Understanding How Urban Districts and Schools Can Support Middle-Grades Mathematics Teachers’ Development of Ambitious and Equitable Instructional Practices

Kara J. Jackson

In the current era of high-stakes accountability, districts and schools face increasing pressure to improve overall mathematics achievement and to close achievement gaps; however, most urban districts are not equipped to respond to these pressures in ways that improve the quality of instruction for all students, including traditionally low-performing students. The goal of this research is to identify how urban districts and schools can support middle-grades mathematics teachers’ development of equitable, ambitious instructional practices. This study draws from an existing data set of 120 teachers and their instructional leaders across 30 schools in four urban districts that are implementing ambitious middle-grades mathematics reforms. Based on video-recorded lessons, I will identify schools in which the majority of teachers have developed ambitious and equitable forms of instructional practices using a tool that measures the extent to which such practices have been established. Using interview data, I will then complete a qualitative analysis of selected schools that focuses on how aspects of the institutional organization, resources, and social relations have supported teachers’ development of these practices. The research will result in an empirically grounded account of how districts and schools (with diverse organizational constraints and resources) can configure aspects of institutional settings to support middle-grades mathematics teachers’ development of equitable, ambitious instructional practices.

About Kara J. Jackson

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