Leading the way: The effective implementation of reform strategies and best practices to improve student achievement in math

The purpose of the study was to identify how urban high schools can successfully bring together policy initiatives and local best practices to effectively improve math performance in their schools. In addition, the study examined how instructional leadership is effectively carried out in high schools in the context of improving math performance for students. Several issues seemed to be particularly relevant to instructional leadership in this setting. To begin with, school leaders often don't have strong pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics education and yet need to motivate and guide those who do, as well as provide data analysis and review of their efforts. Little, however, is known about how leaders work effectively in this context. A qualitative, descriptive case study design was utilized for this study. This research design was selected because the study requires an examination of an exemplary school which implemented best practices and programs to improve student achievement in math. The study was anchored with five research questions to address these critical areas and established conceptual frameworks for research questions in order to interpret collected data through a certain perspectives.; Based on findings from the case study of Vineyard High School, examining the school's efforts to improve their math program and the positive results, six critical factors emerged: external accountabilities, establishment of a shared vision and purpose, a culture of trust and instructional leadership through teacher empowerment, a school leader's competency in Bolman and Deal's four frames, enhancement of curriculum and instruction based on student performance data, and a professional learning community with a culture of collaboration. At Vineyard High School these factors came together to create the environment which led so successfully to improved student achievement in math. As school leaders and district leaders explore ways to improve student achievement, the findings and conclusions from this study can provide insight and guidance.; The study presented two recommendations for future research: (1) to examine the cause of the incongruity between results on state mandated exams such as CAHSEE and CST and those for AP exams, and (2) to conduct a comparison study to find out to what extent the findings from this particular case can be generalized to other settings.