Systems Reform

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:28:22 +0000

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

This paper explores the tensions—or discontinuities—that arise when designing for educational improvement at scale through research-practice partnerships (RPPs). Focusing on a statewide mathematics education initiative, the authors examine the complexities of coordinating work across diverse communities of practice and analyze how identity, power, and meaning-making impact collaborative problem definition. Drawing on Wenger’s dualities of participation-reification and identification-negotiation, the study highlights three recurring discontinuities: navigating the ambiguity of the design process, designing for diverse system stakeholders, and negotiating shared vocabulary. Through qualitative analysis of team reflections, activities, and artifacts, the paper offers practical strategies—such as participation structures and system mapping—to support productive boundary encounters and restore continuity. These insights advance both theory and practice for those undertaking equity-oriented design at large scale.

Stephan, M,, McCulloch, A., Schwartz, C., Wilson, H., & Mawhinney, K. (2025) Discontinuities that arise when designing for educational improvement at state scale. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1628023

Cadre-Admin Mon, 09/22/2025 - 10:28

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1628…

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:28:22 +0000

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin Mon, 09/22/2025 - 10:28

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1628…

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:28:22 +0000

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin Mon, 09/22/2025 - 10:28

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1628…

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:28:22 +0000

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

Cadre-Admin Mon, 09/22/2025 - 10:28

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1628…

Developing a Visual Model to Represent the Implementation of an Ambitious Mathematics Program

Cadre-Admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:01:07 +0000

Developing a Visual Model to Represent the Implementation of an Ambitious Mathematics Program

We describe the development of a visual model to represent the implementation of an ambitious mathematics program, which serves as an example of a complex educational reform. Visual models can be both conceptual and empirical, representing aspirational and theoretical perspectives while simultaneously incorporating empirical details specific to the context. Integrating conceptual and empirical aspects leads to tensions in managing the complexity of the model. Our process began with a simple model that guided our empirical work, which involved qualitative analysis. As we explored the systems and resources associated with the implementation of the ambitious mathematics program, the model took on more detail and complexity, both conceptually and empirically. In subsequent iterations of the model, we encountered tensions in balancing conceptual and empirical purposes, as well as challenges in displaying its emerging complexity.

Choppin, J., Al, S., Li, J., Wilkes, C. E., II, & Calleros, E. D. (2025) Developing a visual model to represent the implementation of an ambitious mathematics program. Frontiers in Education. 10:1579921. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1579921

Cadre-Admin Tue, 07/01/2025 - 12:01

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1579…

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Cadre-Admin — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 17:19:31 +0000

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. 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. These conversations helped surface disparities in notions of ideal mathematics instruction and provided space for negotiation of shared meaning. We provide themes and overarching considerations from these conversations to highlight discussions that might be elicited through this task in future iterations. Finally, we provide recommendations for implementing the task and consider how the task might be adapted for others’ contexts to support professional learning about and development of a shared vision for mathematics.

Baker, K., Schwartz, C. S., Whitehead, A. N., & Adefope, O. (2025). Visualizing a vision for high-quality, equitable math instruction. Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, 26(1), 6-19.

Cadre-Admin Sat, 06/28/2025 - 13:19

https://www.mathedleadership.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NCSMJournalVol26Num…

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Cadre-Admin — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 17:19:31 +0000

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Baker, K., Schwartz, C. S., Whitehead, A. N., & Adefope, O. (2025). Visualizing a vision for high-quality, equitable math instruction. Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, 26(1), 6-19.

Cadre-Admin Sat, 06/28/2025 - 13:19

https://www.mathedleadership.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NCSMJournalVol26Num…

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Cadre-Admin — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 17:19:31 +0000

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Baker, K., Schwartz, C. S., Whitehead, A. N., & Adefope, O. (2025). Visualizing a vision for high-quality, equitable math instruction. Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, 26(1), 6-19.

Cadre-Admin Sat, 06/28/2025 - 13:19

https://www.mathedleadership.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NCSMJournalVol26Num…

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Cadre-Admin — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 17:19:31 +0000

Visualizing a Vision for High-Quality, Equitable Math Instruction

Baker, K., Schwartz, C. S., Whitehead, A. N., & Adefope, O. (2025). Visualizing a vision for high-quality, equitable math instruction. Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, 26(1), 6-19.

Cadre-Admin Sat, 06/28/2025 - 13:19

https://www.mathedleadership.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NCSMJournalVol26Num…

Demands, Tensions, and Resources When Implementing Ambitious Mathematics

Cadre-Admin — Thu, 02 May 2024 23:23:34 +0000

Demands, Tensions, and Resources When Implementing Ambitious Mathematics

In this article, we explore demands and tensions involved when schools implement ambitious mathematics teaching (AMT). Following a description of a framework that distinguishes between internal and external demands, we characterize the tension between these in terms of alignment, balance, and buffering, which collectively speak to coherence. We then describe AMT and how it represents a departure from traditional mathematics instruction found in most countries. We applied the framework to an illustrative case and found that while the school devoted considerable resources to reforming mathematics teaching and learning, challenges persisted. These challenges include ongoing language and participatory demands for students and, for teachers, balancing the demands of implementing AMT with a range of other initiatives. The framework provides a means of exploring the full range of demands associated with ambitious instructional reforms, how these demands are mitigated or exacerbated, and the kinds of resources necessary to sustain AMT.

Choppin, J., Green, C., & Zahner, W. (2024). Demands, tensions, and resources when implementing ambitious mathematics. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 32. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.32.8098

Cadre-Admin Thu, 05/02/2024 - 19:23

https://epaa.asu.edu/index.php/epaa/article/view/8098