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

这个合作Noyce轨道4研究项目的总体目标是通过研究教师领导力发展对Noyce硕士教学研究员（MTF）的持久性和专业轨迹的影响，为目前对STEM教师领导力的有限理解做出贡献。 教师领导力（T-Lead）项目计划收集与七个目前正在进行的Noyce MTF项目的性质和结构有关的数据，参与MTF的专业轨迹，MTF教学的学校环境以及他们参与的领导活动。 该数据集将使项目小组能够解决两个主要研究目标。第一个是确定在各种Noyce项目中使用的专业学习模型对参与MTF的专业身份和轨迹的影响，并寻找这些模型的特征中可能与教师持久性相关的模式。第二个是探讨如何不同的背景因素（例如STEM教学责任，学校文化），专业网络和领导机会塑造MTF的决定，在诺伊斯计划期间和/或之后保持课堂角色。 此外，这些数据可以支持围绕K-12系统中的机会进行的初步对话，这些机会使课堂教师成为领导者。 这种与教师持久性有关的数据支持的讨论可以研究哪些是可持续的，可扩展的模式，这些模式确实或可能存在，以积极影响教师持久性的方式提供这种机会。 总而言之，诺伊斯第四轨道研究资助可以通过确定STEM教师领导者努力的结构和机制来支持高需求学区的教师坚持，从而进一步实现诺伊斯计划的总体目标。T-Lead项目将研究来自全国各地的七个诺伊斯MTF项目，其中包括致力于STEM教师领导者发展的正在进行和完成的专业学习经验。 这些项目涉及K-12范围内的159名MTF，他们都有STEM教学责任。 收集的数据将包括调查和采访的MTF，管理人员和同行教师在他们的学校，和PI的诺伊斯项目;项目设计特点的分析;和工件从项目和教师领导活动。 将进行定性（如访谈数据的编码）和定量分析，以确定项目结构，领导机会和学校文化的模式，这可能会影响MTFs在行业中的持久性。 定量数据分析将使用调查数据的结构方程模型和分层线性模型。 数据收集和分析将从对项目和参与者的全面检查到精心挑选的案例研究，旨在帮助绘制典型的大师教学轨迹。 该项目的成果将通过许多地方、州和区域渠道传播（例如，地方教师领导工作、州会议和全国研究和STEM教师教育者会议）。 研究结果旨在帮助未来的诺伊斯和相关项目更好地设计教师领导者的专业学习，更好地了解可能影响他们坚持的STEM教师的独特挑战。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

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.