Instructional Coaching Project Will Have Major Impact on K-8 Mathematics Education

Several Aurora Public Schools teachers have been selected to participate in a groundbreaking research study that will examine instructional coaching in K-8 mathematics classrooms. At a time when mathematics and science are receiving additional emphasis in schools, the study should have far-reaching effects on instructional coaching practices and mathematics education nationwide, researchers say.

The Examining Mathematics Coaching (EMC) Project, involving 240 K-8 teachers and instructional coaches in six states, is led by researchers at Montana State University in Bozeman and RMC Research Corp. in Denver. The project is funded by a five-year, $3.5 million grant from The National Science Foundation.

Schools across the country often hire instructional coaches to work with teachers to implement new curriculum and improve learning, but so far, little research exists on the effect that coaches have - or even what coaches need to know about mathematics and coaching to do their jobs well.

“This project will help answer those important questions,” says David Yopp, assistant professor of mathematics education at MSU and the grant’s principal investigator. “Each of our participating teachers and coaches will be a valuable part of our study and its lasting contribution to mathematics education.”

APS teachers involved in the project include Candice Brandon, Jennifer Case, Erin Hayson, Frank Hughes, Janelle Kirkley, Krystle Kothman, Emily Kotnis, Bernadette Menghini and Janelle Treese.

Participating instructional coaches are Ken Jensen, Kim Pippenger and Renee Sherry.

Local schools involved in the project include Arkansas, Side Creek, and Wheeling elementary schools; Aurora Hills, East, and North middle schools; and Aurora Quest K-8.

All participating coaches, teachers and principals will complete their project orientation by February of this year. Then in the spring, coaches and teachers will engage in eight coaching sessions per school year, working together to improve classroom practices and mathematics instruction. Throughout the five-year project, EMC Project researchers will gather data through classroom visits as well as assessments that each coach and teacher will take annually. In addition, coaches will attend two week-long professional development seminars in either Bozeman or Denver that will focus on coaching knowledge and mathematics knowledge.

By the end of the project, researchers will be able to draw conclusions about how mathematics instruction has changed based on coaching that teachers have received and training that coaches have received. After researchers publish the results in peer-reviewed national journals, the study should begin to have long-term effects on the way instructional coaching is used in U.S. schools.

“Our teachers and coaches are involved in something very big,” Yopp says, “so we’re seeing a lot of excitement and enthusiasm as we get underway.” Even before the end of the five-year project, participating school systems should begin to see a positive impact among local teachers and students, Yopp adds. “That’s really our goal at the end of the day,” he says. “With this multimillion-dollar grant and our research, we want to improve the way young students learn mathematics.”

More About the EMC Project: The Examining Mathematics Coaching (EMC) Project is a joint research study between Montana State University in Bozeman and RMC Research Corp. in Denver. Its five-year, $3.5 million grant from The National Science Foundation is part of the NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 program, which focuses on improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning for students and teachers. The EMC Project includes approximately 240 instructional coaches and teachers in Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota and Wisconsin. The project’s Web site is www.math.montana.edu/~emc.

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