Building, Supporting, and Sustaining Professional Growth for Teachers

1. Mathematics Teacher Leadership Building, Supporting, and Sustaining Professional Growth for Teachers Janis Freckmann, Milwaukee Public Schools DeAnn Huinker, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee freckmjl@milwaukee.k12.wi.us • huinker@uwm.edu New Wisconsin Promise Conference Madison, Wisconsin, January 9, 2007 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

2. Session Goals • Learn about the roles and responsibilities of a school-based mathematics teacher leader. • Gain knowledge of strategies for developing mathematics teacher leaders and how they work to support school leaders and classroom teachers.

3. Thinking about your school… Who provides leadership for: • Setting school “math” priorities & vision? • Ensuring consistency in math teaching and curriculum across grades? • Supporting teachers’ math learning? • Examining students’ learning on district & school assessments and state tests?

4. Milwaukee Public Schools • 100,000 students • 6700 Teachers • 184+ Schools • 61% African American, 15% Hispanic, 17% White, 4% Asian, 3% Other • 77% Free/Reduced Lunch

5. Our Challenge Building the capacity of schools for continuous improvement toward student success with challenging mathematics.

6. Learning Team Math Teacher Leader Literacy Coach Principal Other Key Teachers School-based Learning Teams are the infrastructure that allow for distributed leadership for mathematics.

7. School-based Learning Teams • Nucleus of school planning for improving instruction and student achievement. • Drive school implementation of district learning targets and state standards and common classroom assessments. • Plan math professional development for teachers and staff in the school. • Build a school math learning community.

8. Learning Team Literacy Coach Math Teacher Leader Principal Other Key Teachers Math Teacher Leaders are “key” for focusing their Learning Teams and schools on mathematics.

9. Classroom teacher. Respected among colleagues. Uses standards-based approaches. Shows initiative. Able to access resources. Ability to facilitate adult learning and conversations. Characteristics of a Math Teacher Leader

10. Math Teacher Leader Training Monthly training session strands: • Math content knowledge. • Leadership and coaching skills. • District alignment—math learning targets, State Standards and Wisconsin Assessment Framework, WKCE, common classroom assessments.

11. MTL School-based Activities Keep math as a focus in the school and community

12. MTL School-based Activities Advocate math time for: • Create Professional Development • Implement Professional Development • Providing resources to staff • Colleague conversations on math

13. MTL School-based Activities Coordinate, facilitate, and encourage math Professional Development: • Content knowledge • Classroom Assessments based on Standards (CABS) • State Standards and Wisconsin Assessment Framework and district learning targets

14. Learning Team MathTeacher Leader Literacy Coach Principal Other Key Teachers District Math Leadership Math Curriculum Specialist Math Teaching Specialists University Mathematics & MathEducation Faculty

15. Math Action Plan to Support Teacher Quality • Provides a school vision for sustained and ongoing teacher learning • Based student and teacher needs • Supports a community of teachers learning together (e.g., lessons, assessments, student work)

16. High Quality Teachers • Formative Feedback • Examine Student Work • Design Assessments • Unpack Targets • Learning Targets Learning Team Continuum of Work

17. Learning Teams Continuum of Work for Mathematics

18. Number of Schools at Each Stage of the Continuum Over 3 Years

19. www.mmp.uwm.edu