Original Vision

The goal of the SATURN project is to facilitate teachers to develop and implement a quality, standards-based program, grades 7-12, that will promote science literacy for all and increase student achievement. The objective are to:

1. Develop a clearly articulated and sequenced science curriculum, grades 7-12, based on national science education standards and Ohio proficiency standards.
2. Identify and implement exemplary instructional materials that reflect national science education standards.
3. Create a leadership team in every district to facilitate the localization of the curriculum, development of the scope and sequence, selection of instructional materials, and facilitate the year-long SATURN Study Groups.
4. Educate all middle school and high school science teachers in course work related to national science education standards, pedagogical and content knowledge of specific instructional materials, use of authentic assessments, and application of high performance technology (totaling 130 contact hours).
5. Increase student achievement in science as measured by Ohio Proficiency Tests.

SATURN Professional Development Model. The SATURN model consists of 130 hours of professional development obtained through leadership training, reform workshops, immersion training on instructional materials, study groups, immersion training on content themes, and technology options.

The SATURN leadership model utilizes a Program Management Team consisting of the Principal Investigators and six exemplary teacher leaders. Lead Teachers representing each of the 44 middle school and high school buildings in the county meet monthly with the Program Management Team and also facilitate their year long local Study Groups.

The building of internal capacity and the institutionalization of the lead teacher is critical to maintaining the reform agenda after the SATURN grant is completed.

Reflections from the end:

Lessons Learned and Unanticipated Results.

Teacher and administrator turnover can affect program design and effectiveness. Some issues we are currently addressing include teacher turnover. We have redesigned our Intro to Reform workshop to also indoctrinate new teachers into the grant philosophy and to provide a foundation for their future workshop choices. We are also utilizing Study Groups to help transition new teachers into the program. Some districts are actually making participation in our grant initiatives a point of discussion in hiring. The participating districts are eager to ensure that new teachers participate.

Support in using exemplary instructional materials results in increased teacher risk taking. Our most successful implementation results when teachers can begin to use new instructional materials surrounded with support of others. Providing opportunity to practice using materials and strategies and providing assistance and follow up support for implementation are keys to successful teacher use of new materials. Follow up sessions help to diffuse concerns about the programs, implementation and assessment. Ohio has recently released a new set of Academic Content Standards in Science with specific grade level indicators, which has forced our districts to begin a curriculum re-alignment process.

Open dialogue about group dynamics results in more meaningful group work. Creating group norms and identifying both leadership and learning styles provide insight about group dynamics that lead to increased group functioning. Our LSC has found that those Study Groups that have established foundational norms and utilize protocols to facilitate dialogue are engaged in more substantive and reform based tasks. Shared facilitation also provides a sense of shared responsibility to the group and its work.

Shared leadership models promote reform. This LSC has measured the effectiveness of utilizing a shared leadership model to implement its reform measures. The recruitment of exemplary teachers for the Program Management Team has ensured the program maintains a focus on teachers and students. The Lead Teacher network has provided an effective means to deliver reform practices to individual buildings and teachers and to support changes through on going Study Groups.

Increased collegiality can lead to sustained institutionalization. This LSC has measured significant gains in teacher collegiality. Coupled with positive accounts from Lead Teacher and Study Group Surveys, the data provide strong evidence that meaningful institutionalization of the professional development objectives have occurred and can be expected to continue to occur as professional learning communities are created within our member schools. Making the work of these teams part of the regular school day will further serve as evidence of stakeholder support.

Sustained and intense professional development results in significant pedagogical changes. This LSC has measured significant changes in teacher pedagogical preparedness as teachers average over 80 hours of professional development. This supports similar research conducted on the effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. Teachers who have sustained and intense professional development contact (80 hours or more over 3 years) are more likely to make reform driven pedagogical changes.

Targeting content knowledge results in measurable teacher increases. Past lessons learned include the need to focus on deeper content development in our workshops and to build stronger support for implementation by providing follow up sessions, using Study Group time to support new strategies, and to provide access to trainers and resource staff on an ongoing and as needed basis. The pairing of local university personnel and scientists with a member of the Program Management Team or Lead Teacher network in each workshop has helped us provide better focus on the grant goals and has added a source of more stable follow up with workshop participants. We have seen significant gains in teacher content knowledge in physics, chemistry, physical science, and technology.

Differences in teacher certification types and content backgrounds challenge reform efforts. The leadership team is sensitive to their audience (MS and HS teachers) and the potential mix of content and pedagogical skills they possess. There are often large gaps in content expertise as one serves middle school teachers who are often elementary certified (K-8) along with middle school and high school teachers who are secondary certified (7-12). There is also greater expertise regarding interdisciplinary/integrated units at the middle school level while it is not as developed at the high school level. Using the strengths that the participant teachers possess at each workshop allows them to become a resource to other teachers and share testimony of their successful strategies.

Building internal capacity with external support is key to institutionalization. SATURN is providing needed training to increase the internal capacity of our local school district science teacher teams. Efforts to increase communication between Lead Teachers and building/district administrators is critical to help provide the external support these teams need to sustain change and to also ensure sustainability. As programs and structures become part of the normal routine of schools, the reform initiatives will be sustained after the LSC funding ends.

Suggestions based on lessons learned

Plan ahead for Teacher and Administrator Turnover. The biggest lesson learned is to not underestimate the impact of teacher and administrator turnover. In some cases, retirement or moving on, provided a window for change and the new staff embraced and moved the reform agenda forward. In other cases, especially in districts with small departments, teacher turnover can stall the reform efforts until all the new staff members get caught up. Having a formal mechanism in place to address turnover is critical. Assuming that new staff will simply fall into a world of support and be embraced by encouraging peers is not always true. Some districts wait with anticipation for turnover to occur as a way to hire new staff that subscribes to the new vision. For many it is a waiting game, and sometimes wastes valuable years of possible positive change.

Use a shared leadership model to implement your reform. The recruitment of exemplary teachers for a Program Management Team and recruiting energetic Lead Teachers can make the reform work much easier. Peers leading peers through Study Groups and other opportunities to lead helps build the grass root nature of reform and is the key to institutionalization.

Promote opportunities to build collegiality. The project has countless stories from teachers about how important it is that they finally interact with their peers in meaningful ways. More importantly, the interaction of middle school teachers with high school teachers in the same district is often a rare event. Do not underestimate the power of peer-to-peer support and the opportunities you can provide for dialogue and mutual growth among teachers who otherwise rarely speak to each other.

Questions for visitors

• How would you prepare for teacher and administrator turnover?
• What evidence do you have that shared leadership models result in more effective change?
• What roles do Lead Teachers fill in your projects? What are the attitudes and perceptions by stakeholders about their work?