Vertical Incoherence: How Misalignment Between Instruction and District Support Systems Impedes Reform

• In Event: Focusing on Capacity, Coherence, and Communication With School and District Improvement Efforts

Abstract

After reviewing the literature on coherence in education system, this paper focuses on a particular type of coherence - vertical coherence between the learning theories underlying instructional reform and the learning theories reflected in district systems used to introduce, scale, and sustain instructional improvement. Using data from a longitudinal study of a mathematics reform in a large urban district, we examine the district’s professional development and interim assessment systems to analyze the extent to which they align with the math reform’s learning approach. Based on the lack of coherence between the two, we argue that district and school leaders must better incorporate more contemporary learning theories into their systems intended to support improvements in teaching and learning.

Author

• Jonathan A. Supovitz, University of Pennsylvania