endeavor to get all of your questions answered within a week. However, if you have a question that requires an immediate answer, please send your question to Jen Marangelo and cc it to Carol Brewer and we will try to get an answer to you in 24 hours.

 

Here are three related concerns regarding the time commitment: It seems like the number of commitments we have as ECOS Fellows will require much more than the 20 hours per week that was originally asked of us. How should we handle a situation where we are continually putting in more than 20 hours per week. I am worried about balancing my ECOS responsibilities and studying for comps.

Balancing complicated schedules is a challenge for all of us. ECOS is asking you to put in, on average, 20 hours/week. This means your planning time each month is essential to ensure that you are not planning for activities that will exceed that time commitment. To help with this issue, one of the roles of the ECOS leadership team is to review the activity logs on a weekly basis. If it becomes clear to us that some fellows are greatly exceeding this 20 hr/week average commitment, we will meet with the fellow and make recommendations on prioritizing activities and more realistic scheduling. One strategy to consider from the outset is to block schedule your time so that you have larger chunks to do the work for each of your commitments. In the case of studying for comps, maybe you would plan to read for a set number of hours three week days a week and leave the remaining two weekdays for ECOS. At any rate, be assured that if we see that individuals are regularly overscheduled with ECOS, we will work with you to manage the workload.

 

If our hours do not "seem" on paper to be as productive as other people's, will that become an issue (due to skill level, knowledge.).

If you feel that you have to spend some time getting up to speed on a particular topic/activity, by all means schedule in time to do that. Remember that all monthly plans are reviewed and we will make comments as necessary. If a fellow feels that they simply cannot contribute in a meaningful way to a planned activity, then PLEASE contact Jen Marangelo and Carol Brewer so that we can look at the situation and make recommendations or help redirect your activities to something that works better.

 

Will we actually be lecturing in the classroom or are we primarily designing hands-on projects for outdoor implementation?

Fellows will not be in a typical "student teacher" role. In general, ECOS fellows will not be lecturing to students in the partner schools on a regular basis. Teachers may ask fellows to help lead a classroom or outdoor session, but the teacher is responsible for organizing and leading the instruction in their classroom. The role of fellows will be varied. You will spend several weeks observing instruction in your partner teacher's classes and, possibly, classes of other science teachers as well, at the beginning of the schoolyear. You may be asked to give a guest lecture, tutor students, help lead lab investigations, mentor science projects, set up computer simulations or spreadsheets for data analysis, design investigations, do library research to find materials for investigations, and so on. But the teacher is in charge of the classroom and required by law to be in the classroom whenever you are there.

 

Will we design curricula specific to our own research for use in the schools?

Ideally, each fellow will work with their partner teachers to design some investigation(s) that relate(s) to their research. Of course these will have to be appropriate to the grade level, and link to the science curriculum standards and what the teacher is responsible for teaching in a given academic year. You will work with your partner teachers to determine how best to incorporate your expertise into the K-12 science curriculum.

 

How likely is it that what we establish this year will be used a) throughout the rest of the ECOS years, and b) more importantly, after ECOS is done (5 years hence)?

We anticipate that the resources and infrastructure established during ECOS will be robust and endure in the local schools (and hopefully be adapted for use elsewhere as well). All of the resources created will be available without charge on the web site and provide a starting place for each new cohort of ECOS fellows and teachers. What we learn this year as a result of your experiences will lay the foundation for future years of ECOS. We are developing an approach for how to think about teaching science. This approach will stay with the teacher we work with, and equally importantly, the approach will stay with each fellow who works with the program. Based on past experience with the precursors to ECOS (i.e., Schoolyard Ecology for Elementary School Teachers, Montana Partners in Ecology, Montana Teachers Investigate Ecology) we fully expect to see you all and the teachers that interacted with ECOS using the approach and the materials we create 5 years from now and beyond.

 

Should we seek out conferences and publication venues for ECOS research or will these be brought to our attention as the year progresses?

Many opportunities for publication and attending conferences will be announced over the coming year. However, we may not be aware of everything out there so you are encouraged to bring ideas to our attention as well.

Key meetings that we will recommend include the Ecological Society of America, Society of Conservation Biology, North American Biology Teachers Association, and National Science Teachers Association. Examples of journals include Conservation Biology, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, American Biology Teacher, Science Teacher, College Science Teacher, Journal of Environmental Education, BioScience, and Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

 

Teachers

 What is the value of the stipend for teachers? 
Teacher stipends are $4,000 for the year.  Payments are divided as follows:  $200/day for each of 10 days during the summer ECOS institute, $200/day for three day-long meetings during the school year, $600 at the end of each of two 6-month periods for ongoing participation in the ECOS Program school site activities, and $200 for participation in program evaluation and reporting.

When will I receive my stipend?
All payments will be received by mail.  Payments for institutes and meetings can be expected 2-4 weeks following your participation.  Payments following 6-month periods can be expected between January 31- Feb.15 and June 30 – July 15.  Reimbursement for program evaluation and reporting will be sent following confirmation that you have participated.  Payment can be expected
July 15 – July 31. The timing of payments is determined by Business Services and, unfortunately, is often out of our control.

ECOS reimburses the cost for substitute teachers when you attend ECOS workshops during the school year.  How much does ECOS reimburse?  ECOS reimburses at the district rate.

Are teachers expected to fill out the weekly log?  YES.  The logs facilitate communication between staff and ECOS team members, and are used for important NSF assessment.

How many hours can I expect to work on ECOS?  The participating teachers in 2004/2005 averaged less than 5 hours per week and frequently fewer than 2.  Keep in mind that the hours devoted to ECOS will change throughout the year, depending on particular projects.

Will I be able to participate in ECOS next year?  According to the NSF grant, teachers may not reapply but 2 new teachers from your school can.  However, ECOS is implementing programs to help sustain projects begun in participating schools.