Professional Development

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

In this article, we overview a professional learning task that involves drawing one’s vision for high-quality, equitable mathematics instruction (HQEMI). The task is part of the ongoing work of a statewide research practice partnership that supports a shared vision of mathematics across the state K–12 system. Our work of HQEMI is rooted in the development of Munter’s (2014) four dimensions for visions of high-quality mathematics instruction (VHQMI): the role of the teacher, classroom discourse, mathematical tasks, and student engagement.

Author/Presenter

Katherine Baker

Catherine S. Schwartz

Ashley N. Whitehead

Olufunke Adefope

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

In this article, we overview a professional learning task that involves drawing one’s vision for high-quality, equitable mathematics instruction (HQEMI). The task is part of the ongoing work of a statewide research practice partnership that supports a shared vision of mathematics across the state K–12 system. Our work of HQEMI is rooted in the development of Munter’s (2014) four dimensions for visions of high-quality mathematics instruction (VHQMI): the role of the teacher, classroom discourse, mathematical tasks, and student engagement. The first three dimensions are particularly useful in the work of the drawing task. In this article, we share an overview of the drawing task, its implementation with educators, and sample drawings, detailing how personal drawings were made visible across participants and the conversations resulting from viewing and reflecting on one another’s drawings.

The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers

Professional development (PD) for mathematics teachers often emphasizes transformative instructional change. However, a more modest, incremental approach may offer a higher likelihood of success in ways that complement transformational efforts. This Editorial discusses the potential advantages of incremental PD where teachers make small but meaningful improvements to their practice over time. We explore the differences between transformational PD and incremental PD as evidenced by the articles in this Special Issue.

Author/Presenter

Samuel Otten

Zandra de Araujo

Amber G. Candela

Year
2025
Short Description

Professional development (PD) for mathematics teachers often emphasizes transformative instructional change. However, a more modest, incremental approach may offer a higher likelihood of success in ways that complement transformational efforts. This Editorial discusses the potential advantages of incremental PD where teachers make small but meaningful improvements to their practice over time.

Teachers as Agentic Synthesizers: Recontextualizing Personally Meaningful Practices from Professional Development

Background
Teacher learning from professional development (PD) remains undertheorized. Most PD studies focus on its content or structure to gauge learning, leaving substantive gaps in our understanding of teacher learning processes and the role of contexts. Therefore, we investigate teachers’ learning as they take practices from PD and adapt them to their own settings.

Author/Presenter

Samantha A. Marshall

Ilana S. Horn

Year
2025
Short Description

Teacher learning from professional development (PD) remains undertheorized. Most PD studies focus on its content or structure to gauge learning, leaving substantive gaps in our understanding of teacher learning processes and the role of contexts. Therefore, we investigate teachers’ learning as they take practices from PD and adapt them to their own settings.

Mathematics Teacher Persistence in Online Professional Development: Emerging (Mis)alignments Between Instructional Expectations and Professional Development Utility

Sustained professional development is critical to support mathematics teachers’ development of ambitious instructional practices. This study aimed to better understand the factors and conditions that impact mathematics teachers’ persistent participation in an optional and online professional development that includes a sequence of three online workshops focused on doing mathematics and examining student mathematics work.

Author/Presenter

Anthony Matranga

Jason Silverman

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Sustained professional development is critical to support mathematics teachers’ development of ambitious instructional practices. This study aimed to better understand the factors and conditions that impact mathematics teachers’ persistent participation in an optional and online professional development that includes a sequence of three online workshops focused on doing mathematics and examining student mathematics work.

Examining District Mathematics Leaders’ Support for School-based Mathematics Coaches

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Author/Presenter

Nicholas Kochmanski

Peter Holt Wilson

Ginger Rhodes

Joshua Recore

Year
2025
Short Description

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Examining District Mathematics Leaders’ Support for School-based Mathematics Coaches

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Author/Presenter

Nicholas Kochmanski

Peter Holt Wilson

Ginger Rhodes

Joshua Recore

Year
2025
Short Description

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Examining District Mathematics Leaders’ Support for School-based Mathematics Coaches

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Author/Presenter

Nicholas Kochmanski

Peter Holt Wilson

Ginger Rhodes

Joshua Recore

Year
2025
Short Description

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Examining District Mathematics Leaders’ Support for School-based Mathematics Coaches

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Author/Presenter

Nicholas Kochmanski

Peter Holt Wilson

Ginger Rhodes

Joshua Recore

Year
2025
Short Description

Mathematics coaching differs significantly from mathematics teaching, and many coaches transition to the role directly from teaching with limited opportunities to learn to work effectively with teachers. Although coach professional development can provide one source of support for coaches’ learning, coaches might also benefit from close work with other accomplished facilitators of teachers’ learning, such as district mathematics leaders. This study analyzed interviews with 15 district mathematics leaders to understand whether and how they supported school-based mathematics coaches.

Equity-Focused, Rubric-based Coaching: An Incremental Improvement Approach to Supporting Teachers to Shift Toward More Equitable Mathematics Instruction

Historically, inequities in mathematics education have resulted in mathematics classrooms that do not support all students, and particularly students from marginalized backgrounds. Efforts to transform mathematics classrooms to be culturally responsive, sustaining, and justice-oriented have met limited success at scale. It may be that supporting teachers to develop more equitable teaching practices would benefit from a more incremental improvement approach.

Author/Presenter

Erica Litke

Jonee Wilson

Heather C. Hill

Year
2025
Short Description

This article considers how school-based mathematics coaches can support teachers to make incremental shifts toward more equitable instruction. We describe a coaching model designed to include elements of incremental improvement, in which coaches and teachers analyze video against a set of rubrics that delineate equitable teaching practices.

Equity-Focused, Rubric-based Coaching: An Incremental Improvement Approach to Supporting Teachers to Shift Toward More Equitable Mathematics Instruction

Historically, inequities in mathematics education have resulted in mathematics classrooms that do not support all students, and particularly students from marginalized backgrounds. Efforts to transform mathematics classrooms to be culturally responsive, sustaining, and justice-oriented have met limited success at scale. It may be that supporting teachers to develop more equitable teaching practices would benefit from a more incremental improvement approach.

Author/Presenter

Erica Litke

Jonee Wilson

Heather C. Hill

Year
2025
Short Description

This article considers how school-based mathematics coaches can support teachers to make incremental shifts toward more equitable instruction. We describe a coaching model designed to include elements of incremental improvement, in which coaches and teachers analyze video against a set of rubrics that delineate equitable teaching practices.