Advancing Teacher Leadership in Urban Schools through the Noyce Mathematics and Science Master Teaching Fellowship Program

San Diego State University Foundation, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest of supporting K-12 mathematics and science teachers to become teacher leaders in high-need school districts. When teachers become effective teacher leaders, they can better support the achievement of their students. Such support is critically important in high-need schools and districts, where much of the student body is socioeconomically disadvantaged and/or historically underrepresented in mathematics and scientific fields. The teachers in this project will develop and implement school-site plans to improve the mathematics and science learning experiences of all their students. They will also lead a sustained school-site focus toward meeting goals related to mathematics and science learning. In addition, the project's teacher leaders will take courses about K-12 Educational Leadership in mathematics and science, apprentice with university faculty in research labs, and co-teach a university course that is designed for prospective mathematics and science teachers. This project at San Diego State University includes partnerships with four local, high-need school districts (Grossmont, La Mesa-Spring Valley, Santee, and Sweetwater), the National Center for Urban School Transformation, the California State Teachers Association, and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. Project goals include: (i) providing five years of support to 20 Master Teaching Fellows, all of whom are in-service mathematics and science teachers who will provide thoughtful, sustained professional development for other teachers; (ii) enabling the Master Teaching Fellows to present their work at professional conferences; (iii) supporting the Master Teaching Fellows to serve as guide teachers for student teachers; and (iv) empowering the Master Teaching Fellows to become teacher leaders at their school sites. At their school sites, the Master Teaching Fellows will seek to develop a positive transformational culture, provide all students with access to challenging curricula, and support effective instruction that promotes engagement and understanding (Johnson, Uline, & Perez, 2019). The research and evaluation conducted within this project are designed to improve the understanding of how best to support STEM teacher leaders in urban schools. Dissemination about this project will occur within the regional and national Noyce community, as well as in publications in professional journals and presentations at professional conferences. The project is designed to be generative, so that the Master Teaching Fellows will continue to engage in activities that will sustain their own practices after the professional development has ended, as well as become expert in continuing to help other teachers learn and grow. Thus, the project has the potential to continue to grow cadres of effective mathematics and science teachers long after the project has ended. By design, the program will have a far-reaching, multiplicative impact on the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in schools in the San Diego region. This Track 3: Master Teaching Fellowships project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. 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.