Cases: Deepening Teacher Content Knowledge

Sustainability

MSP-KMD has produced four cases and a cross-case analysis which highlight the decisions of MSP project leaders that contributed to the sustainability of their work in deepening teacher content knowledge.

Cross-case analysis:

• Designing for sustainability: Lessons learned about deepening teacher content knowledge from four cases in NSF's Math and Science Partnership program [PDF 125K]

Analysis of the four cases yielded six lessons to help current and future program designers think about ways to leverage their limited resources in order to sustain the essential aspects of their programs:

1. Recognize that it takes time to develop and nurture a productive partnership.
2. Consider how to engage a range of important stakeholders whose support is important for efforts to deepen teacher content knowledge.
3. Help ensure that key policies in the system are aligned with the vision underlying the reform efforts.
4. Design and implement professional development that is not only aligned with the project goals, but is also both feasible and likely to be effective with the teachers in their particular context.
5. Use data to inform decisions, improve the quality of the interventions, and provide evidence to encourage support for system change.
6. Work to develop capacity and infrastructure to strengthen teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical skills, both during the funded period and beyond.

Each lesson is broken down into a number of key ideas that are illustrated using examples from one or more of the case MSPs. Cases of sustaining improvement efforts to deepen teacher content knowledge in MSP projects:

• The Consortium for Achievement in Mathematics and Science [PDF 87K]
• The Puerto Rico Math and Science Partnership [PDF 101K]
• System-Wide Change for All Learners and Educators, the SCALE MSP in Los Angeles Unified School District [PDF 436K]
• The Texas Middle and Secondary Mathematics Project, Stephen F. Austin State University's MSP [PDF 80K]

The cases include detailed information on the organizations involved in the partnership, the specific strategies of project leaders, key issues addressed by project leaders during implementation of their programs, and an analysis of the sustainability of the project efforts. The cross-case analysis is based on these four cases.