Towards an Empirically Grounded Theory of Action for Improving the Quality of Mathematics Teaching at Scale.

Abstract

Our purpose in this article is to propose a comprehensive, empirically grounded theory of action for improving the quality of mathematics teaching at scale. In doing so, we summarise current research findings that can inform efforts to improve the quality of mathematics instruction on a large scale, and identify questions that are yet to be addressed. We draw on an ongoing collaboration with mathematics teachers, school leaders, and district leaders in four urban school districts in the US. The provisional theory of action that we report encompasses a coherent system of supports for ambitious instruction that includes both formal and job-embedded teacher professional development, teacher networks, mathematics coaches’ practices in providing job-embedded support for teachers’ learning, school leaders’ practices as instructional leaders in mathematics, and district leaders’ practices in supporting the development of school-level capacity for instructional improvement. What does it take to improve the quality of mathematics instruction on a large scale? In this article, we address this question by proposing a comprehensive, empirically grounded theory of action for improving the quality of mathematics teaching at scale. In doing so, we draw on our ongoing collaboration with mathematics teachers, school leaders, and district leaders in four urban school districts in the US that serve a total of 360,000 students. Some components of the theory of action are necessarily provisional, given the limited research base on which we can draw in some areas. Improving the quality of mathematics instruction across classrooms, schools, and broader educational jurisdictions is a pressing issue for both researchers and practitioners. School leaders in a number of countries are under increasing pressure to improve student learning opportunities in mathematics (Even & Ball, 2010). However, the issue of how to support instructional improvement on a large scale continues to be under-researched (Coburn, 2003; Cohen, Moffitt, & Goldin, 2007; Stein, 2004). As a consequence, research can currently provide only limited guidance to district and school leaders who aim to improve the quality of mathematics teaching. In many respects, mathematics education researchers are well positioned to investigate the improvement of the quality of instruction at scale. Over the past 20 years, research in mathematics education and related fields has made considerable progress in documenting learning progressions in specific mathematical domains (Carpenter, Fennema, Franke, Levi, & Empson, 1999; Lehrer & Lesh, 2003) and in identifying a common set of learning goals that focus on enduring understandings of central mathematical ideas (Kilpatrick, Swafford,

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