![]() ![]() They take on roles as instructional leaders and exemplars in their buildings, as teacher leaders supporting their peers and novice teachers in their districts, and as thought leaders advancing the art and science of pedagogy in their subjects and disciplines.Ĭhina’s National Teaching Training Program is an attempt to bring this approach to scale. At the school, district, and regional levels, China is identifying and supporting a core group of highly trained, highly effective “backbone teachers.” Beginning early in their careers, these teachers are trained and supported to become leaders, model effective practices, and conduct wide-ranging inquiry into teaching and learning. Thus, building this network will encourage more highly qualified educators to stay in teaching, ultimately improving STEM instruction and bolstering student interest in pursuing STEM careers.īuilding a national network of teacher leaders is exactly what is taking place in China, where, as in the U.S., there’s a national push to improve teaching practice as a key lever to bolstering student outcomes. ![]() Equally significant, about half of the senior fellows who aren’t teaching are leading the transformation of STEM education in their districts, overseeing STEM professional development, or serving as STEM education leaders in other capacities. Nearly 80% of senior fellows are still teaching. Our average annual retention rate is over 95%, with no payback requirement or other sanctions for those who choose to leave early. But our approach becomes increasingly more cost-effective when teachers stay in teaching and contribute to the professionalizing of STEM teaching. The five-year fellowship costs about $30,000 per fellow annually - about $6,400 more than what we estimated that Teach for America pays to recruit, train, and mentor a teacher (Economic Research Institute, 2015). Primarily through the senior fellows program, KSTF also has been exploring what it takes to create a national network to give all STEM teachers access to the intensive, peer-to-peer professional development that allows individuals in every field to feel connected and empowered, to continue to learn and be challenged, and to sustain their interest and job satisfaction over a long career. The teachers who complete the 5-year Teaching Fellowship become KSTF senior fellows who remain part of the KSTF network. The foundation’s efforts to continually study and refine the fellowship program has led to methods for identifying the most promising new STEM teachers, providing them with a vision of teacher professionalism and leadership, and preparing them to lead from the classroom from the beginning of their careers. The program is designed to build leadership capacity in individual teachers from the outset of their careers, and also in the STEM teaching profession. ![]() The five-year Teaching Fellowship program that KSTF launched in 2002 has evolved into a comprehensive and cohesive professional development experience for beginning teachers. This kind of agency and autonomy is crucial for making teaching a rewarding and viable career option over the long haul, and attracting and retaining the best and the brightest to the profession.īuilding a national network of STEM teachers can support teachers in their work, help them collaborate and share best practices, and help them continue in the profession.įor the past decade, the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) has been working to do just that. If we want teachers to stay in the profession long enough to develop that capacity, we need to support them in developing the agency and autonomy to drive their own professional growth and become stewards of their profession. If we want talented young teachers to develop the capacity to get students excited about high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, we must recognize that such a goal requires considerable time and effort. We need to question whether better tools wielded by a continually replenished supply of novice teachers can deliver the desired education gains in these crucial disciplines.Īs it stands, we’re building an edifice of courseware and curriculum without investing in the more crucial infrastructure of a national cadre of experienced and skilled educators who work together to change practice and lead improvement in their schools and beyond their classrooms. educators and policy makers recently ramped up efforts to establish new math and science standards and supported efforts to revamp curricula and develop new online resources. Creating a cadre of STEM teacher leaders who stay in the profession and classroom is key to improving STEM education - and that will require an enduring commitment of time and resources.
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