63-3513 DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

• Sponsoring Institution: Other Cooperating Institutions
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: STATE
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0213262
• Project Start Date: Dec 11, 2007
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2009
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE
SEATTLE,WA 98195

Performing Department
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION

Non Technical Summary
Instructional leadership development will benefit principals in selected high-need school districts by: 1) increasing principals skills in working effectively with mathematics teachers; 2) demonstrating curricular leadership consistent with research-based approaches to learning mathematics that teachers are using in the classroom; 3) creating more effective working relationships between teachers and their principals, and 4) increasing awareness of research-based methods to enhance student achievement in mathematics. With these benefits in mind, a total of nineteen high-need districts on the Olympic Peninsula and Okanogan County were contacted and asked to consider the potential contributions of this professional development project to their respective schools. The planning the scope, timing, and content of the program were discussed with several districts, including Cape Flattery and Quillayute Valley School Districts. In addition, all districts listed in the partnership agreement section were invited to review the draft proposal.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

100%

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
123	7410	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
123 - Management and Sustainability of Forest Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
7410 - General technology;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

leadership skills

mathematics education

Goals / Objectives
To build instructional leadership skills among principals on the Olympic Peninsula while incorporating them in mathematics learning communities To sustain and expand existing mathematics learning communities on the Olympic Peninsula by increasing the instructional leadership skills of both administrators and teachers To address process and content standards through inquiry-based mathematics instruction that prepares students for success on the (Washington State Assessment of Student Learning) WASL To enhance participants awareness of practices that increase student engagement in developing essential mathematical concepts and skills. To involve a few school administrators and teachers as guest participants from selected high-need/low test-score districts in north central Washington as a first step toward expanding future professional development opportunities to remote eastern Washington communities.

Project Methods
To formalize support for this program, we created a structured letter for the superintendents to sign. Superintendents from twelve districts have submitted letters of support: Aberdeen, Brewster, Cape Flattery, Centralia, Ocosta, Pe Ell, Pioneer, Queets-Clearwater, Quilcene, Quillayute Valley, Raymond, and South Bend (letters included in Attachment 2). By signing the letter, each superintendent acknowledged their districts need for this opportunity and their commitment to support it.

Progress 12/11/07 to 08/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The program began as professional development for principals in instructional leadership in the coastal region of Washington State as a follow up to a three-year effort of professional development for secondary mathematics teachers in the region. Participating teachers from this training reported that lack of administrative understanding and support for group- and inquiry-based learning was a significant obstacle to the adoption of more effective classroom methods in mathematics education they learned. A three-day retreat in 2006 with several of the participating teachers' principals and superintendents revealed their commitment to pursue professional development in instructional leadership following the completion of this work with the teachers. These principals and superintendents expressed a strong interest in learning new methods for improving the learning of mathematics and encouraged us to develop an intensive professional development program in instructional leadership focused on group- and inquiry-based classroom methods in mathematics. This current project was a direct result of this grassroots feedback. The program ended up working with 36 principals and 7 superintendents from isolated, rural school districts from throughout the Olympic Peninsula, coastal western Washington, and the Okanogan Valley region, including principals and superintendents from 18 high need school districts. We included principals from the Okanogan Valley region since we were interested in expanding our work in that region due to its preponderance of high need schools. Initially, we planned to visit classrooms in the Okanogan Valley region and follow that up with a locally held three-day retreat for the principals. Only two principals from this region were available to attend the introductory weekend workshop in Forks. However, these principals were so enthused by what they learned that they returned home and encouraged their colleagues to participate in this training. The principals urged us to provide an additional training session for them in their region. Their initiative resulted in a three-day weekend retreat in Chelan in September 2008. The principals in the Okanogan Valley region further requested us to offer training for their secondary teachers of mathematics. We successfully received supplemental funding and, in June 2009, held a two-week training in Winthrop, Washington, for 30 middle and high schools teachers of mathematics from schools in Okanogan, Chelan, and Douglas counties. Twelve principals also joined us for two additional days of training during the teachers' retreat. PARTICIPANTS: Robert G. Lee, Ph.D.: Project Director, University of Washington College of the Environment, School of Forest Resources. Ellen Matheny: Project Manager, University of Washington College of the Environment, School of Forest Resources. Linda Stonehocker, University of Washington College of the Environment, School of Forest Resources. Sara S. Campbell, doctoral student: Instructor, University of Washington College of Education, Department of Mathematics Education. Virginia C. Stimpson, Ph.D.: Instructor, University of Washington College of Education, Department of Mathematics Education. Virginia Warfield, Ph.D.: Instructor, University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Mathematics. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience included education professionals from the state of Washington: school administrators, mathematics teachers, and other mathematics educators. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: We provided additional training in the Okanogan Valley region: 1. We held a three-day weekend retreat in Chelan in September 2008. 2. We successfully received supplemental funding and, in June 2009, held a two-week training in Winthrop, Washington, for 30 middle and high schools teachers of mathematics from schools in Okanogan, Chelan, and Douglas counties. Twelve principals also joined us for two additional days of training during the teachers' retreat.

Impacts
This project broke new ground in Washington State Title II projects by successfully engaging 21 principals and 5 superintendents from rural, high-need school districts in the Olympic Peninsula region in leadership development to support new practices for teaching mathematics. This achievement led to additional unexpected engagement of 15 principals and 2 superintendents in north central Washington, which in turn stimulated an important first step in professional development of 30 mathematics teachers from this region.

Publications

• No publications reported this period