6: Using the Problem-Solving Cycle Model of Professional Development to Support Novice Mathematics Instructional Leadersⁱ

Recently there has been a strong push at the federal, state, and district levels for widely expanded professional development (PD) opportunities for teachers. For example, the No Child Left Behind Act (U. S. Congress, 2001) requires that states ensure the availability of “high-quality” PD for all U.S. teachers. One increasingly common approach to address this requirement is to identify instructional leaders (ILs) at school sites who can provide such support for their colleagues. Districts and schools across the United States are hiring ILs (also called specialists, coaches, or mentors) to work with teachers. As PD providers, ILs typically employ an informal and loosely defined protocol for their work with teachers, such as demonstration lessons, co-teaching, and peer coaching (Portin, Alejano, Knapp, & Marzolf, 2006). This type of in-house approach is intended to provide sustainable professional development for teachers on a large scale.