Making mathematics matter: professional development improving outcomes in high-poverty environments

<p>This research study is a mixed – methods quantitative and qualitative study that analyzed data from an intensive, long – term professional development project named, " Project : Making Mathematics Matter. (PM³) " carried out in two low – performing, high – poverty districts. Two of the districts served as treatment districts and ALL teachers (general education, special education, ELL) who taught mathematics to students in grades 4-8 participated in a four-year PM³ mathematical intervention. </p> <p>Three elements identified in the research as effective components in mathematics professional development served as foundational for this project. They were: teachers attended monthly institutes focused on deepening the pedagogical, content knowledge for teaching mathematics; teachers received on-site coaching from an experienced mathematics educator to support implementation of new instructional strategies; and teachers participated in monthly, collegial, grade band meetings facilitated by their coach. </p> <p>This study’s analyses focused around three areas: 1. increased pedagogical knowledge for teaching mathematics as measured by the "Learning Mathematics for Teaching" (LMT) assessment (Hill, Schilling, & Ball, 2004); 2. improved mathematics instructional quality as measured by the SAMPI Classroom Observational Protocol; 3. increased mathematics performance of students as measured on the state-wide MEAP test.</p> <p>Research findings were: 1. LMT data collected at the beginning, middle, and end of PM³ showed treatment teachers significantly increased their pedagogical, content knowledge for teaching mathematics over their matched-comparison teachers; 2. Analyses of SAMPI data demonstrated teachers significantly improved the quality of their classroom instruction; 3. Analyzing sets of MEAP student scale scores by grade and year, there was a significant interaction between district of the student and the year, during and following treatment teachers ’ participation in PM³. Where in 2005, all sets of treatment scale scores were significantly different and lower than comparison scores, as the years of treatment teacher participation in PM³ increased many sets of compared sets of MEAP scores were no longer significantly different.</p> <p>This study suggests a connection between the increased content knowledge of teachers, the improved quality of classroom instruction, and the increased mathematics achievement of their students in high – poverty, low ndash performing districts.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership and Policy

Year dc:date.available

2012

Author dc:creator

• Siebers, Carolyn A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Michael Addonizio

• content coaching, content knowledge for teaching mathematics, high-poverty, mathematics achievement, mathematics institutes, professional development
• Education Policy
• Other Education
• Science and Mathematics Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/476

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wayne.edu:oa_dissertations-1475