School leaders are being asked to improve math outcomes without clear guidance on what to look for or how to support it.
What I’m seeing in schools across the country is this:
Classrooms are active. Teachers are working hard.
But many students are still sitting on the outside of the learning.
This article speaks to that gap—and to the role leadership plays in closing it.
March 2026
Instructional Leadership In Math
Why we need it
PAMELA SEDA | EDUCATION CONSULTANT
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alk into a math classroom in almost any school, and a familiar pattern appears: The teacher is doing most of the talking— modeling steps, explaining procedures, and guiding students
toward correct answers. Students copy what’s shown, stay quiet, and try to keep pace.
On the surface, nothing seems wrong. But beneath the routine, many students are quietly deciding whether they belong in mathematics. Research shows early math experiences profoundly shape confidence, identity, and long-term participation in STEM pathways. Students don’t disengage because they don’t care, they disengage because watching others think feels safer than risking being wrong.
And for middle and high school leaders, this disengagement carries especially high stakes. Research shows that 81% of students who fail sixth-grade math eventually drop out of high school, and that high school math skills predict college completion, job quality, and future earning power. When adolescents decide math isn’t for them, they are not simply opting out of a class—they are opting out of pathways that shape adulthood.
No leader intends for students to shrink. Yet this pattern continues—not because principals are unwilling to lead math instruction, but because many feel unprepared, especially if their own math experiences carried confusion or embarrassment. But students don’t need leaders who solve every problem correctly. They need leaders who are willing to define what meaningful math learning looks like—and ensure it becomes the norm.
The Leadership Gap We Don’t Talk About
A multi-state study found nearly every principal identified as an instructional leader—yet no two described the role the same way. The issue wasn’t willingness or effort—it was clarity.
This lack of clarity is most visible—and most harmful—in mathematics. Not because math teachers aren’t working hard, but because mathematics still carries cultural weight unlike any other subject. Math is where many students decide whether they are smart. Math is where teachers feel pressure to focus on correctness and pace rather than understanding. Math is where struggle becomes identity.
So when leaders step back—when walkthroughs prioritize fidelity to the curriculum rather than evidence of student thinking, when PLCs focus on pacing rather than understanding—students internalize a message:
"I’m slow. I’m not a math person. This isn’t for me."
Those aren’t instructional outcomes. They are identity outcomes.
Two Competing Visions
Every school—implicitly or explicitly—is operating from one of two visions ofmathematics instruction:
Most leaders want Vision 2. But in the absence of a shared vision and guidance, systems default to Vision 1—because it is easier to observe, easier to measure, and deeply embedded in our educational history.
Why Principals Step Back
It’s not lack of will. It’s not lack of care. It’s uncertainty. Many leaders confidently support literacy instruction, culture, or student engagement. But mathematics can feel abstract— like a subject reserved for experts. So leaders step back. They defer. They wait. And the unintended results?
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Teachers work in isolation.
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PLCs become logistics meetings—not learning communities.
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Students receive mixed messages about what success means.
And when students struggle—and they will—Vision 1 gives them only one interpretation:
"Math isn’t for people like me."
Alignment Matters
In her Principal Leadership article, "True Staff Alignment: How to Achieve It," Robyn R. Jackson reminds us that alignment isn’t compliance—it’s clarity. It’s everyone doing "the right work, the right way, for the right reasons."
Her message matters deeply in mathematics. Because without a shared understanding of what powerful math instruction looks and sounds like, instructional variation becomes inequity. One teacher emphasizes procedures. Another emphasizes exploration. Another prioritizes speed. Another prioritizes reasoning. They are all working hard. They are not working toward the same vision. Alignment in mathematics does not require identical instruction. It requires a shared belief: Every student is capable of making sense of mathematics. That belief requires leadership.
Leading the Vision
Instructional leadership in math is not about demonstrating content. It is aboutshaping:
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Expectations
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Language
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Feedback
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Accountability
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Culture
When leaders signal that reasoning, curiosity, and voice matter more than speed or correctness, classrooms begin to shift—not because leaders change instruction directly, but because they change what the system values. But naming a vision isn’t enough. Teachers need structure, support, and coherence. That’s where the E3 Model comes in. It provides a framework for school leaders to:
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Establish a Shared Vision Define what great math learning looks like—and anchor it in the Standards for Mathematical Practice and the ICUCARE Framework.
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Empower Teachers Through Job-Embedded Professional Learning Use PLCs, coaching, and collaborative learning structures that mirror the kind of thinking and discourse we want students to experience.
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Evaluate What Matters Look for evidence of curiosity, reasoning, participation, and belonging—not just correct answers.
While the E3 Model supports leadership alignment, ICUCARE provides a framework for classroom practice. It’s the instructional stance required to make learning meaningful for every student. It is not a script but a set of commitments that shape learning environments where every student experiences mathematics as a space made for them.
"Many leaders confidently support literacy instruction, culture, or student engagement. But mathematics can feel abstract—like a subject reserved for experts. So leaders step back."
Pamela Seda PHOTO COURTESY OF PAMELA SEDA
I —Include Others as Experts: Create classroom environments where intellectual authority is shared—not held solely by the teacher.
C —Be Critically Conscious: Recognize how negative cultural narratives about who is "good at math" shape student identity and intentionally disrupt them so students are not defined—or limited—by them.
U —Understand Your Students Well: Learn about students, their families, and their lived experiences—not to label or predict, but to inform and improve instruction.
C —Use Culturally Relevant Curricula: Use instructional materials grounded in students’ realities so the content feels accessible, relevant, and worth investing in—not something disconnected from their lives.
A —Assess, Activate, and Build on Prior Knowledge: Value the knowledge students already bring and build on it as the foundation for new mathematical understanding rather than treating it as a barrier.
R —Release Control: Empower students to take ownership by giving them meaningful choices and opportunities to make sense, decide, and justify—because agency can’t develop in classrooms built on compliance.
E —Expect More: Build a culture where struggle doesn’t threaten identity and high expectations are met with support, affirming: "This is hard, and you’re capable."
Together, the E3 and ICUCARE Frameworks give leaders and teachers a roadmap for shifting from performance based instruction to learning grounded in reasoning, identity, and agency.
A Leadership Call
The Instruction Partners report showed us leaders want to lead instruction—they just need clarity. Mathematics is where that clarity matters most. Because math isn’t just academic content—it is identity, agency, and access.
So the question isn’t whether leaders feel ready, the question is whether students can afford for leaders to wait.
When leaders step forward—not as content experts, but as stewards of thinking—students don’t just learn mathematics. They learn something far more powerful: I belong here. I can do this. I am capable. And that belief will out live any test score.
Use during walkthroughs, coaching conversations, or personal reflection.
1. Sensemaking
When students work on problems, do I see evidence they are being asked to think, not just mimic procedures or steps?
2. Reasoning and Discourse
Do students have structured opportunities to share their thinking, respond to peers, and justify their ideas?
3. Tools and Strategy Use
Are students choosing tools (manipulatives, representations, digital tools, diagrams) to support their thinking—or being told which one to use?
4. Accuracy With Understanding
Does accuracy alone determine who is seen as "good at math," or are students valued for the reasoning and thinking that lead to understanding?
Scan the QR code to access the full observation tool and download the printable walkthrough guide.
Pamela Seda , PhD , is an education consultant and co-author of Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom. Previously, she was a teacher, instructional coach, and district leader. Learn more at sedaeducationalconsulting.com.
References
Balfanz, R., Herzog, L., & Mac Iver, D. J. (2007). Preventing student disengagement and keeping students on the graduation path in urban middle-grades schools: Early identification and effective interventions. Educational Psychologist, 42 (4),223–235. doi.org/10.1080/00461520701621079
Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students’ potential through creative math, inspiring messages and innovative teaching. Jossey-Bass.
Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Standards for mathematical practice. thecorestandards.org/Math/Practice/
Hachey, A. C. (2023). Advancing early STEM identity development: Insights into early childhood mathematics education Journal of Mathematics Education. doi.org/10.26711/007577152790070
Hiebert, J., & Grouws, D. (2007). The mathematical education and development of teachers. In F.K. Lester (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 157-224). Information Age Publishing
Instruction Partners. (2024, November). Principal role clarity: What does "principals need to be instructional leaders" mean in practice? instructionpartners.org/2024/12/16/principals-have-a-role-clarity-problem-heres-hthttt/why-that-matters/
Jackson, R. R. (2025, May). True staff alignment: How to achieve it. Principal Leadership. nassp.org/publication/principalleadership/volume-25-2024-2025/principal-leadership-may-2025/true-staff-alignment/
Liljedahl, P. (2021). Building thinking classrooms in mathematics, Grades K–12: 14teaching practices for enhancing learning. Corwin.
Murnane, R. J., Willett, J. B., & Levy, F. (1995). The growing importance of cognitive skills in wage determination. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 77 (2), 251–266. jstor.org/stable/2109863
Ramirez, G., Shaw, S., & Maloney, E. (2018). Math anxiety: Past research, promising interventions, and a new interpretation framework. Educational Psychologist, 53 (3), 145–164. doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1447384
Rocheleau, K. J. (1992). The effects of high school mathematics and science classes on wages and employment. Journal of Human Resources, 27 (2), 313–328. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/145737
Rose, H., & Betts, J. R. (2004). The effect of high school courses on earnings.
The Review of Economics and Statistics, 86 (2), 497–513. https://doi.org/10.1162/003465304323031076
Seda, P., & Brown, K. (2021). Choosing to see: A framework for equity in the math classroom. Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Before You Move On, Consider This
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When you walk into a math classroom, what are you actually looking for?
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How do you know if students are thinking… not just complying?
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Are your teachers working together toward a shared vision—or figuring it out on their own?
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If students are struggling, do your systems help you understand why?
Most leaders I work with don’t lack commitment.
They lack a clear, shared way to see what’s happening underneath the surface.
What This Often Looks Like in Schools
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Walkthroughs focus on what the teacher is doing—not what students are thinking
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PLCs become pacing conversations instead of learning conversations
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Instruction varies widely from classroom to classroom
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Students start to internalize: “I’m just not a math person”
No one intends for this to happen.
But without clear systems, it does.
This Is the Work of Instructional Leadership
This isn’t about asking teachers to do more.
It’s about helping leaders create the conditions where strong instruction can actually take hold.
In my work with schools and districts, we focus on:
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Defining what meaningful math learning looks like
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Making student thinking visible during instruction
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Supporting teachers through coaching and collaborative structures
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Building alignment so students don’t experience math differently from class to class
This is the shift from isolated effort… to a system that works.
This work is grounded in:
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The ICUCARE Framework (instructional practice)
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The E3 Model (leadership systems)
Together, they help leaders move from:
➡️ Monitoring instruction
➡️ To shaping what instruction becomes
What This Looks Like in Practice
Schools typically engage in this work through:
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Multi-day leadership workshops that build shared vision and clarity
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Ongoing support and coaching for leadership teams and teachers
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Classroom-based learning cycles using real student work and real instruction
This is not a one-time training.
It’s a process of building something sustainable.
Diana Slopey
Supervisor of Mathematics
Dr. Seda helped me realize that leading an effective math program starts with building a culture where teachers truly believe in every student’s ability to engage in high-level mathematics. It goes beyond implementing a curriculum - it's about shifting mindsets so that all students are empowered to talk, reason, and take ownership of their learning.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Asale Smith
Supervisor of Mathematics
What I appreciate most about this work is how naturally Dr. Pamela Seda brings big ideas to life. Her professional development sessions are the real deal. They are powerful, practical, and deeply grounded in what good instruction should look and feel like. I’ve been lucky enough to experience Dr. Seda PD both as a teacher and as an administrator, and I’d sign up again!
Jennifer Vaughn
Instructional Coach
I feel empowered to provide the teachers at my school with support to better equip our students collectively, allowing their brilliance to be seen daily.