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Publication Date

2014

Abstract

My educational career path began as an elementary school teacher, then as an assistant principal, and now as a principal. With the educational experiences that I had at each level of my career, I was certain I would be able to handle an increase in the mathematical rigor presented to our students through the new Mathematics Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools (SOL) [1]. I found that, yes, I was able to understand the rigor. However, I found the challenge was providing the needed assistance to bring about results that would ultimately help our teachers and students be successful. I knew that something was needed, but what that something was I was not sure. Fortunately, Richneck Elementary was provided a wonderful opportunity of being assigned a mathematics coach for three years by way of a grant that the Newport News Public School division was awarded to support military-connected students. In addition, the grant supported teachers to work toward their Mathematics Specialist degree. As a result, Karen Joos, Mathematics Coach, received her master's in education with an endorsement as a Mathematics Specialist. David Hundley, Mathematics Coach Facilitator, provided support for coaches under this grant. This article will provide a road map for the journey: working with the mathematics coaches and understanding their processes, promoting my leadership philosophy in relation to the new rigor of the state standards, improving communication through lessons learned, and identifying the collaboration process to achieve the best results for the school and community.

Volume

14

Issue

1

First Page

49

Last Page

59

Rights

© Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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