Building Equity Through District Coherence: Managing Emergent and Deliberate Strategy for Math Intervention

Abstract

In 2019, the Cambridge Public Schools added math interventionists to every elementary school to support equitable achievement in mathematics. The district superintendent charged me with the development of a systemic approach to guide the work of these new positions. This capstone explores the challenges of achieving curricular and instructional coherence across a system that strongly values autonomy at the school and classroom levels. Relevant leadership themes include the management of emergent and deliberate strategy development processes, the use of improvement science principles to solve complex problems, instructionally-focused and adaptive district and principal leadership, and the foundational nature of relational trust in schools. I also address the implications of the project’s outcomes for the district and the pre-kindergarten-12th grade education sector in the United States.