Systems for Instructional Improvement

Creating Coherence from the Classroom to the District Office

Paul Cobb, Kara Jackson, Erin Henrick, Thomas M. Smith

• Publisher: Harvard Education Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781682531778
• eBook ISBN: 9781682531792
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

In Systems for Instructional Improvement, Paul Cobb and his colleagues draw on their extensive research to propose a series of specific, empirically grounded recommendations that together constitute a theory of action for advancing instruction at scale. The authors outline the elements of a coherent instructional system; describe productive practices for school leaders in supporting teachers’ growth; and discuss the role of district leaders in developing school-level capacity for instructional improvement.
 
Based on the findings of an eight-year research-practice partnership with four large urban districts investigating their efforts to enhance middle school math instruction, the authors seek to bridge the gap between the literature on improving teaching and learning and the literature on policy and leadership. They look at the entire education system and make recommendations on improvement efforts with a focus on student learning and teachers’ instructional vision. In particular, the authors offer insights on the interplay among various supports for teacher learning, including pullout professional development, coaching, collaborative inquiry, the most instructionally productive uses of principals’ time, and the tensions that tend to emerge at the district level. They provide a guide for district-level leaders in organizing their work to support significant teacher learning.
 
Systems for Instructional Improvement provides an invaluable resource for school and district leaders, while outlining a clearly focused agenda for future research.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• One. Investigating and Supporting Instructional Improvement: Paul Cobb, Kara Jackson, Erin Henrick, and Thomas M. Smith
• Two. Investigating Instructional Improvement in Partnership with Districts: Paul Cobb, Erin Henrick, Kara Jackson, and Thomas M. Smith
• Three. Specifying Goals for Students’ Mathematics Learning and the Development of Teachers’ Knowledge, Perspectives, and Practice: Kara Jackson, Anne Garrison Wilhelm, and Charles Munter
• Four. Overview of the Teacher Learning Subsystem: Kara Jackson, Ilana Horn, and Paul Cobb
• Five. Pull-Out Professional Development for Teachers: Kara Jackson, Megan Webster, and Jonee Wilson
• Six. Teacher Collaborative Time: Helping Teachers Make Sense of Ambitious Teaching in the Context of Their Schools: Ilana Horn, Britnie D. Kane, and Brette Garner
• Seven. Understanding Content-Specific Instructional Coaching: On-the-Ground Support for Teacher Development: Britnie D. Kane, Paul Cobb, and Lynsey Gibbons
• Eight. Teachers’ Advice Networks: Anne Garrison Wilhelm, Paul Cobb, Kenneth Frank, and I-Chien Chen
• Nine. Instructional Materials as Tools for Instructional Improvement: Erin Henrick, Mollie Appelgate, and Mahtab Nazemi
• Ten. Educational Assessments: Brette Garner, Nicholas Kochmanski, and Erin Henrick
• Eleven. Supplemental Supports for Currently Struggling Students: Jonee Wilson and Denice Kelley
• Twelve. School Instructional Leadership: Charlotte Sharpe, Adrian Larbi-Cherif, Erin Henrick, Paul Cobb, and Thomas M. Smith
• Thirteen. District Instructional Leadership: Kara Jackson, Paul Cobb, Jessica G. Rigby, and Thomas M. Smith
• Fourteen. Assessing the Impact of Partnership Recommendations on District Instructional Improvement Strategies: Erin Henrick, Amanda B. Klafehn, and Paul Cobb
• Fifteen. Putting the Pieces Together: Paul Cobb, Kara Jackson, Erin Henrick, and Thomas M. Smith
• Afterword. Fort Worth Independent School District: Context And Charge: Michael Sorum
• Appendix. How Educational Leaders See MIST: A Case for Long-Term, Mutualistic Partnerships Between Educators and Researchers: Anna-Ruth Allen and William R. Penuel
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• About the Contributors
• Index