A Guide to Mathematics Leadership: Sequencing Instructional Change »

Don S. Balka, a former middle school and high school mathematics teacher, is professor emeritus in the Mathematics Department at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. During his career as an educator, Balka has presented over 2,000 workshops on the use of manipulatives with elementary and secondary students at national and regional conferences of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, state mathematics conferences, and at inservice training for school districts throughout the United States. In addition, he has taught classes in schools throughout the world, including Ireland, Scotland, England, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Greece, Japan, and the Mariana Islands in the South Pacific. In addition, Balka has written over 20 books on the use of manipulatives for teaching K-12 mathematics and is a coauthor of the Macmillan K-5 elementary mathematics series, Math Connects. Balka has served as director for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and School Science and Mathematics Association.

Ruth Harbin Miles coaches rural, suburban, and innercity school mathematics teachers. Her professional experience includes coordinating the K-12 Mathematics Teaching and Learning Program for the Olathe, Kansas Public Schools for over 25 years; teaching mathematics methods courses at Virginia’s Mary Baldwin College and Ottawa, Mid America Nazarene, St. Mary’s, and Fort Hays State universities in Kansas; and serving as president of the Kansas Association of Teachers of Mathematics. She represented eight midwestern states on the Board of Directors for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) and has been a co-presenter for NCSM’s Leadership Professional Development National Conferences. Miles is the coauthor of Walkway to the Future: How to Implement the NCTM Standards (Jansen Publications, 1996), and is one of the writers for NCSM’s PRIME Leadership Framework (Solution Tree Publishers, 2008). As co-owner of Happy Mountain Learning, she specializes in developing teachers’ content knowledge and strategies for engaging students to achieve high standards in mathematics.

Ted H. Hull completed 32 years of service in public education before retiring and opening Hull Educational Consulting. He served as a mathematics teacher, K-12 mathematics coordinator, middle school principal, director of curriculum and instruction, and a project director for the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas in Austin. While at the University of Texas, 2001 to 2005, he directed the research project “Transforming Schools: Moving from Low-Achieving to High Performing Learning Communities.” As part of the project, Hull worked directly with district leaders, school administrators, and teachers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas to develop instructional leadership skills and implement effective mathematics instruction. Hull is a regular presenter at local, state, and national meetings. He has written numerous articles for the NCSM Newsletter, including "Understanding the Six Steps of Implementation: Engagement by an Internal or External Facilitator" (2005) and "Leadership Equity: Moving Professional Development into the Classroom" (2005), as well as "Manager to Instructional Leader" (2007) for the NCSM Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership. He has been published in the Texas Mathematics Teacher (2006), Teacher Input Into Classroom Visits: Customized Classroom Visit Form. Hull was also a contributing author for publications from the Charles A. Dana Center: Mathematics Standards in the Classroom: Resources for Grades 6 8 (2002) and Middle School Mathematics Assessments: Proportional Reasoning (2004). He is an active member of Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics (TASM) and served on the NCSM Board of Directors as regional director for Southern 2.

School leaders who are responsible for improving mathematics achievement face tremendous challenges. Written by three noted mathematics educators, this book helps leaders implement a high-quality mathematics program, regardless of the status of their current programs or the availability of resources.

A Guide to Mathematics Leadership presents a process-based approach to improving mathematics instruction based on five principles identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)-equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, and assessment-and four leadership principles from the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM)-equity leadership, teaching and learning leadership, curriculum leadership, and assessment leadership. Readers will apply these principles as they navigate the program improvement cycle, which includes

Articulating the curriculum

Implementing the curriculum

Incorporating effective instructional strategies

Providing timely and targeted feedback

Establishing professional learning communities

Fostering professional development

Filled with practical advice, tips, tools, and resources for each stage of the process, this book guides readers on the path to excellence in mathematics instruction and learning.

List of Figures vii

Preface viii

Acknowledgments xvi

About the Authors xviii

Part I Preparing the Foundation 1

1 Understanding and Clarifying Leadership in Mathematics 2

What Is Leadership and Who Is a Leader? 4

Building a Culture of Success 5

NCTM Principles and NCSM Leadership Principles 6

2 Engaging and Empowering Staff 12

Staff Inclusion and Effective Communication 13

Leadership Decision Making 15

Instructional Leadership 16

Dynamics of Engagement and Empowerment 19

Expectations and Challenges 24

Part II A Leadership Model 25

3 Articulating the Curriculum 26

Curriculum Alignment 27

Opportunity to Learn 30

Scope, Sequence, and Timeline Alignment 34

Rigorous Curriculum 38

4 Implementing the Curriculum 45

Curriculum Implementation 46

Monitored Implementation 47

Monitored Progress 56

5 Incorporating Effective Instructional Strategies 64

Incorporating Effective Instructional Strategies for All 65

Student Collaboration in the Form of Teamwork 66

Using Group-Worthy Problems 72

Incorporating Instructional Strategies for ELL Students 76

Matching Materials to Desired Instructional Strategies 84

Using Data to Inform Practice 1: Analyzing Student Work 86

Using Data to Inform Practice 2: Analyzing Student Assessments 89

6 Providing Timely and Targeted Feedback 93

Using Pertinent Data 94

Targeted Information 98

Building Trust 104

7 Establishing Professional Learning Communities 108

Establishing Collaboration 109

Building Community 111

Facilitating Reflection 115

8 Fostering Professional Development 118

Structuring Effective Professional Development 119

Mentoring and Coaching 122

Other Approaches toProfessional Development 124

Part III Continuing the Work 127

9 Reflecting on How Students Learn Mathematics 128

What Mathematics Must or Should Students Learn? 129

What Methods and Tools Will Be Most Effective in Helping Students Learn? 129

What Does Research Say? 131

How Do Students Learn to Become Problem Solvers? 133

How Do Students Learn to Communicate Mathematics? 135

10 Putting It All Together 137

Looping, or Recycling, Through the Developmental Stages 138

Mathematics Leaders' Influence 139

Guiding Questions for Critiquing the Developmental Stages 140

References 143

Index 149