Collaborative Research: Teacher Leadership: Investigating the Persistence and Trajectories of Noyce Master Teaching Fellows

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro TN

Investigators

Abstract

The overarching goal of this collaborative Noyce Track 4 Research project is to contribute to the currently-limited understanding of STEM teacher leadership by examining the influences of teacher leadership development on the persistence and professional trajectories of Noyce Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs). The Teacher Leadership (T-Lead) project plans to gather data related to the nature and structure of seven currently active Noyce MTF projects, the professional trajectories of participating MTFs, the school contexts in which the MTFs teach, and the leadership activities in which they engage. This data set will allow the project team to address two main research objectives. The first is to determine the impact of the professional learning models used in the various Noyce projects on the professional identities and trajectories of participating MTFs, and look for patterns in the features of those models that may be correlated with teacher persistence. The second is to explore how different contextual factors (e.g. STEM teaching responsibilities, school culture), professional networks, and leadership opportunities shape the decisions of MTFs to remain in classroom roles during and/or after the Noyce program. Additionally, the data may support initial conversations around the opportunities in K-12 systems that engage classroom teachers as leaders. Such data-supported discussions related to teacher persistence could look at what are sustainable, scalable models that do or could exist to provide such opportunities in ways that positively affect teacher persistence. In summary, this Noyce Track 4 Research grant could further the overarching goal of the Noyce program by determining what the structure and mechanisms of STEM teacher leader efforts are that support teacher persistence in high-need school districts. The T-Lead project will study seven Noyce MTF projects from across the country that include both in-progress and completed professional learning experiences dedicated to the development of STEM teacher leaders. These projects involve 159 MTFs from across the K-12 spectrum, all of whom have STEM teaching responsibilities. Data collected will include surveys and interviews with MTFs, administrators and peer teachers at their schools, and PIs of the Noyce projects; analysis of project design features; and artifacts from project and teacher leadership activities. Both qualitative (e.g. coding of interview data) and quantitative analysis will be conducted to determine patterns of project structure, leadership opportunities, and school culture, which may impinge on MTFs' persistence in the profession. Quantitative data analysis will use Structural Equation Modeling and Hierarchical Linear Modeling of survey data. Data collection and analysis will converge from a comprehensive examination of the projects and participants to carefully-selected case studies that are intended to help map typical master teaching fellow trajectories. The results of this project will be disseminated through numerous local, state and regional outlets (e.g. local teacher leadership efforts, state meetings and conferences and national research and STEM teacher educator conferences). The findings are intended to help future Noyce and related projects better design professional learning for teacher leaders and better understand the unique challenges of STEM teachers that may impact their persistence. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.