Science and Engineering in Preschool Through Elementary Grades The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators (2022) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
9 Transformative Leadership
9 Transformative Leadership
Pages 215-234
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 215... ...
These lead ers also allocate time and resources and provide professional learning opportunities for teachers to develop expertise around science and engineering instruction. • Although specialists can provide preschool and elementary science and engineering instruction when it may not otherwise be available, specialist positions appear to have the greatest im pact when school and district administrators and other leaders are involved in science education and the overall district and school culture places value on science and provides resources to support it.
|
From page 216... ...
However, few research and evaluation efforts focus specifically on transformative leadership practices that support science and engineering teaching that works toward justice, or on how leaders design systems around the assets and strengths of children with various racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. Thus, this is an area for future research.
|
From page 217... ...
. Given the emphasis on the K–12 system in the literature, the focus here is on transformative leadership across grades K–5; however, the committee Organizational Culture •Value for Science •Principal Leadership Educator Capability Policy and •Professional Leadership Management •Partnerships •Time and Resources •Staffing FIGURE 9-1 Dimensions of leadership.
|
From page 218... ...
. In other schools in highpoverty neighborhoods where science instruction is evident, principals have been found to foster school cultures that support teacher collaboration and distributed leadership, and that set clear goals and expectations making science a priority (Alarcón, 2012)
|
From page 219... ...
Although most of the initial instructional resources for leading change in science teaching were connected to the school's instructional agendas for math ematics and language arts, school leaders accessed and mobilized resources for improving science instruction through connections with local universities, colleges, and science institutions, as well as the district's Systemic Initiative, which focused on improving science instruction in district schools. Augmenting educator capability, relationships with these external partners created opportu nities for professional development among teachers that were encouraged and supported by school leaders.
|
From page 220... ...
. Although the evidence base is small, findings from the extant literature focused on elementary science instruction point to the importance of a positive school culture that places a value on science teaching and learning for ensuring that science is taught in grades K–5.
|
From page 221... ...
. Principals can also play an important role as agents of science education policy implementation, buffering their schools and teachers from competing external demands and adjusting school structures to accommodate science instruction (Wenner and Settlage, 2015)
|
From page 222... ...
Further, the principals reported focusing communication to teachers on science instruction, collaborating with them, observing instruction, and providing coaching. The school principal appears to play an important role in creating an organizational culture that supports elementary science and engineering.
|
From page 223... ...
. The NGSS Early Implementers Initiative attempted to address these barriers to elementary science instruction through a 6-year project in which the K–12 Alliance at WestEd provided eight California school districts and two charter management organizations support with NGSS implementation in grades K–8.
|
From page 224... ...
Securing a science classroom was also found to be an important part of the critical resourcing school principals engaged in to support science education across three high-poverty bilingual elementary schools, in addition to purchasing bilingual materials for science (Alarcón, 2012)
|
From page 225... ...
In another study of 30 schools in one large northeastern urban district, researchers examined whether the quality, quantity, and/or cost of science instruction differed when that instruction was provided by a science specialist or by a self-contained classroom teacher, using children's scores on statewide science achievement tests and children's engagement in science lessons as outcome measures (Levy et al., 2016)
|
From page 226... ...
, regardless of whether the science instruction was being provided by a science specialist. Based on a follow-up study of five schools from the larger sample where specialist models were in place, Marco-Bujosa and Levy (2016) noted that, although the science specialist model ensures that science will be taught, a lack of support from self-contained classroom teachers and especially the principal could marginalize science as a subject area.
|
From page 227... ...
Taken together, the evidence base focused on policy and management for elementary science and engineering education signal the importance of district- and school-level supports in the form of funding, resources, and staffing. Although studies on elementary science specialists indicate that these positions have the potential to ensure the allocation of instructional time for science and engineering and to positively shape science instruction, they are not a panacea.
|
From page 228... ...
Core Teacher Leaders facilitated learning communities for Teacher Leaders; in addition, all Teacher Leaders led professional learning activities at their school sites and collaborated with colleagues at their schools to co-plan and co-teach lessons. These findings suggest that, in general, building capacity for teacher leadership among teachers and providing formal structures for them to engage with colleagues can be helpful in fostering teacher collaboration and learning more broadly.
|
From page 229... ...
VISTA included an Elementary Science Institute that specifically included school principals and district science coordinators in professional development activities, during which they engaged with teams of teachers who were focused on understanding problem-based learning, inquiry, and nature of science. Following the professional development, principals reported an increased understanding of how to support science teachers, and teachers rated their principals higher at being effective in supporting science instruction following the professional development.
|
From page 230... ...
describe how science centers, such as the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California at Berkeley and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, worked with school districts and university partners in the BaySci program to provide in-person and virtual professional learning opportunities for teachers, teacher leaders, and district leaders. An evaluation of the program (Remold et al., 2014)
|
From page 231... ...
CISE also offers STEM Lab Schools within high-poverty schools that serve as a training ground for teachers and invite parents and community members to workshops and training. This example illustrates the potential of a university partnership for creating multiple opportunities that attend to educator capability.
|
From page 232... ...
, it is clear that focusing on educator capability (such as through providing professional learning experiences or through using science specialists) has the potential to support teachers as they endeavor to engage children in higher-quality learning opportunities, which would in turn support children's achievement.
|
From page 233... ...
specialists and via external partnerships, but simply adding specialist positions or partnering with outside institutions is not likely to result in the transformative change that is necessary for all children to have access to robust learning opportunities. Each dimension of transformative leadership explored in this chapter -- organizational culture, policy and management, and educator capacity -- must be considered, as well as how these dimensions connect to and interact with one another.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.