Student Mathematics In America
The heightened demands on school administrators today require them to work collaboratively with teachers. Teachers cultivate the school culture and typically experience greater longevity in schools than their administrators, which gives them an ideal vantage point from which they may conceive of and initiate important changes at all levels to promote school improvement (Danielson, 2006). The Rice University Mathematics Leadership Institute (RUMLI) was an attempt to develop the great potential of teacher leaders to help advance systemic changes in their schools and districts. The primary purpose of RUMLI was to confront an inability to meet a large, persistent, and growing demand for guidance in mathematics on many high school campuses.
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Recent studies that compare mathematics achievement of United States students with those of other countries indicate that American students do not perform at the same level as their counterparts in other countries (Peterson, Woessmann, Hanushek, & Lastra-Anadón, 2011; Usiskin, 2014). Equally troubling is research that shows that wide differences of achievement occur within the United States when comparing achievement results across racial and socio-economic groups (Haycock, 2001; Reardon, 2011). In response to these results, much effort and resources have been devoted to improving student mathematics achievement, particularly in urban school systems with large percentages of students from sub-populations who have not traditionally performed as …show more content…
Teaching shortages in mathematics however have made it difficult to provide quality instruction for all students and have led to increased numbers of new teachers in need of support. Developing methods of improving instructional strategies for teachers, particularly new teachers, through professional development can be a key element in improving classroom instruction. Professional development, however, is a very broad term that can have many different methods of delivery (Desimone, 2009). Recently more emphasis has been placed on job-embedded professional development that provides “just in time” support for teachers (American Federation of Teachers,
To …show more content…
Recent studies that compare mathematics achievement of United States students with those of other countries indicate that American students do not perform at the same level as their counterparts in other countries (Peterson, Woessmann, Hanushek, & Lastra-Anadón, 2011; Usiskin, 2014). Equally troubling is research that shows that wide differences of achievement occur within the United States when comparing achievement results across racial and socio-economic groups (Haycock, 2001; Reardon, 2011). In response to these results, much effort and resources have been devoted to improving student mathematics achievement, particularly in urban school systems with large percentages of students from sub-populations who have not traditionally performed as …show more content…
Teaching shortages in mathematics however have made it difficult to provide quality instruction for all students and have led to increased numbers of new teachers in need of support. Developing methods of improving instructional strategies for teachers, particularly new teachers, through professional development can be a key element in improving classroom instruction. Professional development, however, is a very broad term that can have many different methods of delivery (Desimone, 2009). Recently more emphasis has been placed on job-embedded professional development that provides “just in time” support for teachers (American Federation of Teachers,