Tryna Knox: Reinventing Home, How Middle School Leaders Conceptualize STEM in the Context of Structured Program Implementation

The purpose of this research was to examine how middle school leaders conceptualize STEM education program implementation and to more fully understand how their leadership practices are enacted within their situational context of an intensive structured STEM education program, subsequently referred to as the STEM Academy. The STEM Academy, a four-year project launched in 2016 was designed to promote STEM interests by developing teachers and leaders through intensive summer academies and providing coaching support throughout the school years. Findings reveal that school leaders conceptualize STEM education in similar ways across different campuses and describe challenges and barriers faced while navigating internal and external expectations during implementation of the STEM Academy. While some common themes emerged that led to interpretations across the four cases, each leader contributed a unique lens and perspective and no single, absolute, truth was ascertained from this analysis.