Tina Williams_Capstone-Tina

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Implementing Effective STEM Professional Development Programs for Elementary Educators via Kopernik Observatory and Science Center and other Non-Profit Organizations BY TinaMarie Williams B.S. Human Development, Binghamton University, 2013 CAPSTONE PROJECT

Transcript of Tina Williams_Capstone-Tina

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Implementing Effective STEM Professional Development Programs for Elementary Educators

via Kopernik Observatory and Science Center and other Non-Profit Organizations

BY

TinaMarie Williams

B.S. Human Development, Binghamton University, 2013

CAPSTONE PROJECT

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Public Administration

in the Graduate School of Binghamton University

State University of New York2015

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©Copyright by TINAMARIE WILLIAMS, 2015

All Rights Reserved

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Accepted in partial fulfillments of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Public Administration

in the Graduate School of Binghamton University

State University of New York 2015

May2015

Nadia Rubaii___________________________________________________________________Associate ProfessorDepartment of Public Administration

George Homsy_________________________________________________________________Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Public Administration

Drew Deskur___________________________________________________________________Executive Director Kopernik Observatory and Science Center

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Executive Summary

In 2014, the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center sought to expand their programs

and services. The Executive Director chose to undertake the development of a professional

development program for local educators in Broome County School Districts. In order to assist

Kopernik in the implementation of the program, I employed three different data collection and

analysis strategies to provide findings and recommendations regarding effective program models

and leadership styles to design effective professional development for educators.

First, I conducted four interviews with executive directors from other non-profit science

organizations that offered professional development to educators. Then, I conducted five

interviews with educators from three school districts in Broome County, New York. Finally, I

administered eleven surveys to educators who participated in the pilot launch of Kopernik’s

professional development program. Based on thematic coding and analysis the data yielded six

findings which were,

1. Professional development programs are typically funded through a variety of grants and

do not charge fees to participants.

2. Organizations that engage and interact with multiple stakeholder receive the most

funding.

3. Broome County elementary lack the time and resources to engage students in science.

4. Formal training for new educational standards have not been made available, making it

difficult for teachers to implement in the classroom.

5. The most successful professional development programs are interactive, content specific,

allow for pedagogical practice, and are evaluative.

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6. Professional development programs that are collaborative, hands-on, and engaging are

most likely to positively influence classroom practices and lead to greater student

achievement.

These findings led me to provide four recommendations, which Kopernik may choose to

employ,

1. The organization should seek additional funding for program implementation through

collaboration with various organization and stakeholders, and apply for grants.

2. The organization should design a series of annual professional development workshops

as well as a workshop to disseminate Next Generation standards

3. The organization should wait to implement the professional development program in

alignment with New York States adaptation of Next Generation Standards.

4. Kopernik Observatory and Science Center should create a professional development

website.

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Table of Contents

Problem Definition.........................................................................................................................1

Research Questions......................................................................................................................2

Literature Review..........................................................................................................................4

Methodology...................................................................................................................................9

Professional Development Program Interviews....................................................................10

Procedures..............................................................................................................................11

Data Analysis.........................................................................................................................11

Broome County Elementary Educator Interviews...............................................................15

Procedures..............................................................................................................................15

Data Analysis.........................................................................................................................16

Professional Development Pilot Surveys................................................................................18

Procedures..............................................................................................................................18

Data Analysis.........................................................................................................................19

Strengths and Limitations.......................................................................................................21

Findings........................................................................................................................................22

Recommendations........................................................................................................................32

Conclusion....................................................................................................................................38

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References.....................................................................................................................................40

Appendix A...................................................................................................................................44

Appendix B...................................................................................................................................46

Appendix C...................................................................................................................................47

Appendix D...................................................................................................................................48

Appendix E...................................................................................................................................50

Appendix F...................................................................................................................................52

Appendix G...................................................................................................................................53

Appendix H...................................................................................................................................56

Appendix I....................................................................................................................................59

Appendix J....................................................................................................................................60

Appendix K...................................................................................................................................62

Appendix L...................................................................................................................................64

Appendix M..................................................................................................................................65

Appendix N...................................................................................................................................69

Appendix O...................................................................................................................................71

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List of Figures

Figure 1 Professional Development Process Evaluation ……………………………………… 12

Figure 2 In Vivo Coding Manual …………………………………………………………….... 14

List of Tables

Table 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 17

Table 2 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 18

Table 3 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 28

Table 4 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 34

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Problem Definition

The Kopernik Observatory and Science Center is a non-profit 501c3 organization with a

mission “to offer hands-on investigations using advanced telescopes, computers and other tools,

encouraging the discovery of the wonders of the Universe” (Kopernik, 2014). The organization

is seeking to expand its role in the Southern Tier by providing professional development (PD) for

K-12 teachers in order to help enhance science education. To be successful the organization

faces a series of challenges that it will have to overcome in order to implement the new program

effectively.

It is difficult for public service organizations to implement new programs for a number of

reasons. These challenges include the ‘finitude, normativity, and complexity’ associated with

addressing social and political issues (Rittel & Weber, 1973). For organizations to overcome

these obstacles they must be adaptive and develop strong relationships with their constituents in

order to create a leadership community that supports mutual continuous growth for all

stakeholders involved. Another challenge that organizations have to overcome when

implementing new programs is ensuring effective leadership through collaboration. This may

require organizations to create a new conceptual model of professionalism by developing a

synergistic partnership among a variety of stakeholders and organizations. This requires an

organization to focus on bringing diverse stakeholders together, as opposed to separating people

by rank or organization (Fullan & Hargreaves, 2006).

The way in which these struggles manifest for Kopernik are that school districts are

centralized and operate as a hierarchy, which creates a silo effect. Irish & O’Callahan define a 1

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silo as “a phenomenon that occurs when system components fail to communicate with each

other” (2013, p.7). Each school district in Broome County and different schools within districts

have their own individualized needs that Kopernik has to address. In order for Kopernik to

overcome these challenges, two broad research questions need to be answered:

Research Questions

1. What is the best organizational model that Kopernik can utilize in order to implement

an effective professional development program that can receive future funding?

2. What leadership qualities will Kopernik have to develop in order to create a PD

program that can foster a synergistic relationship where teachers, schools, and

districts in Broome County can continuously engage with one another to promote

collaboration and growth?

The Kopernik Observatory should focus on two tasks to implement a professional

development program. The first is expanding the scope and capacity of the organization

using innovative means. The second is creating effective leadership strategies, among various

stakeholders. The Kopernik Observatory has services that have been traditionally rooted in

the study of the sciences related to astronomy, physics and engineering. In order for

Kopernik to implement a successful PD program for science educators, it may have to further

its professional expertise in biology, chemistry, and earth sciences. The organization should

also incorporate math and language arts in to their educational workshops (Schweingruber,

Helen, & Quinn, 2012). 2

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Recent changes and additions to national and state education policies have been made to

develop a more comprehensive way to apply theoretical concepts to pedagogical practice.

The U.S Department of Education released the executive summary “Race to the Top” (2009)

to provide a framework and guidelines for how to improve the nation’s education practices.

Part of these guidelines focused on enhancing science, technology, engineering, and math

(STEM) in schools. New federal standards were created to demonstrate how science topics

should be designed and how to incorporate math and language arts knowledge but do not

provide a specific curriculum to implement it (Common Core Standards, 2013). New York

State is currently in the process of developing new science standards, in alignment with the

new federal standards. NYS schools will have to comply with both sets of standards in order

to receive additional funding from the federal and state level. Kopernik needs to be adaptive

to the fast-paced changes that occur in education policy in order for the PD program to be

effective.

School districts have to comply by the standards that the federal and state policies

prescribe but they do have control over the curriculum that they use. Throughout the summer of

2014, I conferred with instructional superintendents from five school districts in Broome County,

as well as directors from Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services. All five

administrators expressed individual needs regarding science education because of their particular

school curriculums. BOCES directors expressed that school districts within the Broome Tioga

region operate mostly independent of one another. Furthermore, superintendents stated that

different schools within each district do not communicate often. Kopernik must act as an

effective leader to bring different school districts together in sharing knowledge.

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Kopernik must expand the organization as a whole in order to deliver the services and

resources necessary to provide professional development to educators in Broome County. This

involves becoming more dynamic in different areas of science by networking with organizations

that have expertise in STEM knowledge and research. Kopernik has to engage school districts by

facilitating communication. Schools should be able to share resources so that the silo that

currently exists among educational services within the region can be dissipated and school

districts can become more homogenous. The PD program has the capacity to be a success if

Kopernik can overcome these challenges and implement the program effectively.

Literature Review

There are challenges associated with effectively implementing successful professional

development programs, which are similar to the difficulties all public administrators face when

defining social problems and developing policies that will ameliorate them. The challenge that is

intrinsic for all social organizations is defining and solving social issues and disseminating

differences in perceptions by creating diverse networks within an organization and in

collaboration with other organizations (Boxelaar, Paine, & Beilin, 2006; Irish & O’ Callahan,

2013; Ospina & Foldy, 2010).

Rittel and Weber (1973) have attributed this challenge to the finitude, normativity, and

complexity of the social sciences. Finitude refers to the limited capacity of the cognitive skills,

resources, or networks that organizations have. Complexity refers to the difficulties

organizations encounter while working within and among various administrative hierarchies, and

how that effects the competencies of organizations to come up with solutions to problems,

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implement them successfully, and evaluate them effectively. Normativity refers to the fact that

because of the complexity of working with a multitude of administrative hierarchies, there are

bound to be conflicting values and opinions that organizations will have to disseminate to

implement a new program (Farrell & Hooker, 2013; Rittel & Weber, 1973). To implement a

successful professional development program for elementary educators that improves the

availability of resources, enhances curriculum, and provides hands on activities, an organization

needs to have a knowledge and an understanding of the needs of its constituents. New education

policies and initiatives have placed an added emphasis on continuous professional growth.

Because of this, there are additional challenges associated with effectively implementing

professional development.

Policy makers, administrators, schools, and communities emphasize the importance of

professional development for schoolteachers and educators (Elmore, 2000; Penuel, Fishman,

Yomaguchi, & Gallagher, 2007). The federal government and the U.S. Department of Education

recently implemented national standards to assess teacher’s performance (Race to the Top, 2009)

to evaluate how performance affects student achievement. Recent studies have shown that PD

has a positive impact on science teachers classroom performance (Fakayode, Pollard, Snipes, &

Atkinson, 2014) and content knowledge (Abrahams, Reiss, & Sharpe, 2014Szteinberg), which

has led to greater school and student success (Balicki, Banks, Clinchot, Cullipher, Huie,

Lambertz, Lewis, Ngai, Weinrich, Talanquer, & Sevian, 2014). Other educational studies have

evaluated how different types of PD implementation influences teacher’s knowledge and

classroom learning style of activities. Researchers are interested in uncovering which models of

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PD implementation work best to improve student performance, and under what conditions

(Evans, 2014; Penuel et al., 2007; Slepkov, 2008).

The federal government’s increased involvement in education has affected teaching and

learning. Enhanced educational hierarchies and greater centralization affects how, and by whom,

PD programs are created and implemented. Educational policies will continue to evolve and so

must PD programs in order to be successful (Elmore, 2000). This requires strong professional

leadership to foster an environment where people and networks become comfortable and willing

to change the organizational and relational structure in which they operate as policies evolve

(Lemke, 2000; Ospina & Foldy, 2010).

Organizational and disciplinary silos create another challenge to effective collaboration.

Hierarchies within an organization can cause misunderstanding in communication and hinder

progression (Boxelaar et al., 2006; Ospinal & Foldy 2010). Diverse organizations may share a

common mission or position but have alternative interests in solutions, which can create

competition over the limited resources available to implement programs (Besel, Williams, &

Klak, 2011; Boxelaar et al., 2006). Educational silos that exist also create a challenge for

organizations when attempting to implement professional development programs for teachers

(Boxelaar et al., 2006; Irish & O’Callahan, 2013; Lemke, 2000). Schools have become

increasingly isolated from each other and their communities, limiting capacity of the district and

hindering student achievement (Elmore, 2000; Irish & O’Callahan, 2013). To implement a

successful PD program that encourages collaboration and removes the barrier silos create, a

strong organizational model that encourages participation among all stakeholders and networks

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must be adopted (Boxelaar et al., 2006; Ospina & Foldy, 2010; Lemke, 2001; Penuel et al.,

2007).

Developing a ‘constructivist’ model of leadership is one of the most effective ways to

implement collaborative models of professional development (Ospina & Foldy, cited from

Parsons, Bales, & Shills, 1953; Penuel et al., 2007). The theoretical framework behind the

constructivist model of leadership is sociocultural learning theory, which propagates that all

learning occurs as a mutual relationship (Ospina & Foldy, p. 295) between an individual and

their social, cultural, and historical environment (Anderson & Stillman, 2013, p. 5; Kapucu,

2011). The theory supports the notion that a strong leadership organization can successfully

‘prompt cognitive shifts’ (Ospina & Foldy, p. 297) that allow for new shared goals and

objectives to be established (Anderson & Stillman, 2013). The new goals that are established

must be collaborative in order to eliminate vertical silos and promote development (Boxelaar et

al., 2006; Irish & O’Callahan, 2013).

Organizations can facilitate strong leadership among individuals and produce proactive

interpersonal partnerships by embracing diversity and including multiple stakeholders from the

public, non-profit, and private sector (Besel et al., 2011; Fakayode et al., 2014; Ospina & Foldy,

2010). Diverse stakeholders include individuals and organizations who have a vested interest in

enhancing educational opportunities and have a unique set of knowledge, experience, and skills

to develop progressive solutions to do so. Developing interpersonal relationships among

organizations creates a greater pool of intellectual and fiscal resources, which has the potential to

make positive restructuring more likely to be successful. To implement a professional

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development program throughout an entire region successfully, the educational organization

must first form cohesive relationships with the participating school districts, teachers, and

community members (Anderson & Stillman, 2013; Kapucu, 2011; Penuel et al., 2007). The

leadership organization must create a strong relationship among these siloed networks by

embracing the different needs and interests and foster a line of communication that syndicates

individual goals into collective goals (Ball, Ben-Peretz, & Cohen, 2014; Ospina & Foldy, 2010;

Rittel & Weber, 1973). Once an educational organization develops a strong relationship with

various stakeholders, it is necessary for them to maintain participation and awareness by

implementing a PD model that is evaluative and effective.

Numerous studies have assessed how effective different implementation models of

professional development programs are in the field of public administrators (O’Leary, Williams,

Plein, & Lilly, 1998), as well as, in the field of education (Ball et al., 2014, Desimone, Smith, &

Phillips, 2011; Evans, 2014; Penuel et al., 2007; Slepkov, 2008). Other studies have focused on

the effectiveness of PD implementation specific to science educators (Abrahams et al., 2014;

Fakayode et al., 2014; Szteinberg et al., 2014). All of the studies had findings that indicated that

the two most important factors that affect the success of PD program of any kind are the amount

of PD time offered and the level of interaction and engagement between participants and the

organization. PD programs should be implemented over an extended period by providing

continuous interaction and learning opportunities throughout the development of a professional’s

career (Evans, 2014; Penuel et al., 2007). PD programs should also provide an environment

where professionals can network with one another and work together to formulate solutions to

common problems (Abrahams et al. 2014; Anderson & Stillman, 2013). Finally, they should

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provide enhanced learning materials that educators can use in their classroom through various

outlets, like distance learning (Andronie, 2014; Penuel et al. 2007).

Professional development programs and continuous professional learning have positive

effects on student learning and achievement (Abrahams et al., 2014; Desimone et al., 2013;

Kapucu, 2011). However, there are limitations in the research findings. One limitation is that

most PD programs do not measure whether participation effectively alters educators teaching and

classroom practices in such a way that enhances student learning across a variety of institutions

(Anderson & Stillman, 2011; Penuel et al., 2007; Slepkov, 2008). This means that organizations

will have to develop an operative way to independently evaluate their own success. Two possible

ways to evaluate PD programs are by continuously assessing participant’s satisfaction through

pre and post surveys (Anderson & Stillman, 2011), and involving school administrators to

effectively track students potential achievement (Elmore, 2000; Irish & O’Callahan, 2013). To

implement a successful PD program and organization must develop a strong implementation

model and convey collaborative leadership to break down silos among schools and develop

collective beliefs regarding equitable student achievement among all districts.

Methodologies

To develop a better understanding of the potential challenges and benefits Kopernik may

face when implementing effective professional development programs for elementary educators,

three separate research methods were employed in order to conduct the most comprehensive

analysis possible. First, executive/program directors of science centers throughout the US who

have implemented PD programs were interviewed. Then, experienced educators from Vestal,

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Union-Endicott, Maine-Endwell, Windsor, and Johnson City elementary school were also

interviewed. Finally, elementary educators from Vestal school district, who participated in

Kopernik’s pilot PD program, were surveyed. The methodology section describes how the data

collection and analysis strategies for each method were employed. It includes how participants

were selected to participate, the procedures of the data collection and the qualitative and

quantitative analysis of the data that was used to determine findings and recommendations.

Finally, the strengths and limitations that exist within the research methodology are outlined and

described to assess the benefits and minimize the potential risks.

Professional Development Program Interviews

Directors of non-profit science centers that have professional development programs for

educators were interviewed in order to assess what organizational models other organizations

were using to effectively run their programs. Interview participants were first selected by

identifying non-profit science centers that had professional development programs available for

educators via a database available on www.tryscience.com. There were 40 organizations, located

throughout the United States, in the database. Organizations were then evaluated and narrowed

down based on how extensive their professional development programs were in regards to the

number of annual workshop offered. Organizations that hosted between two and twenty-six

annual workshops were selected, based on the potential capacity for Kopernik to replicate. A

total of fourteen organizations that met the criteria were identified, see Appendix C.

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Procedures

After potential participants were identified, the contact information of executive directors

was collected on their organizational websites, and they were contacted via email, see Appendix

D. Five directors responded and three directors consented to participate. However, one director

ran two distinct programs for different organizations located in two different states, so their

interview was counted for twice. After directors consented to participate, phone interviews were

conducted between March 7, 2015 and March 26, 2015. All interviews were recorded, based on

the consent of participants, see Appendix E. The interviews were semi-structured in nature and

lasted about a half hour to forty-five minutes. The interview consisted of seven to nine structured

questions regarding the organizational design of the PD program that was being implemented,

the organizations greatest sources of funding, and satisfaction ratings of participants, See

Appendix F. Probing and clarifying questions were asked based on the responses provided which

lead to broader conversational dialogue regarding the organization. After interviews were

complete, I transcribed the recordings manually and synthesized the transcriptions with the notes

I took throughout each interview.

Data Analysis

Professional development interviews were analyzed qualitatively using different

measures of thematic coding. Initially interviews were assessed individually based on process

evaluations of each organization. The data was descriptively coded, or chunked, based on

categories of inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes, see Appendix G. Inputs included how the

program was organized, the stakeholders involved, and length of time of services. Activities

included the types of programs being offered, how the model is implemented over time, and the

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types of networking relationships that are formed. Outputs included enhanced science knowledge

and resources for elementary educators, teacher satisfactions, and increased collaboration and

engagement. Outcomes included, greater funding, higher satisfaction ratings, increased student

achievement, and increased involvement in science education. See Figure 1.

Figure 1. Professional Development Program Process Evaluation

Enhanced Student Achievement

Enhanced Science Knowledge and Resources

Objective External Evaluations

Outcomes Increased Funding

Increased Enrollment

Online Networking

Outputs Videos

Curriculum Guides

In Class Resources

Collaboration

Activities Networking

Fees

Programs Offered

Funding

Time

Inputs Stakeholders

Organizational

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After process evaluations for each organization were conducted, I further analyzed the

data using in vivo coding based on specific codes and sub-codes I created based on pre-

prescribed themes. The four category codes and sub codes were based on were: (1)

implementation model, (2) leadership style, (3) funding, and (4) level of success. For a full list of

codes and sub codes, see Appendix H. The analysis of the coding was used to create a coding

manual based on the most prominent and interesting similarities and differences found within the

process evaluations of each organization, see Figure 2. Furthermore, tables were created to

represent the amount of times each code and sub code was identified to further analyze data to

conduct relevant findings; raw data charts for this data can be found in Appendix I.

Three prominent themes emerged from the data analysis. The first is that there are

varieties of different kinds of workshops that can be implemented to create professional

development opportunities but the most common were day long, interactive, curriculum

workshops that focused on specific learning module topics. The second theme was that the

capacity and number of workshops is dependent on the funding that is available through grants.

The third theme was that strong leadership and administration that promoted engagement,

information-sharing, and two-way communication had the greatest rate of success in terms of the

amount of funding the organization received and the amount of annual workshops they hosted.

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Figure 2. PD Interview Thematic Coding Manual

Codes Categories Figure 2. PD Interview Coding Manual

Length of Workshop All day Themes

Location of Services On-Site

Number of constituents State Wide Capacity

Number of Annual Workshops

Collaboration Local Universities National Science Organizations

Membership Students, Families, Community Members

Information Sharing Newsletter Website Information

Grants Federal Independent Science Organizations

Additional Resources

Participant Payments

Evaluations Pre and Post Assessment School District Records External Evaluations

Accreditation Replication of Program

Theory

Model of Implementation

Leadership & Administration

Funding

Results and Successes of

Program

Capacity and Number of Workshops is Dependent on funding available. Additional funding sources leads to greater capacity which leads to more extensive evaluations, which in turn, leads to more funding

There are a variety of different types of workshops that are implemented through Professional Development Programs. The most common are day long, interactive, curriculum workshops focused on specific learning module topics

Strong Leadership and Administration, which included collaborating with similar organizations and universities, actively engaged community members, and participated in open information sharing were the most successful in terms of, the number of annual workshops, the number of annual constituents, rate of funding, and ability to create objective evaluative measures

The most successful PD programs are interactive, focused on specific content topics, and have secured enough support and funding through: active leadership, engagement with multiple stakeholders, and use of objective evaluative measures

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Broome County Elementary Educator Interviews

Elementary Educators in five Broome County School districts were interviewed in order

to assess the specific needs that educators in the area may have. This information was used to

provide findings and recommendations to Kopernik about the specific constituents they intend on

serving. I limited the number of school districts I chose to conduct interviews with based on the

five superintendents I conferred with over the summer. The school districts that Kopernik and I

worked with over the summer of 2014 were Vestal, Union-Endicott, Maine-Endwell, Johnson

City, and Windsor. Initially, I contacted the superintendents to ask for permission to interview

their elementary educators. After the school consented, superintendents emailed a proposal to

educators for participation, see Appendix J. Additionally, potential participants were identified

through Kopernik’s professional networking database, based on local educators who had worked

with Kopernik in the past. Twenty-one educators were identified through Kopernik’s network

connections: seven from Maine-Endwell, five from Vestal, 5 from Windsor, 2 from Johnson

City, and 2 from Union Endicott.

Procedures

After potential educators were directly identified I contacted them via email, see

Appendix J. Seven educators responded to my direct email, and one educator responded to the

superintendent’s call for participation. Five educators agreed to participate in the interviews. The

interviews were conducted the week of March 23, 2015 to March 27, 2015. Each interview was

recorded, based on the consent of the participants, see Appendix K. Each interview took twenty

minutes to a half hour to conduct. The interviews were semi-structured and consisted of eight

open-ended questions, see Appendix L. Educators were asked questions regarding their overall

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experience as an educator, past professional development experiences, current needs, opinions of

Common Core and Next Generation, and perceptions regarding Kopernik hosting a PD program.

The questions led to an open dialogue that encouraged educators to actively discuss their

experiences and concerns. After interviews were complete, I transcribed the recordings manually

and synthesized the transcriptions with the notes I took throughout each interview.

Data Analysis

Educator Interviews were analyzed qualitatively using thematic coding based on each

question, see Appendix M. Questions two and four evaluated the effectiveness of PD programs

and curriculum development. Questions three, six, and seven pertained to teachers professional

needs. Questions five and eight assessed how participants perceived Kopernik’s capacity as an

organization to aid in their professional needs and the needs of their constituents. The data

revealed some mixed results among the opinions of participants. In response to whether or not

past PD programs had been effective all educators agreed that they found past workshops

effective. However, two participants expressed that there were not enough professional

development opportunities focused on science education and that past workshops focused

heavily on math and ELA. One participant stated, “PD is more geared towards common core and

STEM PD is too infrequent to have a lasting impact on classroom practices.”

In regards to the resources that educators need in order to teach science effectively,

participants felt that their greatest challenge was engaging students and making science

interesting. One educator expressed that the curriculum is content heavy and science is taught

through ELA modules, making it difficult to create hands on demonstrations to practice.

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Teachers expressed that the most helpful resources available would be interactive videos and

materials for in-science experiments. Additionally, two teachers felt that they needed training on

how to operate new technology. Interview questions regarding Common Core elicited the most

mixed results. Two teachers fully supported the curriculum and claimed that the have seen

positive changes in the last three years. The other participants also agreed that they have seen

improvements in student’s critical thinking but they also believed that students were losing out

on other important skills. One teacher stated, “It is currently sucking the imagination and

creativity out of children and drowning them in text, making it difficult for educators to engage

them effectively.

Two questions that yielded unanimous results were numbers five and eight. In regards to

both questions, when asked if they believed if Kopernik would be an effective organization to

implement professional development for educators in STEM learning, all five agreed that it

would be utilizable, see Table 1. When participants were asked whether they would be interested

in utilizing an online networking system where teachers in Broome County could communicate

and share resources, as well as find additional resources, all five agreed that it would be

beneficial, see Table 2.

Table 1: Question 5: Do you believe that implementing a professional development workshop will

be useful?

Participant # 1: utilizable96 173 170 1: “Kopernik is a great facility to implement it” 15 1: Only if it is in house Differs from PD interviews30 1: “Teachers crave finding new ways to learn, apply, and

implement knowledge to children in the classroom”

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Table 2: Question 8: Do you believe it would be effective and beneficial for Kopernik to create an

internet network liaison where teachers in Broome County can communicate and share

resources and materials?

Participant # 1: utilizable96 173 170 1: “That would be a great thing to do” 15 1: Schools are already beginning to do this and it will be

helpful 30 1: “Would be so beneficial for teachers to be able to share

resources – the internet would probably be the most efficient and effective outlet to utilize it”

Professional Development Pilot Surveys

Surveys were administered to all elementary educators and aides at Vestal School District

who participated in Kopernik’s Professional Development pilot on Friday, March 13, 2013. The

pilot was held at Vestal High School on their school superintendent day. Kopernik delivered the

same workshop twice. The first pilot ran from 8:00am to 10:00am and the second pilot ran from

10:00am to noon. Four educators participated in the first workshop and seven educators

participated in the second workshop All eleven participants completed the Likert-scale questions,

but only the four participants from the workshop completed the open-ended questions in the

survey.

Procedures

The survey was administered in the last ten minutes of the workshop and was optional to fill out.

It was provided to all participants of Kopernik’s professional development pilot program. The

survey consisted of eight Likert-scale questions and seven open-ended questions, see Appendix

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N. The survey was used to assess the participant’s satisfaction with the workshop, the level of

engagement they felt existed, and recommendations for Kopernik to apply to future workshops. I

input the Likert-scale data from the eleven surveys in to an Excel spreadsheet and then

transcribed the open-ended responses of the four surveys.

Data Analysis

The eight Likert-scale questions in the survey were evaluated quantitatively. The

questions were rated on a scale of 1: Strongly Disagree to 5: Strongly Agree. The data was

analyzed in Microsoft Excel and descriptive statistics were conducted to uncover the standard

deviation and mode related to each survey question. The survey responses yielded positive, but

limited results. All respondents answered each Likert-scale question as a four or five, indicated

that they strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the workshop; they felt the workshop was

engaging, and that it enhanced their professional expertise. All four participants in the first

workshop responded to the open-ended questions of the survey, but none of the seven

participants of the second workshop answered any of the open-ended questions. Based on the

differences between the responses to open ended questions in the first pilot and the second pilot I

chose to analyze the Likert-scale questions of each pilot separately. All participants of the first

pilot answered five to every question, indicating that they were highly satisfied with the

workshop. However, in the second workshop there were mixed responses of four and five. I

conducted a chi-square analysis to assess whether there was a significant difference in response

rate between the first group and the second group using a significance level of p ≤ .05. The

analysis indicated that there was a significant difference in response rate between the first group

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and the second group. However, these finding are limited because of the small sample sizes. For

a copy of all the raw data findings, see Appendix O.

The seven open-ended questions were utilized to conduct a narrative assessment based on

what participants found to be the most effective about the pilot workshop and how Kopernik

could improve the program in the future. The narrative assessment consisted of comparing the

responses to questions of each participant. The data did not need to be coded thematically

because responses among four participants were not long and all made similar statements. The

data indicated that the parts of the workshop that they found the most useful were, the interactive

video that was shown, learning how to apply engineering demonstrations in the classroom, and

being provided with specific activities. The Likert-scale and open-ended data also indicated that

participants felt that the workshop was highly engaging and interactive. One respondent stated,

“It was fun being able to learn about three different activities.” Open ended responses and Likert-

scale responses indicated that the greatest weakness of the workshop was the time limitation

participants had. Participants felt that they needed more time in order to solidify their knowledge

and one participant stated, “I would have loved this workshop to be a double session, SUPER

WORKSHOP!” I compared responses about what educator’s greatest professional needs were to

the responses from the educator interviews. Similar findings emerged indicating that the greatest

resources teachers need are in class activities and demonstrations to engage students and, more

frequent and engaging professional training and development in STEM education.

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Strengths and Limitations

The strengths of my research design is that three different data collection measures have

been utilized to provide the most comprehensive analysis possible. All three data collection

measures were used to assess potential organizational models and collaborative leadership tools.

Specifically, the coding method for professional development surveys was extensive. I coded the

data in three different ways in order to get as much information as I could, despite limited data.

Furthermore, the data collection technique allowed me to obtain information about organizations

on a national level, and address the individualized needs of Broome County educators. This

makes the research applicable to similar organizations who are interested in implementing a

similar program and I was also able to provide specific recommendations for Kopernik to utilize.

The limitations of my research were that there was a small sample size for each method

and I had limited response rates. Only five professional development directors chose to

participate in the professional development interviews and only five teachers chose to participate

in the educator interviews. Furthermore, educators from only three of the five participating

school districts were interviewed directly. Also, while eleven teachers completed the survey

following the professional development pilot, only the four teachers who attended the morning

session gave detailed responses to the open ended questions. This may be attributed to the time

of day that the second workshop was held, which was right before lunch and dismissal. It may

also be that the first workshop was more engaging because there were less participants. Because

of this, my analysis and therefore my findings are not generalizable and lack external validity.

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Findings

Data analysis, based on thematic coding, narrative assessment, and descriptive statistics,

guided by prior research conducted in the literature review, presented six significant findings.

The first two findings were developed based on the thematic coding of professional development

interviews. These findings are:

1. Professional development programs are typically funded through a variety of grants

and do not charge fees to participants and,

2. Organizations that engage and interact with multiple stakeholder receive the most

funding.

Findings three and four were developed based on the data analysis of both educator interviews

and surveys. These findings are:

3. Broome County elementary lack the time and resources to engage students in science

and,

4. Formal training for new educational standards has not been made available, making it

difficult for teachers to implement the curriculum in the classroom.

Finding five and six are based on a culmination of all of the data collected. These

findings are:

5. The most successful professional development programs are interactive, content

specific, allow for pedagogical practice, and are evaluative, and

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6. professional development programs that are collaborative, hands-on, and engaging

are most likely to positively influence classroom practices and lead to greater student

achievement.

Finding 1: Professional Development programs are typically funded through a variety of

grants and do not charge fees to participants

Funding is one of the most important aspects for an organization to consider when

deciding whether or not it has the capacity to expand and create new programs. This is especially

true for non-profit organizations, such as Kopernik, that operate on a limited budget. Professional

development directors expressed in interviews that the majority of their funding comes from

grants. Most of the grants received are federal education grants through the Department of

Education and, for one organization, the Department of Defense. Other grants are administered

by national science organizations such as, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the

Institute of Educational Sciences (IES). Additionally, organizations can also receive grants from

private lender organizations, such as the local Broome County Klee Foundation. Grants can be

used for a specific workshop program or they can be applied to the entire sphere of educational

enhancement for the organization. How grant funds are utilized is dependent on what type of

grant it is and what purpose the grant is intended to serve.

Organizations were able to provide free professional development by utilizing grants

specific to enhancing teacher development. None of the organizations, except one, charged

educators for participation. In fact, most organizations provided a stipend of $100 to $150 dollars

for participation plus additional resources. Furthermore, teachers were also able to receive credits

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for participation within three of the organizations. One director explained that all programs are

free to participants and that after teachers enroll and participate they must complete a survey,

which the organization assesses. After the organization evaluates the program, it sends the

findings to the grant donor and they receive a reimbursement within the month to provide

teachers with a stipend for participating. Because of the positive feedback and the extensive

evaluative techniques, the organization is able to secure funding to keep the professional

development program in operation.

Finding 2: Organizations that engage and interact with multiple stakeholders receive the most

funding

Funding is an integral component of organizational capacity so it is important to

understand how successful programs manage their budgets. Organizations that receive the most

funding are able to offer more numerous and extensive professional development. The capacity

and the number of workshops that organizations can implement are dependent on the amount of

funding they have available. Additional funding sources from donations, fundraisers, and

membership fees leads will help promote organizational growth. In order for organizations to

receive additional sources of funding they must be engaged and interact with multiple

stakeholders that can provide these fiscal resources. The most influential stakeholders include

local universities and similar professional organizations. Other sponsors are community

members, local government officials, and local businesses.

Engaging diverse stakeholders requires strong administrative leadership. These skills

include information sharing, open two-way communication, and consistent positive interaction

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with various groups of people. Organizations that accomplished this were more successful in

terms of the number of annual workshops delivered, the number of annual constituents served,

their rate of funding, and their ability to evaluate their programs objectively. This finding was

uncovered based on the comparison of process evaluations among the PD directors interviewed.

One organization in particular had the most extensive program and funding. The organization

had a relationship with a university who provided external evaluations for the program in order

to secure a 120,000-dollar federal grant. The organization used the grant to create an extensive,

in house, online communication system to make it easier for teachers and professionals to get

access to materials, communicate with one another, and sign up for workshops. The program has

received so much attention that other organizations have worked with them in order to replicate

their model.

Finding 3: Broome County elementary educators lack the time and resources to engage

students in science

All of the educators in Broome County interviewed mentioned that it has become

increasingly difficult to demonstrate science practice in the classroom actively. Teachers

discussed that because Common Core measures have become increasingly emphasized, time

spent on science has been cut down to only a half an hour each day. Furthermore, science lessons

are based on the Common Core ELA curriculum guidelines, which do not provide children with

the ability to apply theoretical concepts pedagogically. Teachers unanimously agreed that hands

on materials were needed to do in class experiments and activities in order to apply knowledge

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concepts. Teachers expressed the need for these materials to be of little to no cost, easy to obtain,

and applicable to the curriculum.

Additionally, one teacher from Windsor expressed that science textbooks for her second

grade classroom were extremely outdated, and that she only had five textbooks for a classroom

of 28 students. The same teacher also expressed the need for additional classroom resources such

as telescopes and metric measurement tools in order to engage students. Furthermore, within the

open-ended responses of the surveys, participants expressed that they found the video shown in

the beginning of the pilot workshop to be engaging and believed it would be an effective

resource to utilize in the classroom and that they would like to have access to more resources and

videos like it.

The teachers interviewed also explained that professional workshops they participate in

need to be applicable to their coursework curriculum. Educators expressed how valuable and

minimal their time is. Teachers have a great deal of pressure on them and have many

expectations that they are expected to fulfill. One of them is that they are expected to participate

in a certain number of professional development hours every year in order to remain qualified to

teach. Teachers tend to choose in PD programs that are the most efficient and effective. One

educator expressed that in-house PD programs are more suitable because it does not require

teachers to travel outside of their school building. Furthermore, the literature shows that

educators are also likely to sign up for PD programs that have the greatest impact on their

professions. Multiple sources in the literature expressed that the added emphasis on Common

Core and teacher evaluations have left little room for science practice (Elmore, 2000; Fakayode

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et al., 2014). Because of this, educators are less likely to sign up for PD programs related to

science unless it is emphasized in the school curriculum.

Finding 4: Formal training for new educational standards have not been made available,

making it difficult for teachers to implement in the classroom

Literature regarding professional development for science educators highlights the

importance of adapting practices around the new standards to promote continuous professional

growth (Abrahams et al., 2014). Based on the responses from the educators interviewed, all

teachers agreed, to a certain extent, that the new standards were beneficial and effective.

Teachers expressed that they have seen growth and improvement since the first year of Common

Core implementation and that students are able to notice concepts more quickly, think more

critically, and express themselves more logically. Some teachers were bigger proponents than

others were. A second grade teacher, from Maine-Endwell, was in full support of the new

standards and expressed that when longitudinal studies are conducted in the future, benefits will

become more apparent. However, a kindergarten educator, also from Maine-Endwell, expressed

that while they saw the potential benefits of a more rigorous curriculum, they believed it was too

developmentally advanced for four and five year olds. One teacher stated, “Students no longer

have time to socialize and play, and that is how children learn at a young age.” The same teacher

also expressed that they believed children were missing learning other valuable things, like

developing fine motor skills and, creative and imaginative thinking.

While all teachers expressed a certain degree of support for the new standards, some also

expressed that their attitude towards the curriculum have changed since the first year of

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implementation. A lot of this has to do with teachers becoming more comfortable with the new

material, and gaining a better understanding of their expectations after a school year of

experience. Every single educator expressed that their greatest struggle with the Common Core

adaptation is that they were not given enough time to prepare and did not receive adequate,

professional training on how to effectively alter the curriculum in alignment with the standards.

When teachers were asked if they would be interested in a PD seminar that focused specifically

on Next Generation standards once they were implemented in New York State they unanimously

agreed that, not only would they be interested but, that they felt it would be necessary, especially

because elementary teachers tend to lack formal expertise in STEM education. A description of

responses is presented in table 3.

Table 3: Educator responses on “how to integrate the new Next Generation Science standards

into professional development and the classroom”

How to integrate new standards

A series of seminar workshops should be held in the summer before the next gen standards are implemented to help teachers understand how read the charts and become acquainted with the new standards

Absolutely necessary to have PD training courses that help teachers disseminate the new standards and provide tools for how to integrate the curriculum in to the classroom effectively

Slower pace, update to make more developmentally appropriate; allow kids to be kids; learning should be hands on and excitingWorkshop that explicitly explains Next Gen is necessary

Start implementing workshops once Next Gen is finally adapted – if you try and do so before hand there will be no buy in

“Implement the first series of workshop to launch the program as a summer seminar before Next Gen is adapted locally”

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Additionally, one teacher expressed that school districts are implementing new, interactive

technologies in to the classroom, but that they lack formal training on how to utilize these

resources most effectively. It is especially important that teachers be provided with the

information, knowledge, and resources to utilize the expensive technology that schools are

investing money in. These tools have the ability to make a profound and positive difference on

student learning if utilized effectively. Furthermore, the narrative assessment of the open ended

responses to surveys found that many participants had little or no knowledge of engineering,

modules or hands on classroom activities and one stated, “the school does not focus on science

nearly enough and technology and engineering practice is not even in the curriculum.”

Finding 5: The most successful professional development programs are interactive, content

specific, allows for pedagogical practice, and evaluative

Professional development interview participants indicated that a combination of diverse

workshops that coincide with school curriculums need to be implemented throughout the year in

order to be beneficial to teacher. Program directors expressed that their PD workshops were

hands on and interactive. None of the directors interviewed had programs that were lecture or

seminar style. Program models differed in terms of length of time and the topics that were

available based on the capacity and focus of the organization. One organization was a botanical

center and chose to offer professional development in topics only related to botany and biology.

Another organization, most similar to Kopernik, was a Science and Astronomy Center and

focused professional development on physics, astronomy, and engineering. The other

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organizations were full service science centers and so they were able to offer more integrated

services based on their extensive areas of expertise and large staff size.

These findings differ somewhat from the expectations based off the literature that

Kopernik would have to expand the scope of the organization to include other areas of science in

order to offer a professional development program. What is most important for implementing

effective professional development is not broad knowledge of every science topic but rather

extensive expertise in a specific area of science that will allow teachers to build-upon and

enhance the knowledge they already have. Educators expressed in interviews that they have a

basic understanding of science concept but they are lacking the expertise to turn basic concepts

in to ‘real-life’ experiments in order to apply them. Focusing on specific topics is the most

effective way to solidify knowledge, and this concept directly coincides with the basic principles

of the Next Generation standards.

However, there may be potential for disparity in Kopernik’s ability address the

crosscutting concepts of interdisciplinary science topics expressed within the new standards

effectively, if they choose not to expand the scope of their organization. This challenge was

expressed in the literature review in regards to the complexity, normativity, and finitude of both

the social and physical sciences (Farrel & Hooker, 2013; Rittel & Weber, 1973. However, it is

important to note that what teacher’s value most from PD programs is the ability to engage and

share resources with other professionals. Teachers also like to be provided with take-away

materials to utilize in the classroom and receiving additional curriculum and interaction

resources after the workshop through newsletters and online resources. Providing tangible

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resources and materials that would otherwise not be available and can be utilized to guide

classroom practices is an effective way to positively alter teaching practices and enhance student

achievement.

Finding 6: Professional development programs that provide continuous growth and learning

opportunities are most likely to positively influence classroom practices and lead to greater

student achievement

Successful professional development cannot be a “one-stop” shop. It must be developed

over time to provide opportunities that will allow participants to continue to grow. One director

stated, “If only one workshop a year is available, teachers will likely not sign up for it, and if

they did it would not have a lasting impact on their classroom practices.” Directors also stated

that multiple workshops throughout the year are necessary because science and technology

evolve so rapidly and new discoveries are being made every day. Furthermore, directors stated

that in order to be eligible for grants, organizations need to prove that their programs are

effective, and one way to do so is to provide a variety of opportunities for educators to

participate to more adequately assess the impact it has on teacher development.

Educator interviews indicated that all teachers yearned for continuous professional

growth. All interviewees expressed that they value professional development opportunities and

that their experiences with them have benefited their professional expertise. One teacher

explicitly stated, “I love participating in professional development. I love learning new things

that I can bring back to the classroom and provide to my students. I think it is so important that

as educators, we never stop learning. I would love to have more access to professional

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development in science, I think it’s something teachers in the area are really struggling with right

now and would be universally beneficial.” Additionally, based on the interviews of professional

development directors, I found that the organization that received the most support and reached

the greatest amount of constituents annually also offered the greatest number of programs

throughout the year.

One aspect of this finding that is important to keep in mind is that while teachers desire

additional professional development their time is extremely limited which can make it difficult to

participate. Professional development workshops should be developed and implemented based

on the availability of teachers. In one educator interview, the teacher expressed that the most

effective professional development workshops are “in-house,” meaning teachers do not have to

travel outside of the school building and the program comes to them. However, professional

development interviews indicated that all organizations host their workshops on-site, meaning

teachers have to come to them. It will be important for Kopernik to align their programs with the

specific needs of their constituents while also keeping in mind their own organizational capacity.

The organization will have to consider what the best location for the program is in order to host

the most engaging workshop. These ideas are discussed further in the following

recommendations section.

Recommendations

After analyzing the data and uncovering the above-mentioned findings, four

recommendations have been made for Kopernik to implement a successful professional

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development program. The first two recommendations focus on the tasks for Kopernik to

accomplish before the program is launched. These recommendations are:

1. Seek additional funding for program implementation through collaboration with various

organizations and stakeholders, and apply for grants and,

2. Design a series of annual workshops, as well as, a workshop specific to the Next

Generation standards.

Recommendations three and four are intended to help guide Kopernik through

implementation and extending development. These recommendations are:

3. Implement the program in alignment with New York States adaptation of Next

Generation Standards and,

4. Create a Professional Development Website.

Recommendation 1: Seek additional support for program implementation through

collaboration with various organizations and stakeholders, and apply for grants

There are variety of means that Kopernik can utilize in order to secure additional support and

funding to implement this program. One of the greatest resources available to Kopernik is

Binghamton University. Kopernik has utilized the Department of Public Administration in the

past to employ interns for research and development. Kopernik should continue to work with the

MPA department and consider expanding upon relationships in the College of Community and

Public Affairs. Kopernik can utilize the resources that the Center for Applied Research and

Community Development (CACRD) provides as an external evaluator for the program in the

future. External evaluations that show that the program is effective will help secure future 33

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funding. Kopernik can also work with grant writers in order to apply for additional funding.

Kopernik has already been successful at securing one grant, but the grant will not be enough to

cover all of the expenses expected. I researched grant opportunities that are coming up within the

next year that Kopernik may be eligible to apply for. Table 4 provides a list of these grants, the

organization that is funding it, application deadlines, and a link to application information.

Table 4. List of Available Grants

Organization Type of Grant Deadline Link

NASA Multiple ROSES opportunities Varies NASA ROSES

National Science Foundation Innovative Technology

Experiences for Students and

Teachers (ITEST)

12/2015 ITEST

National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12 12/2015 Discovery

National Science Foundation National STEM Education

Distributed Learning (NSDL)

12/2015 NSDL

Institute of Education Sciences Various Varies IES

National Education Association Educational Leadership Varies NEA

Gladys Brooks Foundation Education Grant 5/29/15 Gladys Brooks

Braitmayer Foundation K-12 Education 2016

Opportunities

Braitmayer

Honda STEM Education Varies Honda

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Additionally, I recommend that Kopernik also continue to work the Roberson Museum and

Science Center located in Binghamton, New York. Roberson and Kopernik have worked

together in the past and share a similar mission. Roberson is a slightly larger organization; they

have more full time staff members and programs available. Roberson has also begun to look in to

implementing professional development programs in response to the upcoming changes to the

state standards. If Kopernik were to work with Roberson and implement professional

development together, they could both have more extensive program development, produce more

annual programs, and secure a greater amount of future funding. Another science center in

Binghamton that Kopernik may want to utilize is the Discovery Center of the Southern Tier. The

DCST may be able to provide Kopernik with additional hand-on materials and resources to teach

lessons to students.

Additionally, Kopernik may wish to consider implementing their workshop through the

Broome Tioga Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES). BOCES offers a multitude of

different types of professional development for educators in Broome and Tioga County, but not

much STEM education. The resources they have and the relationship they have with school

districts makes this a much less expensive option for both the organization and participants.

Finally, Kopernik may wish to reach out to Tracey Toome, the executive director of professional

development for the Challenger Education Center in Colorado. This particular organization has

provided professional development for over ten years. The organization works with other science

centers to help them replicate their model and guide them through implementation. Tracy is one

of the executive directors I conducted an interview with and she expressed that it was okay to use

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her name and information as a reference for future development purposes and urged Kopernik to

contact her if they should need any guidance in the future.

Recommendation 2: Design a series of annual workshops, as well as, a workshop specific to

the Next Generation Standards

The findings discussed the importance of making a variety of workshops available

annually, in order for teachers to continuously build upon and solidify their skills. This requires

designing more topic workshops based on the current design model that has already been

created. Teachers felt that, in regards to the new Next Generation standards, they would need

more focused and formal training, in order to understand the new standards and guidelines. The

current design model only accents subject workshops and topics listed within the standard

guidelines. A more comprehensive workshop should be designed, that integrates all of the

smaller topic frameworks, and thoroughly explains the curriculum, guidelines, and expectations

in regards to the new standards, once they are adapted. Within the scope of Kopernik, and

dependent on how much additional funding the organization can secure, I believe Kopernik has

the capacity to deliver between five to ten workshops annually.

Recommendation Three: Wait to launch the program in alignment with New York States

adaptation of Next Generation standards

New York State is in the process of adapting the federal standards and is hoping to

implement new state standards by the 2016 – 2017 school year. The organization will have to

continue following along with policy updates to prepare themselves for when the new standards

are implemented. After New York State releases the standards, Kopernik will have to

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disseminate them, in terms of their alignment to the national standards. I recommend that

Kopernik wait to launch the program for two reasons. The first is because the organization will

need time to continue building the program, based on prior recommendations. They will need to

develop a more comprehensive workshop to explain the new standards and they will need to

develop more topic related workshops. This will require both time and money. Within the next

year, Kopernik should continue researching and applying for professional development and

education related grants through local organizations, and state and federal grants. The second

reason is that the NYS school curriculum currently focuses so heavily on common core. Because

of this, most professional development participation is geared towards math and ELA. Teachers

lack the time to participate in extensive professional development unless it will directly influence

them professionally, as expressed in finding three. If the state standards and curriculum do not

focus on science, teachers will not see STEM PD as practical, due to their time limitations.

Therefore teachers will not participate in professional development for science unless there are

updated standards and curriculum guidelines for how to implement them in the classroom.

Recommendation Four: Create a Professional Development Website

In order to continue to engage educators and promote continuous growth, a website or a

link attached to Kopernik’s existing website, should be created, for teachers and administrators

to stay connected and up to date with continuing professional development opportunities made

available by Kopernik. The website can provide newsletters and a listserv of upcoming events to

educators and past PD participants. The website can also provide a place for teachers to sign up

for workshops and additional organizational events that may be of interest to them. Furthermore,

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the organization can use the website to provide distance-learning materials like videos,

worksheets, curriculum guidelines, and activity ideas for teachers to use in classroom practice.

Finally, the website can provide a messaging board where teachers can network with one

another, discuss their experiences, and share resources, quickly and easily. The website will help

promote engagement and collaboration as can also provide advertising for PD programs at a

minimal cost. Educators expressed that a website would be the most effective way to engage a

large constituent base and would be the most utilizable resource for communication and resource

sharing.

Conclusion

Implementing an effective professional development program that is engaging and

collaborative requires proper time, funding, resources, and organizational capacity. The most

successful professional development programs are interactive and focus on specific content

topics. The Kopernik Observatory and Science Center can secure enough support and funding to

effectively implement a professional development programs by engaging multiple stakeholders

through active leadership, providing continuous opportunities for professional growth, and

developing objective evaluative measures.

Kopernik has to consider a few more options, outside of the recommendations, in order

for the new program effective. These decisions will be determined based on the funding and

physical capacity of Kopernik. These will include whether or not to charge teachers for

participation, make workshops free, or provide stipends to participants. Kopernik should also

consider whether it would be more effective to host workshops on-site (organization) or in-house

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(school buildings). Finally, Kopernik should measure whether it has the fiscal capacity to

provide take away materials for teachers to use in classrooms to do demonstrations and hand-on

learning activities with students.

Kopernik has the capability to provide hands-on, engaging, and effective professional

development workshops to Broome County educators that will enhance STEM knowledge for

both teachers and students. The findings uncovered that the service is something that is not only

desired, but is a necessity, in the region. Furthermore, there is confidence that the organization

will be a successful entity, and teachers are willing to utilize the services. The recommendations

will help guide Kopernik on how to implement their program the most effectively. If Kopernik

can continue to develop strong and effective leadership qualities, work with other organizations

and school districts, and develop additional capacity through funding, a professional develop

program geared towards STEM education will be an excellent new entity to the Southern Tier.

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References

Abrahams, I., Reiss, M. J., & Sharpe, R. (2014). The impact of the 'getting practical: Improving

practical work in science' continuing professional development programme on teachers'

ideas and practice in science practical work. Research in Science & Technological

Information, 32(3), 263-280.

Anderson, L. M., & Stillman, J. A. (2013). Student Teaching’s Contribution to Preservice

Teacher Development A Review of Research Focused on the Preparation of Teachers for

Urban and High-Needs Contexts. Review of Educational Research, 83(1), 3-69.

Andronie, M. (2014). Measuring the E-Learning and Distance Learning Systems Performance.

eLearning & Software for Education, (1).

Besel, K., Williams, C. L., & Klak, J. (2011). Nonprofit sustainability during times of

uncertainty. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 22(1), 53-65.

Boxelaar, L., Paine, M., & Beilin, R. (2006). Community engagement and public administration:

Of silos, overlays, and technologies of government. Australian Journal of Public

Administration, 65(1), 113-126.

Desimone, L., Smith, T., & Phillips, K. (2013). Linking student achievement growth to

PD participation and changes in instruction: A longitudinal study

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IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

of elementary students and teachers in Title I Schools.Teachers College Record, 115(5),

1-46.

Elmore, R. F. (2000). Building a new structure for school leadership. Washington, D.C: The

Albert Shanker Institute.

Fakayode, S. O., Pollard, D. A., Snipes, V. T., & Atkinson, A. (2014). Offering a geoscience

Professional development program to promote science education and provides hands-on

experiences for K-12 educators. Journal of Chemical Education,91, 1882-1886.

Farrell, R., & Hooker, C. (2013). Design, science and wicked problems. Design Studies, 34(6),

681-705.

Fullan, M., & Hargreaves, A. (2012). Transforming teaching in every school. Professional

capital (515-517). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Irish, C., & O'Callaghan, W. G. (2013). Who Is Responsible for Education in a Community?

Implications of Living in the Education Silo. National Civic Review, 102(2), 17-19.

Kapucu, N. (2012). Classrooms as communities of practice: Designing and faciliating learning in

a networked environment. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 18(3), 585-610.

Lemke, J. L. (2001). Articulating communities: Sociocultural perspectives on science

education. Journal of research in science teaching, 38(3), 296-316.

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O'Leary, R., Williams, D. G., Plein, L. C., & Lilly, R. (1998). Professional and career

development: The MPA portfolio approach. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 4(4),

277-285.

Ospina, S., & Foldy, E. (2010). Building bridges from the margins: The work of leadership in

social change organizations. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(2), 292-307.

Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. P. (2007). What makes

PD effective? Strategies that foster curriculum

implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921-958.

Rittel, H. W., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy

sciences, 4(2), 155-169.

Schweingruber, H., Keller, T., & Quinn, H. (Eds.). (2012). Part One: A New Conceptual

Framework. A Framework for K-12 Science Education:: Practices, Crosscutting

Concepts, and Core Ideas. National Academies Press.

Slepkov, H. (2008). Teacher professional growth in an authentic learning environment. Journal

of Research on Technology in Education, 41(1), 85-111.

Szteinberg, G., Balicki, S., Banks, G., Clinchot, M., Cullipher, S., Huie, R., Sevian, H. (2014).

Collaborative PD in chemistry education research: Bridging the gap

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between research and practice. Journal of Chemical Education, 91, 1401-1408.

U.S. Department of Education, (2009). Race to the Top, Executive Summary. Retrieved from

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf

U.S. Department of Education (2012). Common Core National Education Standards. Retrieved

from http://www.corestandards.org/

Zavattaro, S. M. (2010). Municipalities as public relations and marketing firms.Administrative

Theory & Praxis, 32(2), 191-211.

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Appendix A

Date:                   March 9, 2015

To:                       Tinamarie Williams, CCPA

From:                  Sharon A. Bryant, Chair

Human Subjects Research Review Committee

Subject:              Human Subjects Research Approval

Protocol Number: 3455-15

Protocol title: Implementing Effective Professional Development Programs for Elementary STEM Educators through the Non-Profit Sector

 

Your project identified above was reviewed by the HSRRC and has received an expedited approval pursuant to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regulations, 45 CFR 46.110(7).  The Informed Consent document has been approved – for a period of one year – with the following Waivers: 46.116 (4) Waiver alternate treatment, 46.116 (6) Waiver of requiring whether medical treatments are available if injury occurs

An expedited status requires that you will be required to submit a Continuing Review application annually as outlined by Federal Guidelines:  46.109 (e) An IRB shall conduct continuing review of research covered by this policy at intervals appropriate to the degree of risk, but not less than once per year, and shall have authority to observe or have a third party observe the consent process and the research.

If your project undergoes any changes these changes must be reported to our office prior to implementation, using the form listed below: http://humansubjects.binghamton.edu/2009_Forms/012_Modification%20Form.rtf

Principal Investigators or any individual involved in the research must report any problems involving the conduct of the study or subject participation.  Any problems involving the recruitment and consent processes or any deviations from the approved protocol should be reported in writing within five (5) business days as outlined in Binghamton University –Human Subjects Research Review Office - Policy and procedures IX.F.1 Unanticipated problems/adverse event/complaints.  We also require that the following form be submitted. http://humansubjects.binghamton.edu/Forms/Forms/Adverse%20Event%20Form.rtf

University policy requires you to maintain as a part of your records, any documents pertaining to the use of human subjects in your research.  This includes any information or materials 

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conveyed to, and received from, the subjects, as well as any executed consent forms, data and analysis results.  These records must be maintained for at least six years after project completion or termination.  If this is a funded project, you should be aware that these records are subject to inspection and review by authorized representative of the University, State and Federal governments.

 

Please notify this office when your project is complete by completing and forwarding to our office the following form:http://humansubjects.binghamton.edu/Forms/Forms/Protocol%20Closure%20Form.rtf

Upon notification we will close the above referenced file.  Any reactivation of the project will require a new application.

 

This documentation is being provided to you via email. A hard copy will not be mailed unless you request us to do so.

 

Thank you for your cooperation, I wish you success in your research, and please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions or require further assistance.

 

cc: file

Nadia Rubaii

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Appendix B

Date:                   March 25, 2015

To:                       Tinamarie Williams, CCPA

From:                  Thomas A. Burke, Research Compliance Administrator

Subject:              Modification Approval

Protocol Number: 3455-15

Protocol title: Implementing Effective Professional Development Programs for Elementary STEM Educators through the Non-Profit Sector

Your project, identified above, was reviewed by the HSRRC and your modification, which consists of move from focus group data collection design to multiple telephone interviews, has received an expedited approval pursuant to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regulations, 45 CFR 46.110(b)(2).  Researcher previously requested a waiver of documentation of informed consent which was granted.

If your project undergoes any other changes, these changes must be reported to our office prior to implementation.

 

Please notify this office when your project is complete by completing and forwarding to our office the Protocol Closure form, found at the following link: http://research.binghamton.edu/Compliance/humansubjects/COEUS_Docs.php

Upon notification we will close the above referenced file.  Any reactivation of the project will require a new application.

 

This documentation is being provided to you via email. A hard copy will not be mailed unless you request us to do so.

 

cc: file

Nadia Rubaii

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Appendix C

# Science Center

1 Birch Aquarium

2 California Academy of Sciences

3 Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center

4 Cranbook Institute of Science

5 Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

6 Exploratorium

7 Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

8 Discovery Center Museum

10 Chabot Space & Science Center

11 Liberty Science Center

12 Maryland Science Center

13 The Lawrence Hall of Science

14 NY Hall of Science

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Appendix D

Initial Email to Executive/Program Directors to participate in an Interview

Dear [Potential Executive/Program Director],

My name is TinaMarie Williams and I am a Master of Public Administration candidate at Binghamton University. I am currently conducting research in order to complete my requirements for graduation. The information will be utilized by the nonprofit 501c(3) Kopernik Observatory and Science Center, located in Vestal, NY, in order to implement a new Professional Development program, which will offer science curriculum workshops and resources for elementary educators in Broome County, New York.

I am inviting you to participate in a research study that is seeking to uncover what the best model of Professional Development implementation for elementary educators is and what types of leadership qualities are necessary in order for an organization to create a successful Professional Development Program. You are being asked to participate because your organization was listed on a database via tryscience.org as a science center that offers professional development programs for educators.

The nature of the study is to participate in a 30 to 45 minute recorded, anonymous, semi-structured phone interview regarding the organizational and leadership model of your Professional Development program, as well as how the program is funded. The interview will be scheduled based upon your personal availability. We expect approximately 25 organizations, located nationally to participate.

If you agree to participate:

- please email me back indicating your interest as well as your available schedule to conduct the interview

- The interview will consist of 7 to 9 structured questions regarding:o organizational design that is being implemented

o greatest sources of funding

o teacher satisfaction ratings

- These questions are expected to lead to a broader conversational dialogue regarding the

operations of the professional development program

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In order to protect confidentiality of all participants, if you consent interviews will be recorded

but names of individuals and organizations will not be used in the transcription of information.

I will make my findings and recommendations available to you after the study is complete, upon

your request.

If you have any questions regarding this research, you can contact me, TinaMarie Williams at

631-278-4143.

Your decision whether or not to participate will not prejudice your future relations with Binghamton University or the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center. If you decide to participate, you are not obligated to answer all questions, and may choose, for any reason, to stop at any time.

Questions about your rights as a volunteer in research can be directed to Binghamton University’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee at (607) 777-3818.

Thank you for your potential participation with this study.

Sincerely,

TinaMarie Williams Binghamton University B.S. in Human Development, 13’MPA Candidate, Spring 15’

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Appendix E

Oral Consent and Audio Consent Letter for PD Interviews

HELLO—My name is TinaMarie Williams and I am a Masters of Public Administration degree candidate at Binghamton University. I am currently conducting research in order to complete my requirements for graduation. The information will be utilized by the nonprofit 501c(3) Kopernik Observatory and Science Center, located in Vestal, NY, in order to implement a new Professional Development program, which will offer science curriculum workshops and resources for elementary educators in Broome County, New York.

I am inviting you to participate in a research study that is seeking to uncover what the best model of Professional Development implementation for elementary educators is and what types of leadership qualities are necessary in order for an organization to create a successful Professional Development Program. You are being asked to participate because your organization was listed on a database via tryscience.org as a science center that offers professional development programs for educators.

The nature of the study is to participate in a 30 to 45 minute anonymous, semi-structured phone interview regarding the organizational and leadership model of your Professional Development program, as well as how the program is funded. This interview was scheduled based upon your personal availability. I expect approximately 10 organizations, located nationally to participate. The name of your organization will not be used in any of the research and your individual anonymity will be protected.

Your decision whether or not to participate will not prejudice your future relations with Binghamton University or the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center. If you decide to participate, you are not obligated to answer all questions, and may choose, for any reason, to stop at any time.

If you have any questions regarding this research, you can contact me, TinaMarie Williams at 631-278-4143. Questions about your rights as a volunteer in research can be directed to Binghamton University’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee at (607) 777-3818.

Do you consent to participate?

Audio Consent:

You have already agreed to participate in a research study entitled Implementing Effective Professional Development Programs for Elementary STEM educators conducted by TinaMarie Williams. I am asking for your permission to allow myself to include an audio recording of our

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interview as part of that research study. You do not have to agree to be recorded in order to participate in the main part of the study. If you do not consent to being recorded, I will take notes during our interview.

The recording(s) will be used for transcription and analysis of your responses in order to code for themes and similarities of your organizations professional development program implementation and leadership in comparison to other non-profit science centers professional development program implantation and leadership styles.

The recording(s) will not include any identifying information at all. Your individual anonymity and the anonymity of your organization will be fully protected.

The recording(s) will be conducted on my personal IPhone using the RecordACall App. The recordings will be stored in a locked folder on my IPhone. Furthermore, my IPhone is password protected and I will be the only person who has access to it

Your verbal consent to continue with this interview grants myself, TinaMarie Williams, permission to record you as described above during the participation in the proceeding interview I will not use the recording(s) for any other reason than that/those stated in the consent form without your permission.

Do you consent to being recorded for the purposes of this interview?

If they say yes, begin recording and repeat the above script and then proceed:

Do you have any questions about the research project? May I proceed with the first question?

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Appendix F

Semi-Structured Interview Questions for Executive/Program Directors of Professional

Development Programs

1. How long has your PD program been in operation?

2. How many teachers/school districts is the program available to?

3. What design model does the organization use to implement program(s)?

4. Does the organization offer additional resources (distance learning, science supplies,

access to professional information, i.e. NASA)

5. What is the programs main source of funding?

6. Has the program received any rewards? If so, which ones?

7. Has the organization collected any data to assess the satisfaction rating of teachers who

participate in the program(s)? If so, what has the information indicated?

8. Has the program been ranked by any outside evaluative organizations? If so, how well

has the program ranked?

9. What are the expectations for the future of the program regarding Common Core and

Next Generation Standards?

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Appendix G

Initial Professional Development Thematic Coding through Process Evaluation

Inputs:

16 45 46 76Organizational Serves

surrounding public school district

some private schools

some neighboring counties

workshops taught by staff members and guest speakers

90 percent in state

Variety of different programs

most workshops free – never more than 100 dollars

Online interactive system

serves about 800 teachers a year

Serves the entire state and has organizations come from out of state to replicate model – contact about advice

Online system created in house to get information to teachers, students, family, and administration

Open to all participants; work directly with school districts within county – intended to connect with underserved teachers

typically help on Saturdays – do not provide sub teachers for participation

no longer do distance learning – lack of funding; all internal evaluations

curriculum already aligned with next gen; program is hosted on site at the science center; no placeholder fee – workshops are free

fifty educators per workshop; minimum 2 to 6 annually – vary based on funding

director conducts all workshops

interactive and hands-on Stakeholders Members provide

dues

Surrounding Universities

NASA US Dept of Defense

NASA

local university

Texas Christian University

Airforce Academy

members

Underserved teachers

local districts

museums

NASA

NSF

NOAH

John Hopkins

local universities

Time 2 week summer 2 day 3 day workshops Usually all on Saturdays all

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workshop

8 workshops throughout year

2 additional for challenged

teachers

8 hour seminars offered on

Saturdays or superintendents

days

8 hr/day workshops

4 hour nightly workshops

all day workshops

2 to 6 hours

curriculum workshops

throughout the year (day long)

summer sessions (day long and continuous)

day workshops (8 hours)

Activities:

16 45 46 76Programs Offered Botany and

BiologyVariety:

“Teachers Night Out”

College and Career Readiness

multiple day summer camps

Variety:

Guest speakers – astronauts

interactive demonstrations

presentations

see above

2 to 6 annually based on funding and where the grant is coming from – mostly astronomy, physics, and engineering related

Fees Does not charge teachers

8 to 10 programs a year

Training classes to align curriculum to Common Core

Part of program fee charged to teachers

community service is free for guest speakers

grant funding

evaluations of every workshop – surveys

Program fee charged to teachers for some programs – mostly just to fill slots – teachers reimburse

specific loans for specific workshops:

NASA – space grant, US Dept of Defense – air force 3 day workshop, infrastructure for in house computer system

all programs are evaluated – extensive

Grant funded exclusively – teachers DO NOT pay

most are federal grants through stakeholder mentioned

internal evaluations are conducted for every workshop for the purposes of receiving future grants

evaluations are Likert scale surveys completed by participants

updating workshops to include Next Gen workshops

provide 100 dollar stipends for teachers

grant funds are received monthly

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programs have pre and post evaluations, student achievement over time is collected

Networking Local Universities

Public School Districts

Internet Resources

Teachers enroll to receive credit

Newspaper

Local University

School Districts

Local school districts – student records; federal organizations, science organizations, members, state, TCU – external evaluations

NASA

NSF

NOAH

John Hopkins

local school districts

tried to push for newspaper media through PR but was ineffective

Outputs:

16 45 46 76In Class Resources Take deposits for

resources: upon completion of course teachers are refunded and get to keep resources

Curriculum guides Curriculum guides used to facilitate school field trips to coincide with PD sessions

NASA dvds, education booklets, worksheets, curriculum guides, in class demonstrations

depends on workshop

Curriculum Guides Curriculum Guides are online to download

handed out during workshops

See above Yes: Science at Home Curriculum Guides available in all science subjects

Videos Pictures on website NASA interactive video presentations

Yes: DIY science comes with videos to demonstrate

Online Connections

Sign up to Become a member

Annual Newsletter Extensive in house online networking system – took 6 years to create through a 150k grants through Dept of Defense

Online DIY science materials; Talk to a Teacher online and phone resource

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Appendix H

Professional Development Interview Thematic In Vivo Coding Categorization

Category 1: Model of Implementation

1. Code: length of workshops

a. Sub code: 3 day

b. Sub code: 2 day

c. Sub code: All day (8 hour)

d. Sub code: Curriculum Workshop (2-6 hours)

2. Code: location of Services

a. Sub code: In – house (on school grounds)

b. Sub code: On – Site (Organization location)

c. Sub code: Distance – Internet

3. Code: Number of constituents

a. Sub code: State-wide

b. Sub code: district based

c. Sub code: All participants welcome

d. Sub code: Capacity (total number of educators annually)

4. Code: Number of annual workshops

5. Code: Additional resources available

a. Sub code: Curriculum Guides

b. Sub code: In class demonstrations/activities

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c. Sub code: Science Supplies

d. Sub code: interactive videos

Category 2: Leadership & Administration

1. Code: Collaboration

a. Sub code: Similar organizations

b. Sub code: local universities

c. Sub code: National Science Organizations (NASA, NOAH, NSF, ICS)

2. Code: Membership

b. Sub code: school districts

c. Sub code: individual teachers

d. Sub code: Students, Families, & Community Members

3. Code: Information Sharing

a. Sub code: Newsletter (mail and email)

b. Sub code: Website information

c. Sub code: direct communication (in-person; phone)

Category 3: Funding

1. Code: Grants

a. Sub code: local

b. Sub code: state

c. Sub code: federal

d. Sub code: Independent Science Organization

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2. Code: Additional sources (Depends on Organizational Capacity)

a. Sub code: membership dues

b. Sub code: fundraising

c. Sub code: donations

3. Code: Participant Payments (Depends on Specific Workshop)

a. Sub code: free (no cost, no gain)

b. Sub code: Stipend (teachers receive payment or credits)

c. Sub code: Placeholder fee (teachers’ pay to sign up, refunded upon completion)

d. Sub code: Teachers pay

Category 4:Results and Successes of Program

1. Code: Evaluations

a. Sub code: Post Participation Survey

b. Sub code: Pre and Post Assessment

c. Sub code: School District records of student achievement

d. Sub code: External Evaluation

2. Code: Accreditation

a. Sub code: Newspaper Review

b. Sub code: Replication of Program

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Appendix I

Professional Development Interview In-Vivo Coding Tables

Category 1: Model of Implementation

(Sub)Code 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.A. 1 2 4 Descriptive 4B. 2 4 1 N/A 3C. 4 2 3 N/A 2D. 3 N/A Descriptive N/A 2

Category 2: Leadership Style

(Sub)Code 1. 2. 3.A. 2 1 4B. 4 2 4C. 4 4 1

Category 3: Funding

(Sub)Code 1. 2. 3.A. 0 1 1B. 2 1 2C. 4 1 3D. 4 N/A 1

Category 4: Results and Successes of Program

(Sub)Code 1. 2.A. 4 2B. 1 1C. 1 N/AD. 1 N/A

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Appendix J

Initial Email to Elementary Educators to participate in a Focus Group

Dear [Potential Elementary Educator],

My name is TinaMarie Williams and I am a Master of Public Administration candidate at Binghamton University. I am currently conducting research in order to complete my requirements for graduation. The Kopernik Observatory and Science Center will utilize this information in order to implement a new Professional Development program, which will offer science curriculum workshops and resources for elementary educators in Broome County.

I am inviting you to participate in a research study that is seeking to uncover what the best model of Professional Development implementation for elementary educators is and what types of leadership qualities are necessary in order for an organization to create a successful Professional Development Program. You are being asked to participate because the school district you work for has indicated that they are interested in participating with Kopernik’s Professional Development Program, and the superintendent of your district has indicated that you qualify as a candidate for participation in the focus group.

The nature of the study is a Focus Group. Participants include elementary educators from the Vestal, Union-Endicott, Maine-Endwell, Windsor, and Johnson City School Districts:

- The focus group’s location has yet to be determined- We expect 8 to 12 educators to participate. - We are hoping to host the focus group between March 18th and April 3rd in the evening- Topics that will be discussed are past Professional Development experience, current

educators professional needs, and perceptions and opinions of Common Core and Next Generation Standards.

- Snacks and Refreshments will be provided

If you agree to participate please email me back at [email protected] and indicate to me that you are interested. The time and location will be dependent on the convenience and availability of participants.

In order to protect the confidentiality of all participants, we request that all individuals who participate agree to protect the anonymity of the individuals involved and the information discussed by agreeing to not speak about the focus group following participation. I will take notes throughout the focus group to identify key themes for my research. Individual’s names will not be used or identified within my notes.

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If you have any questions regarding this research, you can contact me, TinaMarie Williams at 631-278-4143.

Your decision whether or not to participate will not prejudice your future relations with Binghamton University or the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center. If you decide to participate, you are not obligated to answer all questions, and may choose, for any reason, to stop at any time.

Questions about your rights as a volunteer in research can be directed to Binghamton University’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee at (607) 777-3818.

Thank you for your potential participation with this study.

Sincerely,

TinaMarie Williams Binghamton University B.S. in Human Development, 13’MPA Candidate, Spring 15’

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Appendix K

Oral Consent Letter for Educator Interviews

HELLO—My name is TinaMarie Williams and I am a Masters of Public Administration degree candidate at Binghamton University. I am currently conducting research in order to complete my requirements for graduation. The information will be utilized by the nonprofit 501c(3) Kopernik Observatory and Science Center, located in Vestal, NY, in order to implement a new Professional Development program, which will offer science curriculum workshops and resources for elementary educators in Broome County, New York.

I am conducting a research study that is seeking to uncover what the best model of Professional Development implementation for elementary educators is and what types of leadership qualities are necessary in order for the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center to create a successful Professional Development Program for elementary educators in Broome County. You have been invited to participate because the school district you work for have personal networking relationships with the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center and your district superintendent has expressed interest in Kopernik’s Professional Development Program. I would like to formally thank you for agreeing to participate in this focus group, and I hope it can benefit you all as educators.

The nature of this interview is to discuss your past Professional Development experiences, what your current professional needs as educators are, what your perceptions and opinions are in regards to Common Core and Next Generation and how it has affected your classroom instruction.

Your decision whether or not to participate will not prejudice your future relations with Binghamton University or the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center. If you decide to participate, you are not obligated to answer all questions, and may choose, for any reason, to stop at any time.

If you have any questions regarding this research, you can contact me, TinaMarie Williams at 631-278-4143. Questions about your rights as a volunteer in research can be directed to Binghamton University’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee at (607) 777-3818.

Do you consent to participate?

Audio Consent:

You have already agreed to participate in a research study entitled Implementing Effective Professional Development Programs for Elementary STEM educators conducted by TinaMarie

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Williams. I am asking for your permission to allow myself to include an audio recording of our interview as part of that research study. You do not have to agree to be recorded in order to participate in the main part of the study. If you do not consent to being recorded, I will take notes during our interview.

The recording(s) will be used for identify the needs of elementary educators in Broome County in order to enhance STEM education in relation the federal Next Generation Standards that New York State is adapting. These needs will be identified by analyzing narrative themes and similarities expressed among participants (we intend to have 15 to 20 educators participate). These findings will be used to provide Kopernik with recommendations to effectively implement a professional development program and provide additional resources to Broome County educators.

The recording(s) will not include any personal identifying information at all. Your individual anonymity will be fully protected. However, we intend to organize the data retrieved based on the school district. We have received prior approval to explicitly mention school districts so this will not affect you personally.

The recording(s) will be conducted on my personal IPhone using the RecordACall App. The recordings will be stored in a locked folder on my IPhone. Furthermore, my IPhone is password protected and I will be the only person who has access to it

Your verbal consent to continue with this interview grants myself, TinaMarie Williams, permission to record you as described above during the participation in the proceeding interview I will not use the recording(s) for any other reason than that/those stated in the consent form without your permission.

Do you consent to being recorded for the purposes of this interview?

If they say yes, begin recording and repeat the above script and then proceed:

Do you have any questions about the research project? May I proceed with the first question?

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Appendix L

Interview Questions for Elementary Educators in Broome County, New York

1. How long have you been an educator?

a. How long have you been in your current school district? ME

b. How many STEM professional development programs have you participated in?

2. What have your past experiences with Professional Development Programs been like?

a. Did you find them effective

i. Why or why not?

3. What resources are educators currently lacking in order to effectively educate all of their students

individual and collective needs?

a. What resources are students currently lacking that could help to improve their

achievement?

4. How has Common Core effected your classroom curriculum?

a. Have you found it beneficial?

i. Why or why not?

b. What do you believe are the strengths/weaknesses of Common Core?

i. How/can it be improved?

5. Do you believe that implementing a professional development workshop will be useful?

a. Will you personally utilize the services?

i. Why or why not?

b. Do you feel there is a need for the services?

i. Why or why not?

6. What personal suggestions do you have that you believe would be helpful to improve

professional development programs in the area?

7. What additional workshops would you like to be made available?

a. Would you be interested in a workshop that explicitly explains the new federal next

generation science standards?

b. Would you like more interdisciplinary STEM workshops?

8. Would you be interested in being engaged in a regional educational liaison network through

Kopernik that provides ongoing relationships for educators within Broome and Tioga counties?

a. Would you be interested in serving as an ambassador for such an organization?

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Appendix M

Educator Interview Thematic Coding Tables

Q1: How long have you been an educator?

Interview # 96 73 70 15 30# of years teaching

26 15 20 9 10

# of years in district

26 15 17 9 3/2

School District

Windsor Vestal ME ME ME/Windsor

Q2: What have your past PD experiences been like?

Participant # 1: effective 2: ineffective96 173 170 115 2: More geared towards

common core and STEM PD was too infrequent to have lasting impact on classroom practice

30 2: Have not participated in past STEM workshops – more geared towards Common Core – math and ELA

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Q3: What resources are educators currently lacking?

Participant # 1: in class activities/resources

2: technology resources

3: curriculum resources

96 1 1 173 1: microscopes, metric

measurement tools 1: videos 1: engineering

materials

70 1: Time 1: technology training 1: advancements in curriculum - updates

15 Textbooks 1: School is working on adding technology resources in to the school – teachers need training

1: Curriculum right now is all Common Core

30 1: Time “only 30 minutes in a day to teach science”; textbooks

1: “I find videos really helpful in engaging students”

1: hands on science and lab experiences’ graphic and visual organizers for students; study materials

Q4: How has Common Core Effected Curriculum?

Participant # 1: effective 2: ineffective96 173 2: need to be implemented at a

slower pace 70 2: developmentally

inappropriate 15 2: Hard to see what the impact

will be over time; currently sucking imagination and creativity out of children and drowning them with text making it difficult as educators to effectively engage them

30 1: 100% support Common Core – overwhelming in first year of implementation; requires teachers take personal responsibility

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Q5: Is a Kopernik an organization that would be effective at implementing PD?

Kopernik PD 1: utilizable 2: not utilizable96 173 170 1: “Kopernik is a great facility

to implement it” 15 1: Only if it is in house 30 1: “Teachers crave finding new

ways to learn, apply, and implement knowledge to children in the classroom”

Q 6 – 7:

Recommendations

96 73 70 15 30

What past PD lacked

Understanding that the common core curriculum builds upon itself so it is much harder to implement at the secondary level

Interorganizational Relationships – Kopernik should network with Roberson

Need to pay for PD programs not related to English and math hinders desire to participate

Infrequency; lack of focus on STEM education; PD workshops should be hosted in house at least monthly

Not enough emphasis on STEM education, only some science information provided through ELA anthology

Current Needs More emphasis added to science

Technology Training Workshops

More time and emphasis placed on science; all content areas should be equal; too much high stakes testing; kids are lacking developmental fine motor skills and social play learning

More STEM workshops; administration and staff are so overwhelmed and have such high demands

More time, resources, more STEM workshop available; hands on engineering and technology training for students

How to integrate new standards

A series of seminar

Absolutely necessary to have

Slower pace, update to make

Start implementing

“Implement the first

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workshops should be held in the summer before the next gen standards are implemented to help teachers understand how read the charts and become acquainted with the new standards

PD training courses that help teachers disseminate the new standards and provide tools for how to integrate the curriculum in to the classroom effectively

more developmentally appropriate; allow kids to be kids; learning should be hands on and excitingWorkshop that explicitly explains Next Gen is necessary

workshops once Next Gen is finally adapted – if you try and do so before hand there will be no buy in

series of workshop to launch the program as a summer seminar before Next Gen is adapted locally”

Tools and skills Kopernik will need to utilize

Science labs; textbooks

Network with Roberson; additional funding and tools

Kopernik will have to have the leadership necessary to get buy in from administration to support

Administrative support

Should look in to networking with Roberson

Q8: Would you utilize an online system for engagement and resources?

Online Network Liaison 1: utilizable 2: not utilizable96 173 170 1: “That would be a great thing

to do” 15 1: Schools are already beginning

to do this and it will be helpful 30 1: “Would be so beneficial for

teachers to be able to share resources – the internet would probably be the most efficient and effective outlet to utilize it”

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Appendix N

Survey for Educators who participate in Kopernik’s Professional Development Pilot

Workshop: “Who Wants To Be An Engineer?” Date:

3/13/15

Statement

1

Strongly

Disagree

2 3 4 5

Strongly

Agree

1.Today’s professional development workshop was

helpful

2.Information provided in the workshop was useful

3.The environment of the workshop was interactive and

engaging

4.The workshop provided a sufficient amount of time to

acquire knowledge of concepts and practices

5.The workshop leader was professional, qualified, and

interactive

6. The atmosphere of the workshop was respectful,

enthusiastic, and conducive to collective professional

growth.

7.The content and information will be useful in

enhancing my professional abilities in the classroom

8. I would recommend this program to colleagues

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1. What is the most applicable information you learned today that you can apply to your classroom curriculum?

2. What resources will you need in order to implement the information you have learned in the classroom? 

3. Will you apply what you learned today in to your classroom curriculum? How? 

4. What were the weaknesses/strengths of the workshop?

5. Suggestions for improving future workshops:

6. What additional resources/workshops would you like to be made available?

 Additional Comments:

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Appendix O

Survey # Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q81 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 52 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 53 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 54 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Standard Deviation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5Max 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Mode 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Survey # Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q85 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 56 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 47 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 58 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 59 5 5 5 5 510 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 411 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4

Standard Deviation 0.5 0.5 0.372677996 0.5 0.372677996 0.372678 0.489898 0.489898Min 0 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Max 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Mode 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Kopernik Professional Development Pilot Survey

Chi Square Analysis of Group A and Group B Level of Agreement  Group A Group B Total

Agree (4) 0 22 22Strongly Agree (5) 32 32 64

Total 32 54 86

Cell Observed Expected Difference Difference ^2 Difference^2/ExpectedGroup A 4 0 8 -8 64 1Group A 5 32 24 8 64 2.67Group B 4 22 13 9 81 6.23Group B 5 32 41 -9 81 1.97

Chi Square 11.87D.F. 1

Alpha p level below .001, there is a significant difference

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