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Building Partnerships Between School Districts and a University to Increase
Equity and Access
Jane Gawronski, Linda Dye, Karen Payne Aguilar, Tanya Vik and Steve Klass
Session #94 – AMTE 2006 – Tampa
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Today’s SessionWelcome and introductionsWhat we know about professional
developmentWhat we do in our professional
development Impact of our workQuestions/discussion
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Characteristics of Expert Teachers Know the structure of the knowledge in their
disciplines; Know the conceptual barriers that are likely to
hinder learning; Have a well-organized content knowledge
and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); and
Continuously assess their own learning, knowledge, and practices.(Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 1999, p. 230)
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Effective Professional Development Is driven by a well-defined image of effective
classroom learning and teaching;
Provides opportunities for teachers to build their content and pedagogical content knowledge while examining their own practice;
Is research-based and engages teachers as adult learners in the learning approaches they will use with their students; (continued)
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Effective Professional Development (continued) Provides opportunities for teachers to
collaborate with colleagues and others to improve their practice;
Supports teachers to serve in leadership roles;
Links with other parts of the education system; and
Is designed based on student learning data and is continuously evaluated and improved.– Loucks-Horsley et al. (2003), p. 44
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Our Belief System Good professional development blends
content and pedagogy.– Teachers with this understanding can teach
effectively from any curriculum materials. Good professional development is led by
people with K-12 teaching experience with expertise in mathematics and/or mathematics education.
All students can learn mathematics. Assessment should be used to inform
instruction.– Use student thinking to make instructional
decisions.
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Characteristics of Our Professional Development Accountable for teacher growth and
increased student achievement
Blends content and pedagogy
Links to classroom practice
Embeds equity
Sustained over time
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Professional Development Collaborative Currently supported by a $5.1M grant
from Qualcomm to Improve Student Achievement in Mathematics (ISAM)
This is the sixth year of our work
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Facets of Our Work University certificate programs
– Upper elementary grades
– Primary grades
– 12 semester units of Teacher Education and
Mathematics District partnerships, including district-
based professional development
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District Partnerships
San Diego Unified School District (K-12)
Ramona Unified School District (K-12)
Lemon Grove School District (K-8)
Sweetwater Union High School District (7-12)
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San Diego Unified School DistrictDistrict Needs
–Increase student achievement and eliminate achievement gap
Teacher Participation–Upper elementary grades–Primary grades
Delivery–Meeting once per week
–Intensive start preferred
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Ramona Unified School District District Needs
– Rural district – Focus on teaching of mathematics
Delivery– 2 year agreement– 15 full days each year (4 summer, 11 during academic year)– Informal visits to “leadership team” members’ classrooms
Teacher Participation– 25 teachers (grades 3-6)– Mostly voluntary – Representation from each of the 6 elementary schools – District math resource teacher participates in all sessions
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Lemon Grove School District
Delivery– Started with three, optional, full day sessions prior to
the beginning of the school year– Full-day sessions over a two-year period– Five-year partnership
District Needs–Establish a “culture of mathematics”
•Regularly analyze students’ math understanding •Reflect on effective “next steps” for instruction
Teacher Participation–Mandatory for participating schools–Includes “Reading Recovery” intervention teachers
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Sweetwater Union High School District
Delivery– All 22 middle and high schools
– Four full-day sessions each year over a five-year period
District Needs–Increase student achievement in Algebra–Increase California High School Exit Exam pass rate
Teacher Participation–Mandatory
–All Math 7, Math 8, and all forms of Algebra,
including Special Education
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“We’re testing a theory of practice… …can we carry off a long-term partnership?”
- Lionel “Skip” Meno, Dean, College of Education, San Diego State University
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Essential Elements in Developing Successful Professional Development Partnerships
Communication, Collaboration, Continuity– Creating a Shared Vision
• Clarifying, revisiting• Belief systems• Overcoming the pervasiveness of a “quick fix”
– Establishing and maintaining a “culture of mathematics” in schools
• Administrator and teacher turnover• Sustainability in the dynamic environment of schools
– On-going reflection and refinement of PD• Participant feedback• Formative assessment
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How We Measure Impact Teacher growth: Content and pedagogy
– Quantitative and anecdotal data
Student achievement– Gains on CST (all)– Matched pairs analysis (SD)– Participant / non-participant (R, LG, SD)– Standards-based report cards (R)– Effort Grades (R)– End of course tests (S)
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Impact on Teachers’ Instructional PracticesTeachers report that they now: Try new strategies in their classrooms; Select among many tools including the
textbook, the pacing guide, and CGI principles; and
Recognize good mathematical problems from the text that will help students meet the standards.
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One Teacher’s Comments About Our Impact on Her Teaching
“I feel my knowledge and understanding of mathematics has been expanded to the point where I will never teach math the same again. I know too much about group/partner work, using manipulatives; reflective writing, student-directed teaching, student responsibility. In short, I feel enlightened. I feel I finally understand math.”
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References
Loucks-Horsley, S., et al. (2003). Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
