Learning to Lead in Math (LTL-Math)

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Education Innovation and Research Program
  Subaward from University of Chicago
  $912,000

• Principal investigator
  Shelby Cosner
  Morrill M. Hall Chair in Educational Administration, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy

• Co-principal investigators
  Alison Castro-Superfine
  Professor, University of Illinois Chicago
  

  Ben Superfine
  Professor and senior director for the Institute of Public Affairs, University of Illinois Chicago
  

• Active since
  January 2025

Abstract

This project is designing and testing a multi-element leadership development intervention to strengthen the teacher learning organization of PK-8 schools, improve mathematics instruction, and improve mathematics student learning.

The program’s main innovation is the use of a multi-level job-embedded professional development system that has three learning components:

1. Professional development for principals to strength the school’s culture and systems that support teacher learning
2. Professional development for math teacher leaders to develop teacher teams and facilitate teacher team meetings as sites for continuous, job-embedded teacher learning
3. On-site group coaching sessions for both principals and math teacher leaders to strengthen distributed leadership practices through joint instructional improvement activities.

Together, these components will support principals and math teacher leaders in employing a distributed leadership approach for strengthening schools that cultivate robust math teacher learning and instructional improvement, leading to increases in student learning.