Non Technical Summary
A partnership between Sam Houston State University (SHSU), Texas Tech University (TTU), and Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) will be established to empower pre-service AFNR teachers through experiences in professional networking, cultural values, leadership development, and agricultural literacy. Teacher attrition is a chronic problem in Agricultural Education, and the components of this program (Ag literacy, leadership development, and teacher socialization) will assist in mitigating these issues.The Cultivating LEAD program will consist of three major components: (1) the Legislative LEAD Experience, (2) the Cultivating LEAD Summer Experience, and (3) the Online Leadership and Policy Modules (OLPM)--impacting roughly 260 Texas preservice teachers. The OLPM, developed by the PIs, will provide a holistic PD on leadership theory and agricultural policy. The Legislative LEAD is a two-day event which will provide an overview of government on municipal, county, state, and federal levels and will consist of 6 leadership seminars hosted by 20 politicians/industry executives. The Cultivating LEAD Experience held in the summer will be a weeklong experiential learning journey focused on regional agricultural literacy (South, West, and East Texas) and leadership development. This summer event will incorporate around 30 industry/political presenters, 12 industry tours, and 6 leadership development events. The Cultivating LEAD will run concurrently with the Texas FFA Foundation's Certified Teacher LEAD Experience. The convergence of these programs will allow for the mentorship and socialization of aspiring teachers--thus mitigating isolation which leads to attrition.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
903	6099	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
The overarching goal of the LEAD program is to build the capacity of Texas AFNR teacher education programs to equip future teachers with leadership skills, agricultural literacy, and agricultural policy comprehension while enhancing their socialization through networking and mentorship. The following objectives will be used to achieve the goal of the LEAD program.Provide experiential learning experiences for Texas pre-service teachers in various areas of agricultural production.Provide foundational experiences in agricultural policy and legislative efforts in agriculture.Establish dynamic partnerships with Texas AFNR educator preparation institutions to develop a network to connect future AFNR teachers.Provide leadership development opportunities for pre-service AFNR teachers.

Project Methods
The core efforts of the LEAD program will be to develop and implement three main components:Legislative LEAD Experience- The AFNR preservice teachers will have the opportunity to meet with their local representatives, learn about policies related to the Texas Public School System, and network with other teachers across the state. The main method the evaluator will use to assess this event will be the preservice teachers'increased awareness of Ag Policy. This will be facilitated by having the participants complete an annual survey after completing the Legislative LEAD event.Cultivating Lead Experience -The LEAD experience is a week-long leadership development experience, where pre-service teachers will travel to one region of Texas and interact with local businesses and legislative representatives. These events will be held in different locations each summer, and the main evaluation focus for these events will be to determine the impact of these events on the participants' awareness of regional agricultural industries. The evaluator will solicit an annual survey to assess the effects of these events.Online Leadership and Policy Modules (OLPM)- The OLPM will be an online training program for preservice teachers, which will focus on Leadership theory and development and agricultural policy and advocacy. The modules will be developed on Google Classroom, which will make them available to use at any of the 12 Texas AFNR teacher certification programs. Surveys will be administered to determine the impact of the OLPM on preservice teachers' awareness of leadership theory and ag policy.Aside from the main components of the LEAD program, we will also assess secondary efforts.LEAD Mentorship Program: we will pair each preservice teacher with an experienced teacher on the second day of the Cultivating LEAD Experience. The paired mentorship groups will engage in various activities together to strengthen their bond. Aside from interactions with mentors, the preservice teachers will also be socialized with Agricultural Education Students at different institutions. This secondary effort will be assessed by determining the number of mentoring relationships developed on the LEAD trips.The evaluation process will be comprised of a formative evaluation (progress evaluation intended to help the project team improve the project effectiveness as it progresses) and a summative evaluation (the final evaluation of the project impact or outcome assessment). The evaluator will use both quantitative matrices and qualitative indices commonly adopted by social and behavioral scientists to perform the project evaluation.