The Role of the Institutional Setting in Teachers Development of Ambitious Instructional Practices i

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The Role of the Institutional Setting in
Teachers Development of Ambitious Instructional
Practices in Middle-Grades Mathematics

• Paul Cobb Kara Jackson
  Kristin McGraner
• Vanderbilt University

2
Designing Schools and Districts to Support
Teachers Ongoing Learning

• Paul Cobb Tom Smith, Kara Jackson, Erin Henrick,
  et al.
• Vanderbilt University

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Instructional Improvement at Scale

• Supporting students learning of central
  mathematical ideas
• Instructional materials
• Instructional practices
• Supporting teachers development of high-quality
  instructional practice
• Organizational learning -- schools and districts

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Investigating What it Takes to Improve
Mathematics Instruction at Scale

• Series of conjectures about school and district
  structures, resources, and social relationships
  that might support teachers (and instructional
  leaders) ongoing learning
• Instruments to document extent to which those
  structures, resources, and social relationships
  have been established

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Investigating What it Takes to Improve
Mathematics Instruction at Scale

• Investigate relationships between
• Conjectured structures, resources, and social
  relationships
• Quality of teachers instructional practices
• Students mathematics achievement

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Investigating What it Takes to Improve
Mathematics Instruction at Scale

• Four urban districts
• High proportion of students from traditionally
  underserved groups
• High teacher turn over
• 6-10 middle-grades schools - 30 teachers
• Most schools and districts clueless about how to
  respond productively to high-stakes
  accountability
• A small minority have reasonably worked out
  strategies

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Investigating What it Takes to Improve
Mathematics Instruction at Scale

• Four annual rounds of yearly data collection
• Document district strategies for improving
  middle-school mathematics
• Document how those strategies are actually
  playing out in schools and classrooms
• First year Baseline data
• Document change over a three-year period in each
  district

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Data Collection

• School and district support structures,
  resources, and social relationships
• Audio-recorded interviews
• On-line surveys
• Quality of teacher professional development
• Video-recordings
• Audio-recordings
• Quality of instructional materials
• Artifact collection
• Quality of teachers instructional practices
• Video-recordings of two consecutive classroom
  lessons
• Teachers mathematical knowledge for teaching
• Student mathematics achievement data

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Add Value to Districts Improvement Efforts

• Feed back results of analyses to districts
• Gap analysis -- how districts plan is actually
  playing out
• Recommend actionable adjustments that might make
  each districts improvement design more effective
• Design experiment at the level of the district

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Instructional Quality Assessment Year 1
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Primary Conjecture Teacher Networks

• Social support from colleagues in developing
  demanding instructional practices
• Focus of teacher interactions
• Classroom instructional practice
• Depth of teacher interactions
• How to use instructional materials
• Aligning curriculum with state standards
• Mathematical intent of instructional tasks
• Student reasoning strategies

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Facilitating Conjecture Key Resources for
Teacher Networks

• Time built into the school schedule for
  collaboration among mathematics teachers
• Access to colleagues who have already developed
  accomplished instructional practices
• Rationale for mathematics coaches

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Initial (Rough) Analysis of Teacher Networks

• Online Network Survey
• All mathematics teachers in participating schools
• Measure of potential learning opportunities for a
  teacher
• Sum of depth of interaction scores across all of
  the teachers interactions

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Initial (Rough) Analysis of Teacher Networks
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Initial (Rough) Analysis of Teacher Networks

• Controlling for size of math department
• Math teachers in Districts B and C participate
  in interactions of greater depth than those in
  District A
• Scheduled time for teacher collaboration
• Will compare by department and by grade level
• Types of activities in which teachers engage
• Math coaches
• Ties with coach influences depth of interactions

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More Accomplished Others Math Coaches

• District B School-based math coaches
• District policy Support learning of all math
  teachers
• The extent to which the coach is central in
  teacher networks

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More Accomplished Others Math Coaches

• Teachers perceived the coach
• to be a good mathematics teacher
• able to support them
• Described interactions as useful in improving
  their classroom classroom practice

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More Accomplished Others Math Coaches

• Principal able to describe how coach should
  support teachers in some detail
• Support all teachers versus weak teachers
• Scheduled time for coach to meet with math
  teachers as a group emphasized the importance
  of the meetings
• Co-participated on improving instructional
  practice more likely to seek advice from coach
  outside meetings

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More Accomplished Others Math Coaches

• Principal shared responsibility for supporting
  teachers learning with the coach
• Attended mathematics department meetings
• Observed classroom instruction frequently
• Ongoing discussions about quality of mathematics
  instruction and teachers needs

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Primary Conjecture Shared Vision of High Quality
Mathematics Instruction

• Instructional goals -- what students should know
  and be able to do mathematically
• How teachers can support students' development of
  these forms of mathematical reasoning

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Principals Visions of High-Quality Mathematics
Instruction

• PD for principal instructional leadership in all
  four districts
• Overall improvement from Year 1 to Year 2
• Generally not in conflict with districts goals
  for instructional improvement
• Form view rather than function view
• Bad news Communicate expectations for and press
  for high-quality instruction

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Principals Visions of High-Quality Mathematics
Instruction

• Principal PD in District D
• Distinguishing between high- and low-cognitive
  demand tasks
• Distinguishing between high- and low-level
  enactment of tasks based on
• Classroom observations
• Student work
• Giving feedback to teachers
• Developing school improvement plans for
  mathematics instruction

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Primary Conjecture Shared Vision of High
Quality Mathematics Instruction

• Coordination between district administrative
  units
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Leadership
• Research and Evaluation
• English Language Learners
• Special Education

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Coordination Between District Administrative Units

• District leaders view instructional improvement
  as a process of
• Supporting others learning
• Disseminating information about desired practices
  and pressing for compliance
• Extent to which mathematics specialists viewed as
  a valued resource

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Coordination Between District Administrative Units

• Relationship between the line and technical
  assistance departments
• Discourse of
• High-stakes accountability
• Instructional improvement
• Supporting others learning
• Disseminating information and pressing for
  compliance

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Research Team

• Paul Cobb Tom Smith
• Erin Henrick Kara Jackson
• Glenn Colby Annie Garrison
• Lynsey Gibbons Sarah Green
• Karin Katterfeld Chuck Munter
• Rebecca Schmidt Jonee Wilson