The Leadership Reflection Tool is a guide to support Principals and other school leaders during walkthroughs, coaching conversations, or personal reflection focused on mathematics instruction.
"If you're here from Principal Leadership Magazine, welcome — this tool was built for exactly the challenges we described."
Rather than emphasizing pacing, coverage, or surface-level indicators, the tool helps you notice what students are being asked to do—whether they are thinking, reasoning, making sense, and contributing to mathematical understanding.
Use during walkthroughs, coaching conversations, or personal reflection.
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Sensemaking:
When students work on problems, do I see evidence they are being asked to think,
not just mimic procedures or steps?
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Reasoning and Discourse
Do students have structured opportunities to share their thinking, respond to peers, and justify their ideas?
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Tools and Strategy Use
Are students choosing tools (manipulatives, representations, digital tools, diagrams) to support their thinking—or being told which one to use?
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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?
This is a lens for noticing—and naming—what students experience day to day.
What's Next: Looking Across Classrooms
Individual observations often provide snapshots. Over time, leaders begin to notice patterns—some classrooms consistently invite student thinking, while others unintentionally signal that speed or correctness matters more.
Many leaders ask:
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How consistent is this experience for students across our school?
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Are our structures reinforcing a shared vision—or fragmenting it?
If you’re ready to step back and reflect on those patterns, the Mini Diagnostic offers a next layer of clarity.
Mini Diagnostic: Clarifying Instructional Patterns
The Mini Diagnostic is a short, guided reflection designed to help school leaders identify patterns in mathematics instruction across classrooms or teams.
It builds on what you may already be noticing during walkthroughs and conversations by helping you step back and consider consistency, alignment, and leadership focus.
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It's a 10-minute reflection that reveals whether your leadership habits are deepening or flattening math learning across your school.
What it is NOT:
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Is not an evaluation
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Does not generate scores or rankings
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Does not require preparation or documentation
Instead, it helps principals:
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Name what is currently working
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Identify where practice may be uneven
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Clarify a meaningful next focus for leadership action
Designed to be completed in under 10 minutes, the Leadership Mini Diagnostic supports reflection—not urgency.
"If you're leading a school where math outcomes have been persistently low and previous interventions haven't moved the needle, this is designed for you."
"If your mini diagnostic results revealed systemic patterns, let's talk. Book a 30-minute conversation."
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