Abstract
This presentation is focused on the work of a research fellowship which looked at the results of a 5-year grant program. The grant had institutional review board approval from Sacramento State. The program was designed to support strong master teacher leaders to understand and effectively implement the mathematics and science teaching standards and develop the leadership capacity to teach other teachers and student teachers on implementing the new standards. From 2016 to 2021, 19 secondary mathematics and science teachers participated in summer institutes, yearly action research projects, monthly professional development meetings, and self-directed professional learning hours. This research fellowship was guided by the research question: what conditions are needed in a professional development program for teachers to transform their teaching? The research used a qualitative method design. The data collected included: action research projects, teacher artifacts from the monthly meetings, yearly reports, and exit interviews. For the research fellowship, it only included the yearly reports and exit interviews. By analyzing the interviews, codes were created to grasp trends/themes developed. Within the grant, the networking provided teachers new perspectives and support when complications arrived. From it, they were able to create networks in their own local communities and utilized research as a platform to be able to analyze their teaching practices and effectiveness. Future steps could include providing a program where teachers can network and research. For transformational change at the systemic level, teachers need freedom to conduct their own research and have the space to reflect and grow.