Toward a District Infrastructure to Support Instructional Improvement in Pre-K-3 Mathematics

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership Specific to Racialization, Inclusion, and Pathways in Different National Contexts (Table 11)

Abstract

Districts engage in PreK-3 initiatives to create stronger pathways for students from preschool into early elementary. Research has documented PreK-3 challenges, yet there is little research on how districts can address them. This study investigates how four districts, engaged in PreK-3 with a support organization, changed their systems for mathematics improvement. All districts made substantial changes, the majority of which were consistent with the initiative’s vision. Generally, they better aligned elements of their system with one another. Nearly all districts extended changes to include preschool. We argue that the changes and any variability were related to the scaffolding provided by the support organization, districts’ pre-existing capacity, and whether district leaders of the initiative had positional authority to make system-wide changes.

Authors

• Cynthia E. Coburn, Northwestern University

• Abigail Stein, Carnegie Mellon University

• Angel Xiao Bohannon, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Laila Barcenas, Northwestern University

• Melanie Muskin, Northwestern University