ERIC EJ914280: STEM Education and Leadership: A Mathematics and Science Partnership Approach

2010·0.19 MB·English

by  ERIC

JournalofTechnologyEducation Vol.21No.2,Spring2010
STEM Education and Leadership: A Mathematics
and Science Partnership Approach
ChrisMerrillandJennyDaugherty
Introduction
Theissueofattractingmoreyoungpeopletochoosecareersinscience,
technology,engineering,andmathematics(STEM)hasbecomecriticalforthe
UnitedStates.Recentstudiesbybusinesses,associations,andeducationhaveall
agreedthattheUnitedStates’performanceintheSTEMdisciplineshaveplaced
ournationingraveriskofrelinquishingitscompetitiveedgeinthemarketplace
(e.g.,Risingabovethegatheringstorm,2007).ACongressionalResearch
Service(2006)reportstatedthat,a“largemajorityofsecondarystudentsfailto
reachproficiencyinmathandscience,andmanyaretaughtbyteacherslacking
adequatesubjectmatterknowledge”(CongressionalResearchService,2006,p.
1).StudentslackinginSTEMskillswillnothavetheabilityorskillstoenterin
theprofessionsofscienceandengineeringorareasrequiringmathematics,
science,andtechnologyliteracy.
Tocounteractthesecircumstances,multipleSTEM-basedinitiativesand
fundedprojectshavebeendeveloped.Twoparticularinitiativesthathaveand
willimpacttechnologyeducationare:(a)theNationalScienceFoundation
fundedNationalCenterforEngineeringandTechnologyEducation(NCETE),
and(b)theUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducationfundedMathematicsand
SciencePartnerships(MSP).BasedonthelessonslearnedthroughNCETE,
effortswereleveragedintodevelopingasuccessfulMSPgrantproposalfocused
ontheestablishmentofascience,technology,engineering,andmathematics
(STEM)Education&LeadershipProgram.
ThepurposeofthismanuscriptistosharewiththeSTEMeducation
profession,particularlythetechnologyeducationcommunity,anexplanationof
theFederalMathematicsandSciencePartnershipprogramsandwhatthistypeof
fundingopportunitycandofortechnologyeducation’sfuturedirection.Itis
believedthatadvancedSTEM-focusedopportunitiesandexperiences,suchas
thoseaffordedbytheMSPprogram,willstrengthenthecontentknowledge,
pedagogy,research(especiallyactionresearch),andleadershipcapabilitiesof
teachers. AlthoughtheMSPprogramatIllinoisStateUniversityhasnotbeen
____________________
ChrisMerrill([email protected])isanAssociateProfessorintheTechnologyEducationProgram
atIllinoisStateUniversity,NormalandJennyDaugherty([email protected])isanAssistant
ProfessorintheOrganizationalLeadershipandSupervisionDepartmentatPurdueUniversity.
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completed,theresourcesmadeavailablebytheMSPprogramandtheactivities
associatedwiththeinitialplanningphasehaveallowedtheresearchteamat
IllinoisStateUniversitytobuildasignificanttheorybasefromwhichto
implementasoundprogram.BysharingthetheoreticalgroundingoftheSTEM
Education&LeadershipProgram,itishopedthatthefieldcanbegintomovein
asimilardirectiontoaddresstheneedsofstudentsandteachers.
ToprovideabetterunderstandingoftheNCETEandMSPprograms,the
componentsofeachofthesefundedprojectsareoutlinednext.Areviewofthe
relatedliteratureisthenoutlinedwithparticularattentionpaidtotheunique
componentsoftheproposedSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgram.
Followingtheliteraturereview,anoverviewoftheapproachthatwillbe
proposedforimplementingtheprogramisprovided.Giventheparameterssetby
theMSPgrant,therelatedliterature,andtheSTEMEducation&Leadership
Programapproach,potentialimpactsarepredictedfortheparticularteachers
involvedintheprogramandforthefutureoftechnologyeducationandSTEM
educationmorebroadly.
NCETEandMSPBackground
TheNationalCenterforEngineeringandTechnologyEducation(NCETE)
wasfundedbytheNationalScienceFoundationasoneofseventeen10million
dollarCentersforLearningandTeachingintheUnitedStatesin2004(National
CenterforEngineeringandTechnologyEducation,2007).NCETE,
headquarteredatUtahStateUniversity,isacollaborativenetworkofuniversities
(UniversityofGeorgia,UniversityofIllinoisatChampaign-Urbana,University
ofMinnesota,UtahStateUniversity,BrighamYoungUniversity,IllinoisState
University,NorthCarolinaA&TStateUniversity,UniversityofWisconsin-
Stout,andCaliforniaStateUniversity,LosAngeles)withbackgroundsin
technologyeducation,engineering,andrelatedfields.ThemissionofNCETEis
tobuildcapacityintechnologyeducationandimprovetheunderstandingof
secondaryteachersandstudentsinrelationtotheengineeringdesignprocess.A
significantcomponentofthismissionisfocusedontheprofessional
developmentofteachers.Duringthefirstthreeyears,NCETE’sprofessional
developmenteffortswereconcentratedontheenhancementoftechnology
educationteachersintheareaofengineeringdesign.Astheseinitiativeshave
progressed,NCETEhasshifteditsfocustothedevelopmentandtestingofa
modelforengineeringandtechnologyeducationprofessionaldevelopment.
In2003,theUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducationreleased100million
dollarsforMathematicsandSciencePartnerships(MSP)inresponsetotheNo
ChildLeftBehindActof2001,TitleII,PartB.In2004,thefederal
appropriationfortheMSProseto150milliondollars,andby2005through
2007,theannualappropriationroseto180milliondollars(U.S.Departmentof
Education,2007).TheoverarchinggoaloftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation’s
MSPprogramistoincreasestudents’achievementinmathematicsandscience
byincreasingteachers´contentknowledgeandpedagogicalskills.TheMSP
grantsupportspartnershipsbetweenmathematics,science,and/orengineering
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facultyofinstitutionsofhighereducationandhighneedschooldistricts,in
additiontootherpartnerssuchasschoolsofeducation,business,andnonprofit
organizations.TheMSPprogramisaformulagrantprogramtothestates.Each
stateadministersacompetitivegrantsprogram,monitorstheirgrantees´
progress,anddocumentstheireffectiveness,workingwiththeU.S.Department
ofEducation.State-fundedMSPprojectsreporttothefederalgovernmentonan
annualbasis.
TheMSPprogramisspecificallyfocusedonincreasingthemathand
sciencecontentknowledgeandteachingskillsofclassroomteacherstoenable
themtomeetthequalificationsforhighlyqualifiedstatusinscienceand/or
mathematicsandothereducationalareasliketechnologyeducation.Inaddition,
partnershipsarealsofocusedonteachersmeetingthequalificationsfor
endorsementinteacherleadership.EssentialelementsoftheMSPprogramsare
theprocesses,principles,andconceptsofmathematicalinquiryandproblem-
solving,scientificinquiry,andtechnological/engineeringdesign.Inaddition,
formativeandsummativeassessment,analysis,andevaluationstrategiesarebuilt
intothedesignandimplementationofthepartnerships.Actionresearch
conductedbytheMSPteachersisanadditionalrequirementofthepartnerships.
TheprimaryvehicleforaccomplishingthegoalsoftheMSPgrantisby
establishingandmaintaininganeffectivepartnershipbetweentheschool
district(s)andtheuniversity.
Inestablishingthepartnership,theschooldistrictpartnermustmeetcertain
criteriaincludingthat:(a)itsstandardized,norm-referenced,and/orcriterion-
referenceddatamustreflectthatachievementinmathematicsandscienceis
fallingbelow60%ofstudentsmeetingorexceedingtheIllinoisLearning
Standards,and(b)15%ormoreofstudentshavetobefromlowincome
families.Teachersparticipatingintheprogrammustalsobeuncertifiedin
mathematicsandscienceand“not-highlyqualified”asoutlinedinthelocal
schooldistrict’sannualreportfornot-highlyqualifiedteachers.Inaddition,the
participatingteachersmustexhibitleadershippotential,havelessthantenyears
ofexperience,andhavefewerthanfivegraduatecoursesinmathematicsor
sciencecontentoreducationalmethods.
ThemathematicsandsciencepartnershipsaretodevelopMasterDegree
programsandprofessionaldevelopmentdesignedto:(a)improveteachers’
subjectmatterknowledge,strengthentheirinstruction,andpromotestudent
academicachievement;(b)promotestrongteachingskillsthroughaccesstothe
expertiseofmathematicians,scientists,andengineers,andtheirtechnologiesand
resources;and(c)increasetheunderstandingandapplicationofscientifically
basededucationalresearchpertinenttomathematicsandscienceteachingand
learning.Giventheserequirements,individualMSPprogramsmustplana
comprehensiveapproachthatincorporatesalloftheessentialelements.In
particular,threeoftheseessentialelementsstandoutasparticularlyimportantto
theMSPinitiative:(a)educationalpartnerships,(b)teacherleadership,and(c)
actionresearch.Areviewoftheliteratureintheseareasisprovidednext.
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ReviewoftheRelatedLiterature
EducationalPartnerships
Asstatedabove,partnershipsbetweenschoolsanduniversitiesareatthe
coreoftheMSPprojects.Thus,thedevelopmentandmaintenanceofthe
partnershipiscrucialtothesuccessofanMSPproject.However,asindicatedby
theliteratureoneducationalpartnerships,thedevelopmentandcontinuationof
partnershipsisdifficult.CordeiroandKolek(1996)outlinedkeyelementsand
processesessentialtothedevelopmentofsuccessfulpartnerships.Theseinclude
acommonpurpose,autonomy,andvoluntarylinkstoandfromtheschoolhouse,
emergentleaders,andpatternsofinteractionwithinthepartnership.Cordeiro
andKolekalsoarguedthatcertainpreconditionsneedtobepresentfor
partnershipstosucceed,includingleadership,trust,stability,readiness,anda
commonagenda.Withgoodcommunication,reciprocity,thealignmentand/or
poolingofresources,andknowledgeofthecommunity,partnershipscanbe
supportedandsustained.
Restine(1996)arguedthattwotrendshaveemergedspecificallyconcerning
partnershipsbetweenschoolsandinstitutionsofhighereducation.Onetrendis
thedevelopmentofprofessionalcommunitiesbetweenschoolsanduniversities.
Theothertrendisthestrongbeliefthateffortsatprofessionalcollaborationand
serviceintegrationareincompletewithoutprofessionalpre-serviceandin-
serviceeducation.Klein(1990)outlinedsevencommonbarrierstothe
developmentofthesetypesofpartnerships,whichincludedtheillusionof
consensus,failuretodevelopacommonvocabulary,openconflictoverstatus,
toolargeofagroup,equatingmissionwithvision,notdesignatingaleader,and
failingtoinvolveallstakeholders(parents,students,etc.).Inordertoovercome
thesebarriers,LawsonandHooper-Briar(1994)suggestedthatpartnerships
shoulddevelopguidingtheoriesofsocialdevelopment,organizationalrenewal
andchange,languageandcommunication,educationandconstituencybuilding,
leadership,andassessment,evaluationandresearch.Essentially,partnerships
shoulddevelopthe“coreorbedrockvaluesthatdefinetheessenceofthework
andprovideconsistency,cohesiveness,andasourceofrenewal”(p.38).
TeacherLeadership
TeacherleadershipisanotherimportantelementoftheMSPprograms.
Teacherleaders“mobilizetheeffortsoftheirclosetcolleaguestoenhancethe
school’sprogramforthebenefitofstudents”(Danielson,2007,p.17).The
benefitsofembracingteacherleadershipforteachers,accordingtoJohnsonand
Donaldson(2007),include:(a)beingabletoshareexpertisewithothers,(b)
reducingtheisolation,whichisprominentinteaching,and(c)offering
opportunitiestovaryresponsibilitiesandexpandinfluence.Therolesofteacher
leaderscanbebrokenintotwocategories:(a)formalor(b)informal.Formal
rolesforteacherleadersincludedepartmentchair,masterteacher,and
instructionalcoach.Principalsoftenappointteacherrolessuchasmentor
coordinatoranddataanalystaswell.Theserolesareformalizedthroughan
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applicationandselectionprocess.Informalrolesarenotasstructuredand
typicallyhavenopositionalauthority.Theserolesoften“emergespontaneously
andorganicallyfromtheteacherranks”(Danielson,2007,p.16).
Teacherleadershipisanalternativemodelofschoolleadership,which
operatesunderarelationalordistributedleadershipmodel(Beattie,2002).
KrovetzandArriaza(2006)statedthatthisdistributedleadershipmodelis
“basedontherecognitionthatmanypeopleinaschoolpossessleadershipskills
anddoleadershipworkandthatbyutilizingtheseresourcesinacoherentway,
schoolswillbemoreeffectiveineducatingstudents”(p.25).Teacherleadership,
however,mustbesupportedwithintheschool.AsJohnsonandDonaldson
(2007)pointedout,supportstructureswithintheschoolarenecessaryinorder
“toreapthefullbenefitsofteacherleadership”(p.9). Thesesupportstructures
mustbeestablishedtoencourageteacherleadershiporelse“therewillbeonlya
tokenuseofthisvaluableresource”(MollerandKatzenmeyer,1996,p.12).
Withstructuresinplace,principalscansupportandencourageaculturethat
allowsforteacherleadership.
Teacherleadershiphasbecomeanincreasinglyimportantconceptin
educationbecauseitisbelievedteacherleadersarepositionedtoinfluence
schoolpoliciesandpractices,studentachievement,aswellastheteaching
profession.Inordertoaffectthistypeofchange,teacherleadersmustbeableto
(a)understandandnavigatetheschoolorganization,(b)workproductivelywith
others,and(c)buildacollaborativeenterprise(Murphy,2005).Inaddition,
someargueteacherleadershipshouldgrowtoencompassaddressingcoherence
issues(KrovetzandArriaza,2006).Teacherleadersshouldbeequippedand
enabledtolookattheschool’sresources,linktheseresourcestothefocusand
visionoftheschool,andmakedecisionsaboutwhatislikelytoimpactstudent
learningandwhatcanbediscardedasunnecessary.Lambert(1998)also
believedanimportantaspectofteacherleadershipistheabilitytodefineissues,
collectdata,constructmeaning,andframeactionsfortheschool.Indoingso,
teachersnotonlydeveloptheirownleadershipcapacity,buttheschool’saswell.
Animportantskilltoaccomplishthisroleisactionresearch.
ActionResearch
Actionresearchperformedbytheteacherswithintheprogramisanecessary
componentoftheMSPprograms.Educationactionresearchcanbedefinedas
“continualdisciplinedinquiryconductedtoinformandimproveourpracticeas
educators”(Calhoun,2002,p.18).TherootsofactionresearchresideinKurt
Lewin’stheoryofactionresearchthatwasfocusedonworkplacestudiesinthe
1930s.Lewin’sprocessofactionresearchwasdescribedasspiralingbecauseit
“includedreflectionandinquiryonthepartofitsstakeholdersforthepurposes
ofimprovingworkenvironmentsanddealingwithsocialproblems”(Hendricks,
2006,p.6).Althoughittookawhilebeforethisspiralingapproachtoresearch
impactedtheclassroom,theseideaseventuallywereconnectedtoDeweyand
Count’sprogressiveeducationmovement.Today,educationactionresearch,if
notmainstream,iswidelyutilized,appearinginacademicjournalsand
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developingintonetworksintheUnitedKingdom,Australia,Canada,andthe
U.S.
Actionresearchhasbeenofferedasanalternativemethodofproviding
empiricalevidenceforteacherchangethanthetraditionaluniversityled
research.Forexample,actionresearchispractitioner-basedorasMcNiff,
Lomax,andWhitehead(2003)stated,“itisinsiderresearch”(p.12).Thus,
actionresearchembodiesthevaluesofthepractitioner.Actionresearchisalso
focusedonchangeorimprovement.Collaborationisalsooftenakeyfeatureof
actionresearch.Withactionresearch,the“I”isatthecenteroftheresearchand
thusresearchquestionshave“aclearintenttointerveneinandimproveone’s
ownunderstandingandpractice,andtoacceptresponsibilityforoneself”
(McNiff,etal.,p.19).Reflectionbecomesakeycomponentinthisapproachso
theresearcherisawareofhowtoimprovehisorherpractice.
Actionresearchhasalsobeendiscussedasanavenueforindividual
professionaldevelopment,schoolcollaboration,andeducationalreform.As
Calhounstated,actionresearch“canchangethesocialsysteminschoolsand
othereducationorganizationssothatcontinualformallearningisbothexpected
andsupported”(p.18).Muchhasbeenwrittenabouthowtoconductaction
research.Hendricks(2006)outlinedacontinualprocessofreflect-act-evaluateto
actionresearch.Basedontheevaluation,theprocesscontinuesagain.Sagor’s
(2005)four-stepprocesstoactionresearchalsoincludedreflectionaskey.This
processincludes:
1. Clarifyingthevisionandtargetsoftheresearch.
2. Articulatingatheory.
3. Implementingactionandcollectingdata.
4. Reflectingonthedataandplanninginformedaction.
STEMEducation&LeadershipProgram
In2007,IllinoisStateUniversity’sTechnologyEducationProgramwas
fundedforaMathematicsSciencePartnership(MSP)projectentitledtheSTEM
Education&LeadershipProgram.AsspecifiedbytherequirementsoftheMSP
outlinedaboveandtheestablishmentofapartnershipatthebeginningofthe
planningprocess,theSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgramhassoughtto
overcomesomeofthecommonbarrierstopartnershipsandadvanceasenseof
cohesivenessandtrust.TheSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgram’sdesignis
beingguidedbytheexperiencesfosteredbytheNCETEprofessional
developmentefforts,groundedintherelatedliteratureoutlinedabove,and
structuredaroundaneedsassessmentofthepartnersinvolvedintheprogram.
TheSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgramwilltargetmeasurable
increasesinSTEM-relatedteachercontentknowledge,instructionalpractices,
studentachievement,qualityofprofessionaldevelopment,andorganizational
support.Theteamhasarticulatedamodel(seeFigure1below)thatisgrounded
intheliterature,whichwillbeusedtoguidethedevelopmentand
implementationoftheprogram.Withthelong-termgoalsofchangingtheculture
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oftheschoolsandincreasingschools’achievement,specificprocesseshavebeen
outlinedforthetwokeyactivities:(a)thedevelopmentofanewMasterof
ScienceDegreeand(b)theformulationofaprofessionaldevelopmentprogram.
Bothofthesecomponentsareoutlinednext.
STEM
Partnership
STEM
interdisciplinary
M.S. approach STEM
Program ActionResearch content Ccuhlatnugreeoinf
DScishtroioctl Teacher knoawnleddge school
Leadership instruction
STEM
MSPTeam Learning Endorsements Increasein
communitymodel student
PDProgram High- achievement
130target- qualityPD
specifichours
Figure1. STEMEducationandLeadershipMasterofScienceDegreeand
ProfessionalDevelopmentprogrammodel
ProposedSTEMEducation&LeadershipMasterofScienceDegree
Program
OneofthesolutionstoaddressingthedeclineinthenumberofU.S.citizens
whoareeducatedinSTEMistoassiststudentsinelementaryandmiddleschools
tomakedecisionstopursueengineeringandscienceinhighschoolsandSTEM
degreesincollege.ItisthereforeimperativetooffermoreSTEM-basedcourses
throughtheK-12schoolsystemtoenablestudentstobesuccessfulinSTEM
coursesatthecollegeand/oruniversitylevels.Thatalsomeansthereneedstobe
moreteachersthatarequalifiedtoteachSTEMcourses.
TheframeworkfortheSTEMEducation&LeadershipMasterofScience
DegreeprogramisbasedonexistingprogrammaticofferingsatIllinoisState
University,findingsfromSTEM-basedliterature,examinationsofother
advanceddegreeprogramsintheU.S.,andtheneedforparticipantstoearn
teachingendorsements/highlyqualifiedstatus.Byintegratingfield-based
experiencesandactionresearchprojectsintothegraduatecoursework,teachers
willbepreparedtoprovidehighqualityeducationsothattheirstudents’learning
isincreasedandmorestudentswillpursueSTEMdegreesatthepost-secondary
level.TheMaster’sDegreeprogram,33credithourstotal,willbecomprisedof
afour-courseSTEMEducation&Leadershipcore,two-courseResearch&
Cognitioncore,andstudentselectedcognateareasinmathematics,science,
and/ortechnologyeducation.Thesecourseofferingswillresultintherequisite
numberofhoursfordegreeandsubject-specificendorsements.Theproposed
programextendsIllinoisStateUniversity’scapacityforbuildingconnectionsto
schooldistrictsthroughoutthestateandwillextendthereachoftheuniversity’s
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graduateprogrambyintegratingadistanceeducationmodelwitharesidential
optionforcoursework.
AuniqueaspectofthisMasterofScienceDegreeisitsintenttointegrate
multipledisciplines:science,technology,engineering,andmathematics.
Currently,onlyoneotheruniversity,VirginiaTech,hasdevelopedanintegrative
STEMprogram.Theemphasisonintegratedormultidisciplinarycurriculumis
emergingasanimportantavenueforeducationalreform.AsMossetal.(2003)
argued,“subjectsinschoolcannolongerbeportrayedasisolatedcontentareas
inwhichthememorizationofsubject-specificmaterialtakesprecedence”(p.7).
Theboundariesbetweendisciplineshavebeenarguedtobeartificial,primarily
servingtostructurethepublicschoolsystem.Mossetal.(2003)statedthat
disciplinesshouldnotservetodividetheeducationalexperiencebutshouldbe
portrayedasaperspectiveor“awayoflookingattheworldthatcontributestoa
morecompleteunderstandingofit”(p.7).Disciplinaryknowledgeshouldbe
recalledinproblem-solvingsothatanintegratedorholisticunderstandingofthe
worldisdeveloped.AsFroydandOhland(2005)pointedout,theabilityto
integratethroughprocessesis“aneducationalgoal,worthyofstandingalone,
andasanecessarycounterbalancetowhathasbeenportrayedasanearuniversal
emphasisonunderstandingviadecomposition”(p.148).
Sciencehasbeenofferedasanavenueofintegration,especiallywith
technology,engineering,andmathematics.Moss(2003)arguedthatconsidering
scienceasmerelyoneelementofhumanknowledgeallowsthisdisciplinetobe
seenas“partofalargerwholewithitsboundariesblurredamongallother
disciplines”(p.61).Inaddition,designprojects“havethepotentialtohelp
studentsmakeconnectionsamongsubjects,material,andapplications”(p.155).
Technological/engineeringdesign,whichisanessentialelementofboththeMSP
programsandtheNCETE’sefforts,hasbeendefinedasbeing“ofandaboutthe
artificialworldandhowtocontributetothecreationandmaintenanceofthat
world”(Cross,2001,p.54).Withintechnologyeducation,technological/-
engineeringdesignhascenteredonproblemsolvingandtheapplicationof
scientificunderstandingtoagiventask(Hill&Anning,2001).Anintegrated
STEMcurriculumcenteredontechnological/engineeringdesignisatthecoreof
theSTEMEducation&Leadershipprogram.
TheSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgramisutilizingalearning
communityapproachtoitsprofessionaldevelopment.Centraltothelearning
communitymodelisthebeliefthatwhen“teachers,students,andparentsare
connectedtothesameideastheybecomeconnectedtoeachotheraswell”
(Sergiovanni,1999,p.18).Oncepeoplebecomeconnectedtheysharecommon
goalsandvaluesandacommunityofmindemerges.Individualpracticesarenot
ignored,butacommunityofsharedpracticeisdeveloped.Aschoolasalearning
communityisfocusedprimarilyonthecultureoftheschoolwherelearningis
seenasimportantworkfortheentireschool.Theaimistomaximizelearningfor
allinvolvedinthecommunitysothattheschool’scapacitytobuildthe
knowledge,skills,norms,habits,andvaluesnecessarytoadapt,renew,rethink,
andinformclassroompracticeisfirmlyestablished(Shaw,1999).Accordingto
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Butt(1999),twoprocessesareessentialtothecreationofalearningcommunity:
(1)collaborativeschool-basedprofessionaldevelopment,and(2)peerandself-
evaluation.
Collaborativeprofessionaldevelopmentisthusanessentialaspectofthe
STEMEducation&LeadershipProgram.Highqualityprofessionaldevelopment
hasbeendiscussedbymanyresearchers.Forexample,Loucks-Horsely(2003)
identifiedfourclustersofvariablesthataffectthequalityornatureof
professionaldevelopment.Theseclustersinclude:(a)content;(b)process;(c)
strategiesandstructures;and(d)context.Further,highqualityprofessional
developmentmustinclude“afocusoncontentandhowstudentslearncontent;
in-depth,activelearningopportunities;linkstohighstandards,opportunitiesfor
teacherstoengageinleadershiproles;extendedduration;andthecollective
participationofgroupsofteacherfromthesameschool,grade,ordepartment”
(Desimone,Porter,Garet,Yoon,&Birman,2002,p.82).
Thus,theSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgramispursuinghighquality
professionaldevelopmentthroughalearningcommunityapproach.The
compositionofthelearningteams(community)willconsistofatechnology
education/engineeringteacher,amathematicsteacher,aphysicalscienceteacher,
theprincipal,aguidancecounselor,andaparentfromthesameschool;STEM
facultyfromwithinandoutsideIllinoisStateUniversity;andrelated
professionalsfromtheSTEMcommunity.Theprofessionaldevelopmentwillbe
continuousthroughouttheschoolyearandsummermonths.Intotal,thelearning
teamswillpartakeinaminimumof130,target-specifichoursperyear.The
targetedoutcomesofthissustainedeffortaretoconducthighquality
professionaldevelopmentthatwillultimatelyaffectthecultureoftheschooland
studentachievementinapositivemanner.Itisbelievedthatthecompositionof
thelearningteams(teachers,principals,guidancecounselors,andparents)isbest
situatedtoachievethesetargetedoutcomesbasedontheliterature.Belowisa
briefdiscussionofthisliteraturewhichsupportsprincipal,guidancecounselor,
andparentalinvolvement.
Principals
Studiesexploringtheroleofhighschoolprincipalshavelargelyconcluded
thattheyarecrucialtoschoolsuccess.Aconsistentfindinginstudiesabout
principalsisthathighperformingschoolshavestrong,competentleaders
(Rodgriguez-Campos,Rincones-Gomez,&Shen,2005).
Principalleadershipcanbeanalyzedthroughinteractionsortheovert
actions,covertdeliberations,andphysicalpresenceofonepersonthatinfluence
others.HartandBredeson(1996)outlinedthreeelementsofinteractionsthatare
importanttoprincipalleadership,including:(a)motivation,(b)interaction
processes,and(c)structuringprocesses.Throughthestructuringprocessesof
interactionsfacilitatedordominatedbyaprincipal,anorganization’scultureis
developedoraltered.Inotherwords,organizationalcultureistheoutcomeof
interactionsamonggroupmembersandincludesthebehaviors,norms,dominant
values,philosophiesthatguidepolicy,andunwrittenrulesoftheschool.
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Anemergingandimportantroleforprincipalsisastheinstructionalleader
fortheschool.Inadditiontomanagingtheschool’sday-to-dayoperations,
principalsareincreasinglyexpectedtobeeffectiveleadersinareassuchas
instructionalapproachesthatengagethestaffinrenewingtheirownapproaches
(Rodgriguez-Campos,Rincones-Gomez,&Shen,2005).AsHartandBredeson
(1996)stated,principalsareexpectedto“masternotonlytheknowledgebase
currentatthetimeoftheirprofessionalpreserviceeducationbuttheskills
necessarytodevelopprofessionalhabitsoflearningandoftyingtheirconstantly
expandingknowledgetotheirprofessionalactions”(p.26).Principalsshould
thencontinuouslyupgradetheireducationalskillssoastobeeffectiveleaders
andpositivelyimpactthecultureoftheschool.Byengaginginprofessional
development,principalscanupgradetheirskills,gainnewknowledgeandskills,
andmodelself-improvement.TheSTEMEducation&LeadershipProgramwill
necessitatetheactiveparticipationoftheteachers’principalsintheprofessional
developmentefforts.
GuidanceCounselors
Inadditiontoprincipals,guidancecounselorswillberecruitedtoparticipate
intheSTEMEducation&Leadershipprofessionaldevelopmentsoalearning
communitycanbebetterestablished.Guidancecounselorsserveanimportant
functionwithinschools.Forexample,theAmericanSchoolCounselor
Association(2004)definedprofessionalschoolcounselorsasindividuals“who
deliveracomprehensiveschoolcounselingprogramencouragingallstudents’
academic,careerandpersonal/socialdevelopmentandhelpallstudentsin
maximizingstudentachievement”(p.2).Asindicatedbythisdefinition,the
rolesofguidancecounselorshavecometoencompassthepersonal,social,
educational,andoccupationaldevelopmentofanindividualstudent.Sears
(1993)pointedoutthatguidancecounselors“arebeingaskedtoassumeagreater
roleinthelivesoftheirstudentsandthestudents’families”fromoffering
parentingclasses,totryingtopreventsubstanceabuse,tohelpingstudentlearn
test-takingskills(p.384).
AndersonandReiter(1995)arguedthatthe“quintessentialroleofthe
counseloristofacilitatetheprimaryfunctionofschool:helpingchildrento
learn”(p.269).However,manyarguethatthisrolehasnotbeenfullydeveloped
inmostschools.PershingandDemetropoulos(1981)statedthatforthisto
happen“areorientationofguidancerelatedpracticesinschoolssothatthe
involvementofteacherswillbeencouragedandfacilitatedmustoccur”(p.455).
DavisandGarrett(1998)outlinedfourmethodsbywhichschoolcounselorscan
ensuremutualunderstandingwithteachersabouttheirrole:(a)meetingwiththe
faculty,(b)consultingwithteachers,(c)observingclassroomdynamics,and(d)
enlistingteachersasco-facilitators.Byincludingguidancecounselorsinthe
professionaldevelopmenteffortsoftheSTEMEducation&Leadership
Program,theseconnectionscanbefurtherenhancedsothattheprimaryfunction
ofschoolscanbebetterachieved.
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