Ability grouping is a common practice in elementary mathematics instruction, but some research suggests that grouping by ability can exacerbate existing inequities, and there is evidence that alternatives to grouping can improve learning experiences for all students. In this paper, we describe an effort to support teachers in using equitable…

In 2010, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts (Wolf Trap), was awarded a U.S. Department of Education Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant. The purpose of the AEMDD grant was to develop, implement, and disseminate a research-based program of professional…

This study examines the impact of Learning and Teaching Linear Functions (LTLF) professional development materials on teachers' mathematics understanding and teaching practices, as well as students' resulting algebra proficiency, learning, and achievement. Learning and Teaching Linear Functions are modular, video-based professional development…

In 2010, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, was awarded an Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant to develop, implement, and disseminate a research-based program of professional development (PD) that equips prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers to infuse…

Teachers are continually confronted with meeting the needs of all students and preparing them to be successful on state end-of-course assessments while changing or evolving to be more of a facilitator of student-centered. Lessons are to be relevant for the students, engaging them so they are active participants in their learning. However, many…

The purpose of the study was to examine how teachers enhance their knowledge of rational numbers focused on modeling problem tasks using multiple representations. The professional development summer institute and the follow-up Lesson Study (Lewis, 2002) throughout the academic year focused on engaging teachers in rational numbers and proportional…

Student achievement in mathematics has been a focal concern in the United States for many years. The National Research Council's 2001 report and the recent report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) both called attention to student achievement in mathematics, and both called for all students to learn algebra by the end of eighth…

This paper describes the PD program that was delivered during the first year of the study. The main goal of the intervention was to increase teachers' capability to teach positive rational number topics effectively. The program included a 3-day summer institute (18 hours per teacher), five 1-day seminars held during the school year (30 hours per…

This paper will describe results concerning the impact of the PD on the three primary study outcomes: teacher knowledge of rational number topics, teacher instructional practices, and student achievement in rational number topics. All analyses are completed. However, the results cannot be shared at this time because the report is currently under…

This narrative inquiry weaves Schwab's commonplaces of curriculum and Clandinin, Pushor, and Murray Orr's narrative commonplaces through stories of conflict between a professional developer and 30 high school lead teachers. In her role as manager of a mathematics leadership institute situated between two urban public school districts and a…

The Educational Leaders in Mathematics (ELM) Project was a five-stage experimental design to assist elementary and secondary inservice teachers in developing a constructivist view of learning as a basis for designing and implementing instruction in mathematics. Teachers participating in a 2-week summer institute experienced the role of mathematics…

The Educational Leaders in Mathematics (ELM) Project, was an experimental inservice program for teachers of mathematics, grades kindergarten to 12. The major focus on the project was to help teachers develop and implement approaches to mathematics instruction based on a constructivist view of learning. ELM demonstrated the significant impact of…

This report briefly describes a summer workshop on individualizing instruction in which 34 teachers, instructional team leaders, and administrators participated. It lists workshop personnel and participants. The major part of the report consists of eight papers written by workshop staff. Titles are (1) "The Importance of Assessment and Behavioral…

The California Mathematics Project was established in 1982 by the California State Legislature as one of several statewide responses to a widespread perception among educators and the public at large that the mathematical competence of American children has deteriorated. This report describes an attempt to evaluate the first year's work of one…