Examining the Role of District Science Coordinator Professional Learning in Supporting and Retaining Science Teachers

该项目旨在通过探索地区科学协调员（DSC）的专业学习（PL）如何影响，如果有的话，在高需求的学校新的科学教师的有效性和保留，以满足国家对支持和留住科学教师的需求。有多种因素影响新教师留下或离开教学;一个没有调查的因素是DSCs在支持教师方面的作用。有了准备充分的DSC，新的科学教师可以更好地支持教学和留在高需求的设置与学生谁往往没有积极或严格的科学经验。因此，随着时间的推移，这个项目可以有助于提高学生在科学方面的成功，这可以转化为STEM人才库的增加。这项研究旨在产生新的知识，如何DSC提供支持和援助的有效性和保留的新教师在高需求的学校。这个项目在克莱姆森大学和格鲁吉亚大学与国家科学教育领导协会（NSELA）和全国各地的地区合作。该项目的目标是确定DSC之间的PL的不同水平如何影响新教师在他们的第一个五年的教学。本研究的目的是研究的PL的DSC在两个方面所需的专业发展和自由选择学习。 后者是指由DSC选择的PL，如阅读期刊文章，观看教育视频，参观博物馆和公园，参加专业会议。 该项目旨在收集和分析定性和定量数据，以了解DSC的PL如何有助于新科学教师的有效性和保留。在使用的分析方法是一个两个周期的编码过程中，以检查PL对DSCs的影响和随后对教师的影响，第一个周期使用整体编码和第二个使用组织或层次大纲。 另一种分析方法是关于变量之间关系的多元线性回归模型，以支持对观察到的方差的解释。 这些只是用来检查两个项目研究问题的十六种分析方法中的两种。 本研究的结果将有助于了解发展中国家教师培训的选择、数量和质量，以及发展中国家教师培训对新教师的影响。该项目建立在目前全国各地的协同作用，以培养教师的领导能力-但重点是DSCs -并可能建议在这一领域需要进行哪些额外的研究。调查结果将通过传统和新的形式与广大受众分享，包括利用主要研究者使用的成熟社交媒体渠道，以及在州和地区一级介绍调查结果，以接触负责招聘和支持地区供应链的管理人员。 这将为其他人提供机会，使他们能够从该项目的研究结果中受益，并以此为基础，进一步改善K-12 STEM教育。这个轨道4：诺伊斯研究项目是通过罗伯特诺伊斯教师奖学金计划（诺伊斯）的支持。诺伊斯计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM教师和经验丰富的模范K-12教师，成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project aims to serve the national need of supporting and retaining science teachers by exploring how the professional learning (PL) of District Science Coordinators (DSCs) impacts, if at all, the effectiveness and retention of new science teachers in high-need schools. There are a variety of factors influencing why new teachers stay or leave teaching; one factor not investigated is the role of DSCs in supporting teachers. With well-prepared DSCs, new science teachers could be better supported to teach and stay in high-need settings with students who often do not have positive or rigorous experiences in science. Thus, in time, this project could contribute to improved success of students in science which could translate into an increase in the STEM talent pool. This study is designed to generate new knowledge about how DSCs provide support for and aid in the effectiveness and retention of new teachers in high-need schools. This project at Clemson University and the University of Georgia partners with the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) and districts across the nation. The project’s goal is to determine how different levels of PL among DSCs impacts new teachers in their first five years of teaching. The study aims to examine the PL of DSCs in terms of both required professional development and free-choice learning. The latter refers to PL that is chosen by DSCs, such as reading journal articles, watching educational videos, visiting museums and parks, and attending professional conferences. The project intends to gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand how the PL of a DSC contributes to the effectiveness and retention of new science teachers. Among the analytic approaches to be used are a two-cycle coding process to examine the impact of PL on DSCs and the subsequent impact on teachers, with the first cycle using holistic coding and the second using organization or hierarchical outlining. Another analytic approach to be used is multiple linear regression modeling regarding the relationship between variables and to support explanation of observed variance. These are just two of sixteen analytic approaches to be used to examine the two project research questions. The findings from this project are expected to contribute to the understanding of the selection, quantity, and quality of PL of DSCs as well as if there is any impact on new teachers associated with the PL of the DSCs. This project builds upon current synergies across the country to cultivate teacher leadership - but with a focus on DSCs – and could suggest what additional studies are needed in this area. The results are to be shared with a wide audience, through traditional and novel formats, including usage of well-established social media outlets used by the PIs and presentation of findings at state and regional levels targeted to reach administrators with responsibility for the hiring and support to DSCs. This will provide the opportunity for others to benefit from and build upon this project’s findings to further improve K-12 STEM education. This Track 4: Noyce Research 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 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention 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.