Empowering a Network of Math Educators in The School District of Philadelphia
At Partners in School Innovation (PSI), our commitment is to help educators and schools excel and adopt systems that support the growth and achievement of every student, teacher, and school leader.
In fall 2020, PSI collaborated with The School District of Philadelphia on a two-year program across twelve schools, focusing on enhancing their network of math teachers and promoting culturally-responsive teaching.
This initiative proved highly effective, as every school in the program achieved growth in grades 3-8 mathematics on the PSSA/state exams for 2023. When asked about the factors contributing to this success, many leaders highlighted the Problem-of-Practice (PoP) network and the targeted coaching on mathematics provided from 2020-2022 as instrumental.
Infographic detailing the 'Problem-of-Practice (PoP) Network' in Philadelphia, showing icons and text for the Philadelphia district involved, network size of 12 schools, and the 567 students that were served.
Collaboration Framework: Problem of Practice (POP) Network
Using a Problem of Practice (POP) network model, PSI coaches collaborated with school leaders and district administrators to co-develop an environment and program plan. This joint effort aimed to enhance educators' ability to deliver standards-based math instruction and promote educational equity.
With that focus in mind, the program was structured around three core components:
Monthly professional development sessions for math teachers and instructional coaches from the twelve schools
Quarterly gatherings for school leaders to ensure district-wide alignment
Continuous follow-up support at each school site from a Partners in School Innovation (PSI) coach
A graphic displaying the definition of 'Problem of Practice Network’: its purpose is to facilitate cross-school collaboration through professional development and coaching. Below text, an image shows diverse educators engaged in a discussion.
Monthly Math Teacher Professional Development
Each month, 3-8 grade math teachers from this network of schools came together in a dynamic, collaborative environment that supported the development of their teaching skills. These sessions created a space for them to review curriculum concepts, develop lesson plans, and exchange teaching strategies.
A blue graphic with a testimonial from a middle school math teacher in the Philadelphia School District saying: “The chance to collaborate with other math teachers who face the same challenges and successes is incredible.”
More than just sharing knowledge, the sessions sparked vibrant discussions on the latest teaching materials and gave educators the space to analyze recent student performance data from quarterly math assessments. This analysis was used to help them identify what strategies were effective and areas of opportunity that needed refinement.
These monthly gatherings also tackled important educational equity issues in support of promoting culturally responsive instruction and enhancing students' sense of belonging across this district.
Together, educators explored the impacts of race, class, culture, and power on education, and were offered strategies for leading meaningful classroom discussions on social justice topics.
A blue graphic with a testimonial from a middle school math teacher in the Philadelphia School District saying: “I always leave the sessions with new ideas or a new perspective on looking at data and planning for my class.”
This combination of math and equity discussions built a strong community spirit that was further supported by an online platform that encouraged continuous interactions across schools beyond the monthly network meetings.
Middle grades math teachers in particular found these sessions extremely valuable, as they created a supportive network of peers, offered opportunities for their development, and shared new strategies to support their students’ success.
School Leadership Engagement
While the monthly math professional development sessions were specifically tailored for teachers, principals also had the option to attend—not only to stay informed about the professional development their staff were receiving but to actively participate as well.
Special quarterly sessions were also organized just for school leaders that provided a space for collaboration and learning among principals in The School District of Philadelphia.
This professional learning community for principals helped further unify the network and allowed Partners in School Innovation (PSI) coaches to hear directly from principals about the progress and challenges at their school.
Individual On-Site Support
Along with the network-wide sessions, each of the twelve participating schools received weekly half-day sessions from a PSI coach, designed to support them with applying learnings from the monthly professional development sessions. Our team collaborated with school teams to understand their needs and tailor the follow-up support for maximum impact.
For instance, a PSI coach worked with one school team to develop a professional learning community within the school. In another school, a PSI coach and the school team went through monthly continuous-improvement cycles together, noticing improvements to instruction and student outcomes, and making changes as needed.
PSI coaches also acted as thought partners and resources, assisting school teachers and teacher leaders in designing their instructional leadership team meetings and related activities for teachers.
Celebrating Collaborative Results & Achievements
Every school in the PoP network made growth in grades 3-8 mathematics PSSA/state exams for 2023. When leaders were asked about contributing factors to the growth, many named that the PoP network and related coaching around mathematics from 2020-2022 was impactful.
Inspired by This District’s Journey?
If you're interested in learning more about how Partners in School Innovation can support your district’s and school's path to transformation or want to explore how our staff can empower your team to achieve exceptional outcomes, contact us today.
