What do Teacher Leaders Value About Regional STEM Professional Learning Communities?

Authors: Therese Shanahan, EdD;Silvia Swigert

Using conceptual coding frameworks from the structural and core features of professional development outlined by Garet et al (2001) and Penuel et al (2007), open-ended responses in the surveys and focus group transcripts were coded to capture teacher comments on the professional development they experienced in the program. Of additional interest was whether the teachers described these features differently by the type of professional development event captured in the survey.

Question 1: What do teachers value about the regional network in which they are participating?
In addition to valuing the features of professional development described by Garet et al (2001) and Penuel et al (2007), the PDPs and STLs told us that they valued FOCUS' regional approach to collegial conversations as well as the relationships they developed over time (both features of FOCUS professional development not found in Garet et al (2001) nor Penuel et al (2007)).  The PDPs who attended leadership institutes and who had more intense, regional involvement with the FOCUS program cited references about valuing reform orientations more often than did the Site Teacher Leaders (STLs) who had a more peripheral, localized role: 

• Survey response about valuing research:
• "Acquisition of research-based resources-(books, articles) that helped me understand how I teach science and math better and how students learn or process their understanding of concepts (e.g. [recognizing] pattern and analyzing misconceptions).  Assessment." (4801195)

• Survey response about networking at vertical team meetings:
• "The only time I gained anything is when I was able to network with teachers from our feeder schools" (17909).

• Focus group response about relationships:
• "It's ongoing, we're like family already.  So, the absorption of the knowledge is less stressful because you're like in an environment where you are at home with each other.  Like this [huge trust] for UCI, our directors, because we know they really research and prepare a lot for the trainings."

• Focus group response about content knowledge:
• "...you see the importance of, science and math are integrated with reading, so you can't put math and science aside, because in a way they're even helpful in promoting reading literacy to children."

• Focus group on collective participation:
• "And everyone listens, that's the amazing part of it.  When you have a problem in your classroom and you tell that to somebody in that group, they listen and they help you, they really help you solve the problem, and they know how you feel.  That's why they know exactly what help they can offer."

• Focus group on reform orientations:
• "The kids kind of, you start them and they kind of figure things out by themselves, which is better because they're talking, like you were saying earlier, they're sharing their information, and going, 'Oh yeah,' and pretty soon, boom boom boom, they come up with the big idea, and you're like, 'You got it.'"

Question 2: What is unique about the regional network that a school or district might not provide to their teachers?  The teacher leaders recognized the benefit of working with other teacher leaders with similar student populations as well as university faculty.  They valued the content knowledge and support offered by university faculty and by the FOCUS teacher leader directors who were all former middle and high school teachers in the K - 12 public school system.

• Survey responses on interdistrict networking:
• "Saturday conferences greatly offer opportunities for networking with co-teachers from different schools and/or districts" (1071).
• "...I also like discussions with others over breakfast, lunch.  Some of the little ideas you can get by talking to someone from another school are the best.  I've gotten to visit other classrooms and see what other teachers are [doing] because of the networking" (012061).

• Survey response on interdistrict networking:
• "The greatest benefit was definitely the networking with other teachers and learning the math/science lessons.  As a teacher we hardly ever get to talk and share with other teachers especially from other districts" (634).

• Focus group response on collective participation: 
• "And it was great...That collaboration was great, that was key, especially with different districts.  It's easy for us in (District 3) to talk, because we all have the same kids and everything, but to find out that (District 1) had the exact same issues we were having, or even (District 2), even though he was in the part of town that was a little different."

• Focus group responses on collective participation:
• "Networking with others-teachers form other districts, university personnel, teachers from my own district-was an important element to maintaining any kind of systemic change or allowing me to be a part of it" (1028).

Question 3: What can university partners do to help sustain these types of professional development networks?  Goddard, Hoy, and Woolfolk Hoy (2004) describe participant "perceived collective self-efficacy" from involvement in professional learning communities which promotes resiliency in the face of barriers.  In their survey responses, the PDPs (who had a more central role in the professional development) cited fewer barriers to quality instruction than did the STLs (with more peripheral roles) who cited lack of support from school site administrators as well as district personnel.

• Survey response on  barriers to implementation:
• "I think we were able to address some of the concerns specific to our district.  I will say that it took our district leadership a while to understand the purpose of FOCUS and to respect our expertise" (1003 - PDP).

• Focus group response on barriers to implementation::
• "I said, "Oh, you should just tap into the FOCUS, the PDPs, there's already a group of trained teachers to do presentations," and someone said, "Well, the district doesn't want some outside person coming in and telling us what to do."(PDP)

• Case study response on barriers to implementation::
• "I cannot say I've ever had an administrator who fought me.  I've always had administrators - if I wanted it, go for it.  They've always supported me.  If I needed something, I could always get whatever I wanted. " (733   PDP)

• Case study response of a PDP on barriers to implementation::
• "Administration: I love my principal to pieces but they get wrapped up in things that aren't directly involved with the classroom or the teacher.  I know I, at [my previous school] - before I came to this school - saw the assistant principal.  She's pop in at any old time and I loved it; kept me on my toes.  Also, I knew if I had a question or - I could get some input from her: "What do you think of that?  Should I..." - or she would actually give it to me without criticism, as a critique.  So, I felt the support there.  Even though I didn't always need it, it was there.  And I like the fact that I was being observed, informally.  A teacher - anyway.  I feel I need input."

• Survey response on support provided by FOCUS:
• "I am more confident and more knowledgeable since FOCUS has begun.  I feel I have grown as a professional."  (733 PDP)

Table 1. Barriers cited by survey respondents by role