1 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

2 Today’s Session Welcome and introductions What we know about professional development What we do in our professional development Impact of our work Questions/discussion

3 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)

4 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)

5 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

6 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.

7 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

8 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

9 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

10 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)

11 San Diego Unified School District District Needs –Increase student achievement and eliminate achievement gap Teacher Participation –Upper elementary grades –Primary grades Delivery –Meeting once per week –Intensive start preferred

12 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

13 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

14 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

15 “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

16 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

17 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)

18 Impact on Teachers’ Instructional Practices Teachers 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.

19 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.”

20 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.

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