Q&A with Michelle Smith, Math Coach in Baltimore Having the support of Leading Educators really helped me gain a deeper understanding of the 6-8 curriculum and how I can best support teachers as a coach,” says Michelle Smith, a 6-8 math coach for Baltimore City Public Schools. After 11 years with Baltimore City Public Schools, … Continued
A New Approach to School Turnaround Charleston County School District is on the rise despite national trends due to strategic investments in helping teachers and students continuously learn. Three years into an ambitious turnaround initiative known as Acceleration Schools, Charleston County School district saw significant improvement in math and ELA learning, countering national declines. 100% … Continued
Q&A with Ofelia Arcillo, Math Coach When I got promoted to being a math coach and started working with Leading Educators and getting coached myself by other math coaches, it clicked. I thought, ‘Ah, this is how I should coach teachers.’ Finally, things started to make sense,” says Ofelia Arcillo, a math coach for City Schools. … Continued
Q&A with Kerry Steinbrenner, Director of Mathematics The partnership with Leading Educators has not only had an impact on our math leads and folks in our schools but also on our district office team, bringing a level of learning, structure, and systems that we would not have or still be using to this day if … Continued
The Academic Language Gap While supporting math educators in Baltimore City Public Schools with a new curriculum, the Leading Educators team and partners observed a concerning trend. Students could solve math problems correctly, but they struggled to express their ideas in writing. Araceli Flores, Director of Math Content, explains, We were working with teachers on … Continued
Math allows us to make sense of our world. When students see the power and joy in mathematics—not just the steps—they can use math knowledge and problem-solving skills to build the lives they dream about. That’s why the Los Angeles Unified School District is taking on an ambitious three-year effort to give students in every … Continued
Q&A with Designer Araceli Flores Araceli Flores is a designer, coach, and math lover at heart. She’s especially passionate about applying ratios and proportional reasoning to her two main hobbies: baking and home improvement projects. I spoke with Araceli about how her lifelong passion for math and Filipino identity shaped her perspective on the intersection … Continued
The future is changing rapidly, and it also promises students new opportunities not seen by past generations. Climate change, artificial intelligence, and the threat of future pandemics will create demand for deep knowledge in math and science. So are today’s students ready? The most recent report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed … Continued
In my fourth year of teaching, I joined a school that aimed to revolutionize education, one where we didn’t use traditional textbooks. Instead, teachers were expected to create their entire curriculum—or the sequence of lessons that build essential knowledge and skills—themselves. While we received training on standards—the broad learning goals for what students should know, … Continued
Normalizing Struggle to Promote Confidence in Mathematics Math is all around us. It allows us to make sense of our world. But too few people finish their K-12 journey feeling ready to apply mathematical thinking to everyday problems. So, what can we do about it? Earlier, I talked with Rachel Scarpato, Senior Director of Math … Continued
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