Coherent Implementation of Mathematics Instructional Materials: A Study of the Variations and Effects of District Supports for Implementation

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This project seeks to understand the district- and school-level supports needed to implement comprehensive elementary mathematics instructional materials. It explores through a four-year, longitudinal, mixed methods study the implementation of Everyday Mathematics or Investigations in Number, Data, and Space in all of Grades 1-5 in ten to 12 school districts in two to four states. The project investigates and operationalizes the coherence of implementation strategies from the district perspective; considers the mediating role of school-based supports and level of use of the materials; and examines the connection between coherent implementation and student outcomes as measured on state assessments in elementary mathematics. Data are gathered through interviews and surveys of district-level administrators principals, and elementary teachers, and from annual state tests of student achievement in mathematics. Some of the research questions guiding this work are: What are the dimensions of district-level coherence of implementation of instructional materials? What are the dimensions of school-level support for implementation of instructional materials? How does district-level coherence relate to changes in school-level student scores at a single point in time and over time? What factors moderate the relationship between district-level coherence and student outcomes (i.e., percentage of free or reduced-price lunch, size of district)? Does school-level support for implementation and/or school-level use mediate the relationship between district-level coherence and student outcomes? How does school-level support of implementation relate to changes in school-level student scores, at a single point in time and over time? What factors moderate the relationship between school-level support of implementation and student outcomes (i.e., percentage of free or reduced-price lunch, size of school)? Does school-level use mediate the relationship between school-level support of implementation and student outcomes? Many districts across the country have centered their recent mathematics improvement efforts on the use of instructional materials aligned to state standards, often in response to increased accountability for student outcomes. Supporting this movement is the emergence of well-designed instructional materials, including programs such as Everyday Mathematics and Investigations. The promise of such materials is great, but their impact is mediated by how well they are used by teachers in their classrooms. Instructional materials do not stand alone: they must be carefully aligned with elements of practice and policy at the district and school level to provide teachers with the guidance needed to enact the materials' vision for classroom practice. School districts vary in the degree to which they provide these supports. This study should make a major contribution to understanding what organizations must do realize the promise of such materials, uncovering conditions crucial to success. Results can be of major interest to educators, school administrators and policymakers across the U.S. as they plan, fund and expend efforts to use new instructional materials. It should shed light on factors affecting the scale-up of such materials at large scale.