- Year 2024
- NSF Noyce Award # 943180
- First Name Kedmon
- Last Name Hungwe
- Registration Noyce Scholar/Teaching Fellow/Master Teacher
- Discipline STEM Education (general)
- Role Co-PI
- Presenters
Kedmon Hungwe, Cody Williams, Shari Stockero, Marianne Semones, Michigan Technological University
Approach
Teacher leadership is crucial for fostering effective educational reform and improving teacher retention. This study examines how leadership perceptions evolve in science teachers through sustained professional development. Traditionally, leadership in education has been perceived as a top-down approach designated to administrative roles. Recent literature suggests a paradigm shift towards recognizing teachers as change agents who maintain their instructional roles while taking on leadership responsibilities. Teacher leaders are pivotal in implementing reforms tailored to classroom realities and driving instructional improvements. Middle school science teachers completed a five-year professional development program. The program focused on developing leadership competencies aligned with the Michigan Teacher Leader Preparation Standards, within the context of classroom teaching. Data were collected through surveys and interviews. Participants’ conceptions of leadership expanded to encompass collaborative and transformative roles that extend beyond traditional administrative functions. Teacher leadership was increasingly viewed as a means to facilitate professional growth, peer mentorship, and instructional innovation within the classroom setting. The most significant programmatic factors included engagement in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and direct involvement in decision-making processes affecting curriculum and instruction.
