ESI-93-53427 Kepner Math Matters Abstract This program is a four-year collaborative mathematics teacher enhancement project of the California Department of Education and a network of universities, mathematics education, compensatory education and migrant education organizations in California. The project goal is to enhance the mathematics instructional effectiveness of elementary educators working with compensatory education and migrant students and accelerate the rate of systemic school wide change in targeted schools. Approximately 2,000 teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals in 100 elementary (K-6) schools, comprised predominantly of compensatory education and migrant students, will be served. The project will use a teachers-teaching-teachers model starting with the selection and intense preparation of five Teacher Consultants. They will work with the Project Director and staff to enhance their skills and prepare regional training programs. Teacher Consultants will strengthen the curricular and instructional leadership skills of 25 regional Cluster Leaders selected from participating districts. The Consultants will participate in 10 days of planning with the Project Director. Then each will engage five Cluster Leaders in planning and providing nine days of in-service training to project participants in a different grade level each year. The staff development will focus on strengthening mathematical knowledge and instructional expertise. Participants will receive a minimum of nine days of follow-up activities the first year and five days in subsequent years designed by the Consultants and Cluster Leaders. These will focus on modeling research-based instructional methodology, promoting teacher reflection using case studies, teaching replacement units, and phasing in school-wide in-service activities. Project activities will be based on participant evaluations and needs, local school requests and coordinated with state systemic initiatives. Project evaluation w ill be conducted by an independent firm. They will assess subject-matter knowledge change of teachers, paraprofessional, and administrators and teachers' instructional effectiveness. Programmatic and schoolwide reform will be monitored. The project's effectiveness will be measured by comparing student outcomes on the standardized California Assessment Program for grades three and six with student performance at comparable schools in the targeted counties.
