In elementary mathematics instruction, teachers often compromise access and cognitive demand in pursuit of one or the other. I explored how five different co-teaching models impact students' access to cognitively demanding mathematical learning opportunities (MLOs) in elementary classrooms. Through ethnographic lesson observations, artifact…

Access to the college readiness curriculum has become a civil rights issue. Social class continues to impact those underrepresented on college campuses. This dissertation study aims to gain foundational knowledge that can be used to take action by developing recommendations that support a culture in which students from an economically…

This study compares the impact of two New York State mathematics Regents-level course sequences on the number of secondary mathematics courses taken by New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) students and explores the potential that programming decisions could increase or diminish the mathematics learning opportunity and achievement of…

It may sound strange, but in today's mathematics classroom, teachers are encouraged to have students struggle. This struggle, however, is not what might come to mind upon first hearing the word. The struggle I refer to here is what researchers have termed "productive struggle," which is present when students must persevere in solving…

Many students with disabilities who are capable of learning math find limited success because the tools they are using to access mathematical content are not well aligned with their range of abilities. Process-Driven Math (PDM) is a learning support tool that was initially developed for one student who is blind and unable to write or type. PDM…

Although there is consensus on the relevance of the feedback given to student teachers, few instances in the literature have addressed this topic. Even less is said about feedback to mathematics lesson plans and how to characterize it. Lesson plans are artifacts that help establish a link between theory and practice, relate to a broader sense of…

While contemporary mathematics education literature argues that curricular resources, such as textbooks, play a significant role guiding mathematics teachers in what and how they teach, it also shows that these resources often do not do what they say they will do, nor adhere to the standards they claim to further. When it comes to the most…

Cognitive development of eighth-grade students, as identified by Jean Piaget, occurs during a time when many of them are transitioning between concrete operations and formal operations where the ability to think in abstract concepts becomes possible. Because of this period of transition, many eighth-grade students find difficulty in demonstrating…

Struggling with mathematics is important for several reasons. According to learning theorists and empirical studies, the act of struggling can help students learn mathematics. Also, several important mathematics education documents advocate that students should engage in struggle as part of the problem-solving process. In addition, being able to…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of academic rigor by teachers and administrators of secondary mathematics classrooms in Maryland, during a crisis. The identified problem is, during COVID-19 pandemic, school district leadership may not have effectively communicated with employees about rigor application expectations. The…

With the academic rigor of kindergarten increasing, it is imperative that children come to kindergarten with a foundation that will allow them to be successful in the kindergarten classroom. This mixed-method research project sought to explore the impact of participation in an early childhood on the academic achievement in the areas of literacy…

This qualitative study explored private high school administrator and teacher perspectives on instructional strategies and rigor to improve Minnesota's college mathematic readiness. Data collection sources for the study included individual interviews, focus groups, and document review. The study produced four emergent themes from the data…

Remedial/developmental and introductory university mathematics courses have a long history of high attrition rates. Recently, university administration and mathematics departments have been considering technological solutions, and one such solution is computer-adaptive-instruction (CAI). In fact, CAI has been touted as a "silver bullet"…

At Haverford High School, a suburban high school in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a mathematical achievement gap exists for economically disadvantaged, special education, and Black students. Researchers have found that students in lower tracked classes often receive less rigorous tasks, tasks with lower cognitive demand, and fewer tasks that focus on…

This study concentrated on word problems in Grades Kindergarten-3 and the application of the Standards for Mathematical Practice and the Content Standards. The study also included an analysis of focus, coherence, and rigor in the materials. The textbooks used were among the first editions to be published after the acceptance of the Common Core…