How Principals at Predominantly Hispanic
Schools Conceive of Their Leadership
Roles in the Implementation of Reform
Mathematics by Barbara Trujillo
Presentation for CEMELA Symposium
January 17, 2009
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• How do principals in predominantly Hispanic schools conceive of their leadership roles in the implementation of a district-wide reform mathematics curriculum?
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

•
• How are their conceptions influenced by: a. their own ideas of mathematics teaching and learning, including the role of language and culture in content teaching b. the performance of Hispanic students in mathematics, c. their interpretation of state and district mandates for mathematics, d. their interactions with teachers, students and parents around mathematics?

• “The problem of scale”
(Cobb and Smith, 2008).
• Accountability movement provides “press”, but does not address ways to transform teaching.
(Flores, 2007; NCES, 2008).
• Literature on instructional leadership mostly prescriptive
(Burch & Spillane, 2005).
• Only small body of empirical research on principals and math reform.
• No research specific to principal leadership and Hispanic students’ opportunities to learn in mathematics.
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

To develop a deeper understanding of how principals conceive of the complex and critical role of principal leadership in the implementation of a reform mathematics curriculum in predominantly Hispanic schools in an era of accountability.
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• To add to a developing body of research that considers principals
’ beliefs and ideas about the teaching and learning of mathematics in an era of reform.
•
• To better understand how their conceptions translate into leadership actions to support the reforms
• To understand how principals negotiate or broker between the reforms within their schools and the curriculum, accountability and equity demands tied to mathematics that come from the district, state and federal levels.

• Adds to current studies on effective leadership for mathematics reform
(Nelson & Sassi, Cobb & Smith)
• Different demographic and focus on Hispanic learner
 Existing studies in Northeast
 Existing research does not consider opportunities to learn
• Better understanding of leaders’ conceptions of reform may help inform distsrict support for principals.
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• Notion of principals’ conceptions is based on A. G.
Thompson’s
(1992, p. 130) definition:
Conscious or subconscious beliefs, concepts,
meanings, rules, mental images, and preferences concerning the discipline of mathematics.
Impacted by reflection .
Also includes knowledge of mathematics.
(Also supported by P. Ernest, 1988.)

• Informed by four bodies of research
 Instructional Leadership
 Mathematics Reform - a paradigm shift
 Equity in Mathematics Teaching and Learning, including the impact of the Accountability Movement
 Instructional Leadership and Mathematics Reform
(LCK)
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

1.
Focus on long term changes to instructional core.
2.
Emphasize collaboration and communication.
3.
Maximize resources
4.
Create a safe and open environment for inquiry.
5.
Participate “frequently and meaningfully in classrooms”
(Supovitz &
Poblinco, p. 12).
6.
Orchestrate systemic performance accountability.
7.
Hold high expectations and provide strong support for all students.

• Challenges for teachers, challenges for leaders - a paradigm shift instrumentalism vs. constructivism.
 Must address teachers’ beliefs and understandings about the teaching and learning of mathematics, including their own mathematical understandings
 Professional development that is intensive, collaborative, sustained, and involves reflective practice
 Must include holding teachers accountable for implementing reforms.
 Leadership also needs to understand reform teaching in order to know what to look for in classrooms
 Requires: infrastructure for reform
(Von Glaserfeld, Romberg, Thompson, Hoover, Hersh; Spillane & Zeuli, 1999;Ma, 1999; Reys, Reys,
Tarr, & Chavez, 2006; Kazemi & Franke, 2004; Ball,2004; Ball & Bass, 2001; Ball & Cohen, 1996; Ball,
Thames & Phelps, 2007.)
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• Addresses what the work is about:
 The subject matter
 How teachers “socialize students into the world of literate knowers of mathematics”
 How students learn mathematics, including typical challenges and misconceptions
• Addresses how the work gets done:

Community of inquiry
 Collaboration
 Reflection
 Looking at student work
Ball,
Elliott & Kazemi
Kazemi & Franke,
 Ongoing sustained focused professional development to develop content knowledge for teaching mathematics (Ball).
• Single initiative (St. John, et al.)

Leadership Content Knowledge (LCK)
• The relationship between instructional leadership and knowledge of how mathematics is learned and how it is taught.
(Nelson & Sassi, 2005; Stein & Nelson, 2003).
• Transforming subject matter knowledge for the purposes of providing leadership for instructional reform.
• Includes elements from both learning and accountability views of leadership.

District
Leaders
Principals
Adult
Professionals
Teachers
Teachers Students
Subject
Matter

LCK -
How is my study additive?
 Leadership Content Knowledge
(Stein & Nelson, 2003; Nelson & Sassi, 2005)
 How beliefs and understandings about teaching and learning of mathematics impact principal decisions and actions.
 Principals’ knowledge of math + ideas about learning and teaching
 Lenses on Learning principal professional development
(Grant, Nelson, Stein)
• Aim to influence principals’ thinking about math ed. reform
 East coast schools - several long-term studies
 Focus on supervision of instruction, looking at classroom inquiry and student thinking
 Did not consider language, culture, SES
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

Literature Review -
Principal Leadership and Mathematics Reform
Principal leadership as instrumentalist or constructivist
(Buonopane, 2006) independent of mathematics content knowledge.
High math content knowledge
Instrumentalist views low math content knowledge
Constructivist views

Literature Review -
Principal Leadership and Mathematics Reform
• Principals’ conceptions of locus of mathematics expertise matters.
(Burch & Spillane)
• Principal role in “scale-up”
(Cobb & Smith, 2008) includes:
 Brokering district “vision and mandates” with teacher
“capacity”.
 Setting the expectations for implementation fidelity.
 Development of communities of practice and teacher support networks

 Framework of inequities
(Berry, 2005; Moll & Diaz, 1993; Wenglinsky, 2004)

View as Opportunity Gap or Achievement Gap
(Flores, 2006)

Leverage mathematical understanding through connections to everyday lives of students - context matters
(Celed
ó n-Pattichis,
2004; Lee, 2008)

Language matters - level of cognitive demand determines level of language supports. Do teachers have training?
 Providing all teachers sufficient and specific opportunities to learn pedagogy of language and culture in mathematics teaching and learning
(Cohen & Ball, Khisty).
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• Qualitative “collective case-study ”
(Creswell, 2007)
 Within case analysis to analysis of themes across cases
 Narratives of principals as they reflect on practice, beliefs, interpretations.
 Produces context-dependent knowledge “a nuanced view of reality”
(Flyvbjerg, 2006, p. 223)
 Interpretive lens - entangled with social and historical context of experience
(Webster cited in Buonopane, 2006)
• Extends background pilot study, August 2007 - present
• Researcher bias
 My own lens and background as principal and researcher
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• Relatively small district with high Hispanic and ELL population
• Unique “southwest” location with case significance due to immigrant and low SES Hispanic population.
• District adoption of mathematics reform curricula

Superintendent part of data-driven leadership project (OEA)
 Changes in support structures for teachers
• 3 predominantly Hispanic Elementary Schools with common “feeder” middle school.
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

Principal/years at site
Grades
# Students
% Hispanic
% ELL
% FRL
AYP status
SBA math scores
Bilingual math teachers
Camino Real
Elementary School
Ms. White
–
2 nd year
K-6 th
379
66%
8%
62%
Made AYP
None
Sands Elementary Tomasita Elementary
Ms. Rojas
–
8 th year Mr. Torres - 2 nd year
K-6 th (was 5 th -6 th until
2007)
513
86%
58%
86%
Restructuring 2 (Have not made AYP 4 years
Pre-K
–
6 th (was Pre-K
–
4 th until last year)
496
84%
50%
80%
Did not make AYP for 1st time.
27% proficient
One at each grade level, approach varies
24% of 6 th graders proficient
One at each grade level

 Principal 1: 2nd year, was AP at feeder middle school, bilingual certification, taught 6th grade mathematics. Hispanic, some Spanish.
NM native. Enjoys mathematics.
 Principal 2: 12th year, 8th at school with 100% FRL, 50% ELL.
Taught pre-school and was IEP coordinator previously. Anglo from midwest. Not a “math person”. Does not recognize curriculum.
 Principal 3: 2nd year, taught 4th, 5th grade, Hispanic, Bilingual certification, some Spanish. NM native, “comfortable with mathematics”.
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

Focus of data collection tools is components of LCK: content knowledge, student-teacher, teacher learning, district expectations.
• Survey principals
 Mathematics knowledge
 LCK
• 3 formal interviews - taped
 Subject/curriculum knowledge
 Student learning
 Teacher learning/support
 District requirements and expectations
• Classroom observations with principal (follow-up interview, non-taped)
• Field notes from site visits
• Conversations with district personnel
• Teacher survey
(Survey
Monkey, 2006)
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

• Coding for themes
• Thick description ”nuanced view of reality”
(Flyvbjerg, 2006) in deep context of each case.
• Look for similarities and differences and trends across cases.
• Analyze trends within and across cases.
• Need to think more about how to analyze and code this as
“broker” role.
Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as

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Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as