Participating in Change: Mentor Teachers' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of a Science Teacher Residency Program

The goal of this 4-year study was to investigate the implementation of a secondary science professional development school at a midsized, publicly funded 4-year institution with a large college of education. The study focuses on the preparation of secondary science teachers because improving STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is a national priority. According to the Program for International Student Assessment, the United States routinely performs in the "middle of the pack" in science, with less than one-third of eighth graders deemed proficient in math and science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Addressing this challenge is multifaceted, with increased focus on improved preparation and retention of excellent STEM teachers. The professional development school teacher-training model that was employed in this study involved a restructuring of the undergraduate science teacher program, where science content courses are taken in Years 1-3 along with two foundational education courses. The fourth year of the undergraduate program is reserved for a full-year teacher residency program supported by pedagogical coursework. This study focused on mentor teachers' reflections on the effectiveness of the professional development school model.