NCSM Essential Actions Series

Overview of Leadership Resources

In the face of an ever-changing national and global landscape, it has rarely been more necessary to employ bold leadership in order to ensure that our students have equitable access to deep and meaningful mathematics. To that end, mathematics leaders secure and develop resources that support a vision for exceptional mathematics teaching and learning for each and every student. Over the past two decades, we have seen the emergence of a significant number of resources that claim our vision. Research-affirmed strategies, many enhanced and made more accessible by technology, have become visible to teachers, coaches, and leaders.

In an effort to help mathematics leaders make sense of the available research and associated resources, NCSM has developed the following resources (and will continue to develop additional resources supporting mathematics education leadership) designed as “best practice” guides for mathematics leadership, teaching, and learning:

Framework for Leadership in Mathematics Education
Instructional Leadership in Mathematics Education
Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics Education
Coaching in Mathematics Education

These resources are grounded in four guiding principles and four foundational elements of mathematics leadership.

A guiding principle is a belief or ideal that defines the work of an organization and transcends changes in circumstance, leadership, or any of the other working parts of that organization. Through that lens, the four guiding principles identified in the NCSM Essential Actions: Framework for Leadership in Mathematics Education include clarity and focus for how to lead PreK-12 mathematics. The combination of the foundational elements and the guiding principles provides structure for defining the role of any individual who leads mathematics instructional programs in a school, district, state/province or institute of higher education.

NCSM Essential Actions: Framework for Leadership in Mathematics Education

The Framework for Leadership in Mathematics Education, is the third book in the NCSM Essential Actions Series. Building on our previous work with The PRIME Leadership Framework: PRinciples and Indicators for Mathematics Education (NCSM, 2008) and It’s TIME: Themes and Imperatives for Mathematics Education (NCSM, 2014), our new Essential Actions for bold mathematics education leadership focus around four guiding principles and four foundational elements of mathematics leadership.

Ultimately, the success of a mathematics education leader resides in the influence the leader leaves on the next generation of mathematics education teachers, leaders, programs, and impact on student learning. Leaders that make a difference take a stand and commit themselves, and those they lead, to a complex yet crystal-clear set of leadership actions. Bold leaders consider their guiding principles and take a stand in ways that support enacting those principles.

The NCSM Framework for Mathematics Leadership identifies key essential actions: twelve imperatives that bold mathematics education leaders use to identify ways in which they can take a stand in support of teachers and students in their organization. Every leader is capable of making commitments for things that matter and giving meaning to values that will significantly impact student learning. This is what it means to live a courageous and bold leadership life.

Free Reproducibles from “NCSM Essential Actions: Framework for Leadership in Mathematics Education”

Order a copy of NCSM Essential Actions: Framework for Leadership in Mathematics Education today for yourself or colleagues for further discussion and planning.

NCSM Essential Actions: Instructional Leadership in Mathematics Education

School-based administrators wear many hats as the primary instructional leader to the students, teachers, and community they serve. The latest book from NCSM in the Essential Action Series is a go-to resource for principals as they work toward increasing mathematics learning for each and every learner. This hands-on resource details the essential actions for mathematics leadership and includes:

Designing effective school improvement processes
Leading and managing systems of change
Developing and activating the school’s mission, vision, values, and goals
Leading through a lens of equity, cultural responsiveness, and social justice
Creating and sustaining a culture of high expectations for learning
Building the professional capacity of school staff
Creating and sustaining effective professional communities of reflective practitioners

With voices from the field and a comprehensive set of resources for leading mathematics, this book provides practical and actionable research-affirmed strategies that will improve mathematics teaching and learning.

Free reproducibles from "NCSM Essential Actions: Instructional Leadership in Mathematics Education"

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1 School-Based Mathematics Program Needs Assessment Tool
Figure 1.2 Essential Actions Reflection Tool

Chapter 2

Figure 2.3 Productive Beliefs About Access and Equity in Mathematics Tool
Figure 2.4 Mathematics Teaching Practices School Leadership Team Reflection
Figure 2.9 EA1: Define and Develop a Shared Vision for High-Quality Mathematics Teaching and Learning (Self-Reflection)

Chapter 3

Figure 3.4 Principal Reflection on Plan, Do, Study, Act Cycle
Figure 3.6 EA2: Continually Monitor the Implementation of the Vision and Provide Feedback to Teachers in Meeting the Vision (Self-Reflection)

Chapter 4

Figure 4.3 Instructional Process Reflection
Figure 4.5 MTP Continuum Tool
Figure 4.16 EA3: Require Consistent High Expectations for All Students and Teachers (Self-Reflection Tool)
Figure 4.17 EA4: Provide Opportunities and Resources to Develop Knowledge of Relevant Meaningful Mathematics (Self-Reflection Tool)

Chapter 5

Figure 5.1 Four Critical Actions for Structures for Teacher Learning
Figure 5.2 Four Critical Actions for Structures That Support Student Learning
Figure 5.9 EA5: Develop Structures for Continual Job-Embedded Professional Learning (Self-Reflection)
Figure 5.10 EA6: Develop Structures and Systems to Support Intensification and Extensions to Meet the Learning Needs of All Students (Self-Reflection)
Learning Trajectories – Online only

Chapter 6

Figure 6.3 Data Analysis Protocol
Figure 6.4 Data Chat Reflection Guide
Figure 6.8 Team Response for Intensification
Figure 6.11 EA7: Create Structures to Collectively Collect, Analyze, and Celebrate Evidence of Student Learning (Self-Reflection)
Instructional Roadmap – Online only

Order a copy of NCSM Essential Actions: Instructional Leadership in Mathematics Education today for yourself or colleagues for further discussion and planning.

Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics

The NCSM vision clarifies the focus on student learning outcomes and directs the charge to “guarantee that all students engage in equitable, high-quality mathematical experiences.” So, how do we as mathematics leaders and members of NCSM bring the vision to life and ensure equitable student engagement in mathematics classrooms of the teachers we serve? How do we ensure that students who have been traditionally marginalized see themselves as mathematicians?

Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics Education focuses on the essential actions leaders must apply to ensure students are engaged in culturally relevant and equitable mathematics instruction. This book provides action steps and resources to support the following guiding principles:

Empowering students through culturally relevant practices
Designing culturally relevant tasks
Monitoring culturally relevant practices
Advocating for culturally relevant practices

Included in this book are four culturally relevant tasks and a comprehensive set of resources for leading culturally relevant mathematics. This book provides practical and actionable research-affirmed strategies that will improve mathematics teaching and learning.

Free reproducibles from “NCSM Essential Actions: Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics Education”

Introduction

Figure 1.2 Culturally Relevant Leadership Actions for the Guiding Principles

Chapter 1

Figure 1.8 The Revised CRCD Mathematics Task Framework
Figure 1.9 Culturally Relevant Leadership Reflection

Chapter 2

Figure 2.3 Empower Leadership Actions for Guiding Questions
Figure 2.12 Culturally Relevant Leadership: Stakeholder Voice Reflection
Figure 2.15 Empower Task Analysis Questions
Figure 2.17 Our Counting Collections: Grades K-2 Adapted Task
Figure 2.18 Self Reflection on Empower Guiding Principle

Chapter 3

Figure 3.6 Design Leadership Actions with Guiding Questions
Figure 3.7 Professional Learning Needs Survey on Team Understanding
Figure 3.10 Our Vegetable Garden, Grades 6-8 Adapted Task
Figure 3.11 Self Reflection on Design Guiding Principle

Chapter 4

Figure 4.3 Monitor Leadership Actions with Guiding Questions
Figure 4.5 Cycle of Continuous Improvement Self-Reflection Questions
Figure 4.15 Who Has More: Grades 3-5 Adapted Task
Figure 4.16 Self Reflection on Monitor Guiding Principle

Chapter 5

Figure 5.4 Advocate Leadership Actions with Guiding Questions
Figure 5.7 Reflection of Mathematics Vision
Figure 5.8 Structures at the Classroom, School, and System Levels
Figure 5.9 Reflection on Leadership Actions
Figure 5.10 Equitable Mathematics Teaching Practices Reflection Tool
Figure 5.18 Self Reflection on Advocate Guiding Principle

Order a copy of NCSM Essential Actions: Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics Education today for yourself or your colleagues for further discussion and planning.

NCSM Essential Actions: Coaching in Mathematics Education

Mathematics coaching has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. The book Coaching in Mathematics Education, from NCSM’s new Essential Action Series, will serve as a guiding reference for coaches, teachers, administrators, and others as mathematics coaching programs become more prevalent throughout schools worldwide.

The book is structured around sets of Foundational Elements and Essential Actions of mathematics coaching programs (i.e., sets of ideas that are vital to implementing a successful mathematics coaching program).

Chapter 1 provides a model for the organization of this book. The building metaphor became our logic model, with students placed at the apex of our construction. We surround students with teachers, as they are the direct link to student learning. Surrounding the teachers, we placed both principals and coaches, each doing their own part to support teachers’ efforts to improve and grow professionally.
Chapter 2 lays out and describes the four Foundational Elements of coaching – Beliefs, Vision, Equity, and Relationships. These elements, located at the foundation of our building, provide the stability upon which an effective mathematics coaching program is built. These foundational elements permeate all of the Essential Actions in the following chapters.
Chapters 3 – 5 focus on the Essential Actions contained in each pillar of our Model. The red pillar is devoted to two Essential Actions for sustainable coaching necessary for building structures for effective coaching. The green pillar contains the three Essential Actions for coaching interactions and how to use them effectively to create change. Finally, the blue pillar details three Essential Actions encompassing the range of knowledge, understandings, and skills that become the focus of a coach’s work with teachers to strengthen instruction.
Epilogue – summarizes and draws connections among the Essential Actions and Foundational Elements.

With detailed explanations and examples, this book provides sensible and actionable research-affirmed methods and structures that will strengthen and improve your mathematics coaching programs and coaching leading to improved student learning.