- Year 2024
- NSF Noyce Award # 2147890
- First Name Thomas
- Last Name Koballa
- Registration Faculty/Administrator/Other
- Discipline Computer Science
- Role Principal Investigator (PI)
- Presenters
Tom Koballa and Susie Morrissey, Mercer University
Need
In rural South Georgia, credentialed computer science (CS) teachers with leadership understandings and skills are needed. Initial teacher preparation efforts are not meeting the demand for credentialed CS teachers (Code.org, 2017b; Montoya, 2017), nor are testing and endorsement program options. In 2020, fewer than 20 Georgia CS teachers were certified via testing (Georgia Department of Education, n.d.c). Teachers in rural schools can benefit from teacher leadership development opportunities (Anderson, 2008), as content-specific teacher leaders collaborating with other teachers and school administrators can positively change schools (Smith et al., 2017; Yow et al., 2021). However, teacher leadership development opportunities are not readily available to South Georgia schools.
Research Questions
Guiding this project is a conceptual framework that extends the work of Dr. Jan Yow and her colleagues to direct the professional development of mathematics and science MTFs (NSF Award #1439842). This framework highlights areas of significant need in rural communities, namely (1) reducing teacher isolation, (2) increasing instructional quality, (3) creating instructional leaders, and (4) increasing retention (Yow et al., 2018). The research questions are grounded in the project’s four conceptual framework components: How effectively is the project reducing CS teacher isolation? How effectively is the project improving teachers’ CS content knowledge and instruction? How effective is the project at creating CS teacher leaders? How effective is the project at increasing CS teacher retention?
Approach
Building on the framework, our initial efforts to develop CS teacher leaders engaged sixteen Master Teacher Fellows (MTFs) in the Ed.S. in Teacher Leadership degree program. This four-semester degree program included coursework in CS, teacher leadership, instructional coaching, and educational research. In Year 2, the degree program was followed by activities and support for MTFs as they began to function as CS teachers and teacher leaders, including monthly meetings, CS minicourses, CS system-level planning, and the first summer CS Leadership Assembly.
Outcomes
Based on the analysis of social networking data, the project is building a professional community, leading to reduced teacher isolation. Communication and collaborative connections and network density increased between January and May 2023, as the MTFs engaged in coursework and worked on their GACE portfolios and CS system-level plan, yet declined between May and November 2023 following the completion of coursework. The MTFs’ scores on the CS Self-Efficacy Survey increased significantly for content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) from year one to year two. The greatest increases in the MTFs’ content knowledge self-efficacy were in programming, algorithms, and problem-solving, which correspond to the focus of coursework. In contrast, a decline in self-efficacy was noted for web design, a topic touched on only briefly in coursework. Also, the MTFs are declining in self-efficacy in teaching algorithms, problem-solving, and programming. Moreover, MTFs need support and mentoring to develop the understanding and skills necessary to be effective CS teacher leaders. The MTF’s responses to the adapted Teacher Leadership Teacher Self-Assessment Tool indicated that resolving conflict, facilitating professional learning, and leading school improvement efforts need additional attention. Of the 16 teachers who attended the project orientation meeting in May 2022, 15 have continued in the program. Only one teacher withdrew the day after the orientation meeting and was replaced by another teacher from the same school district before the program coursework started two weeks later.
Broader Impacts
The project responds to the need for well-prepared and certified CS teachers with leadership potential in rural, high-need school systems. The development of MTFs encourages continuing CS education in the partnering school systems, providing CS education for current and future students. Furthermore, including CS MTFs in rural schools provides their students with access to CS learning experiences aligned with the Georgia Department of Education’s CS Career Pathways and opportunities to pursue careers in a well-paying industry with a shortage of applicants. Students benefit from studying a discipline with practical applications in other STEM fields, as evident from the MTFs’ use of CS in mathematics and science courses. Funneling students into well-paying jobs benefits the entire community economically, providing an ongoing benefit to the communities and the students’ families.
