This project is observing, assisting with, and documenting the routine practices of mathematics specialists and mathematics curriculum leaders as they engage in their daily activities assisting classroom teachers in implementing standards-based curricula in mathematics in conjunction with the Chicago Mathematics and Science Initiative of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). These activities, referred to as on-site coaching, consist of both support for individual teachers in their classrooms and development of infrastructure in the school that is important for the success of implementation of standards-based curricula. According to teachers’ self-reports on valuable elements of professional development as well as our observations and experiences over the years supporting the implementation of standards-based math curricula, there is a need for on-site coaching. In addition, information and research on effective on-site coaching is sparse.

Specifically, we propose to implement an on-site coaching model to support math specialists as they learn how to engage in effective classroom coaching and infrastructure development. Coaching involves learning to observe an individual’s behavior, interpret it in terms of gaps between current and desired behavior, and encourage alternative behaviors through a variety of techniques including verbal feedback, modeling, and collaborative problem solving. In the present context, on-site coaching consists of one-on-one mentoring at a school site. Project staff will provide on-site coaching to a dozen math specialists in two areas of skill development, classroom coaching and infrastructure development. Thus, this work will (1) directly benefit a small group of mathematics specialists; (2) produce a model of coaching for mathematics specialists, and (3) support CPS staff in developing strategies for implementing the model on a larger scale.