A multi-level analysis using NAEP data : examining the relationships among mathematics coaches and specialists, student achievement, and disability status.

Mathematics Specialists as the Hidden Players in Professional Development: Researchable Questions and Methodological Considerations

“…Mathematics specialists provide the everyday leadership and support for preK-12 school initiatives, as well as an essential connection between school administrators and classroom teachers (Fennell, 2017). There are currently 20 states that recognize the need for mathematics specialists through specific licensure or certificate routes (Spangler & Ovrick, 2017), and of the 7940 elementary schools surveyed in the 2013 National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, 3010 (38%) had a full-or part-time mathematics specialist (Harbour, 2015). Despite the fact that over one-third of elementary schools reported having an individual within their school responsible for mathematics instruction, in a 2015 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Research Brief, McGatha, Davis and Stokes identified only 24 research-based articles that spoke of this particular hidden role and provided empirical evidence of mathematics specialist work, expectations, experiences, and relationships.…”

Math coaches, specialists, and student achievement: Learning from the data

“…To get a clearer picture of how effective mathematics coaching really is — as well as the effects of mathematics specialists — we and other researchers have developed a small body of research that attempts to zero in on the effects of coaching itself, apart from any other variables that might influence student achievement (Campbell & Malkus, 2011; Ellington, Whitenack, & Edwards, 2017; Harbour, Adelson, & Karp, 2016; Harbour et al, 2018). As part of this work, we conducted an empirical study that drew upon restricted-use data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), to explore relationships between the presence and responsibilities of mathematics coaches and specialists and student achievement (Harbour et al, 2016, 2018). To our knowledge, this is the only research to date that has measured the influence of mathematics coaches and specialists on student achievement using both large-scale and nationally representative data.…”