Expanding the Community of Mathematics Learners is a five-year educational leadership project that partners six school districts in the Seattle, Washington area (Bellevue, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Seattle, and Shoreline) with the University of Washington's Departments of Mathematics and Statistics and College of Education. The project expands the partners' common work with 600 middle and high school teachers of mathematics in the Local Systemic Change Project Creating a Community of Mathematics Learners to include elementary teachers.
The project develops a cadre of 300 K-6 mathematics leaders in the six districts so that all elementary teachers may participate in the community of mathematics learners. Working with project staff, 50 recognized leaders of mathematics education from the six districts prepare 250 emerging leaders to facilitate Developing Mathematical Ideas (DMI) sessions for approximately 2500 elementary teachers. Though the Developing Mathematical Ideas (DMI) professional development materials form the cornerstone of the experiences for the mathematics leaders, the following additional components prepare them for work with their peers: (1) facilitation skills, (2) mathematical content, (3) exemplary instructional materials, (4) electronic networking, and (5) leadership for school change.
The project's implementation structure emphasizes efficiency and economy of scale. The 50 district mathematics leaders and 250 building mathematics leaders each receive over 250 hours of professional development over the life of the project. Building leaders in turn provide at least 60 hours of staff development for approximately 2500 teachers in the participating districts.
Auditable cost sharing, derived from the University of Washington and participating districts, is over $ 327,000. Other commitments and "informal cost-sharing" from the districts is expected to exceed $ 7.2 million.
