Research
Project Summary
The Effective Use of Mathematics Instructional Materials project combines applied research investigating curricular decision-making with resource development to improve curriculum leaders’ access to and use of research on mathematics curricula. The resources will provide opportunities for practitioners to explore how research can inform their decision-making processes, and challenge them to identify additional areas where more research is needed. Specifically, the project aims to:
- Increase understanding of curricular decision-making in K-12 mathematics
- Provide the community with a better picture of how curriculum decisions are made and how decisions vary in different contexts
- Gain a better understanding of the role of research in those decisions and curriculum leaders’ needs for research
- Design research-based tools that support improved decision-making about mathematics curriculum
In an effort to achieve these goals, we will conduct a landscape study of curricular decision-making to learn more about how curriculum decision-makers in K–12 mathematics education interact with research. We will use multiple research methods to gather data, including interviews, a nationally representative survey, and case studies. From this data, we will develop research-based tools, such as case studies outlining curriculum decision-making processes in a variety of contexts, research summaries providing syntheses for a practitioner audience, and an annotated bibliography offering a searchable structure for organizing existing research.
Research Questions
- What processes do districts/schools use in choosing mathematics curricula? How do these processes vary in different settings (e.g., textbook adoption state, open territory, urban, suburban, rural, etc.)?
- What factors shape school and district curriculum decisions in K–12 mathematics?
- How do curriculum leaders use research in their work? How does research influence district leaders’ decisions to adopt or implement mathematics curriculum?
- What research do curriculum leaders find most useful? What forms and formats make research accessible to and usable for practitioners?
- What questions about mathematics curriculum do decision-makers want answered most? How can lessons from practice better inform research on mathematics curriculum?