Learning Forward will launch a middle school math improvement network in California and Texas with support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The network’s goals are to increase equitable student outcomes and positively affect the teaching and learning of middle school mathematics using curriculum-based professional learning. Outcomes will be measured by teacher surveys, classroom observations, and summative student data.

The 48-month grant aims to improve the capacity of district professional learning staff to use data to develop comprehensive curriculum-based professional learning support and increase the understanding of and spread the use of curriculum-based professional learning nationally. The grant will also contribute to improving school and district systems for high-quality curriculum-aligned professional learning.

The collaboration with regional agencies in California and Texas will enable intrastate network models for sharing relevant change ideas and discussing spread and scale mechanisms. Learning Forward’s well-established continuous improvement strategies will help ensure a comprehensive approach to problem-solving that is collaborative, inquiry-based, and fueled by cycles of rapid learning and improvement.

Learning Forward will also use the four-year grant period to elevate the importance of curriculum-based professional learning within the larger Learning Forward membership through publications, annual symposia, and Learning Forward Annual Conference sessions that highlight key Gates Foundation grantees.

Learning Forward believes that if teachers receive relevant, meaningful, and ongoing support to use selected high-quality curriculum materials, their instruction will improve to meet the needs of their students. This will lead to an increase in Algebra 1 proficiency, positive math mindsets, and more students moving into high-level math classes.

This network will build on lessons from other similar projects, including the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Networks that Learning Forward supports. The current network includes multiple stakeholders from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; and Montgomery County, Maryland, who network throughout the year.

To learn more about curriculum-based professional learning and Learning Forward’s network, see the October 2024 issue of The Learning Professional.