Elementary mathematics specialists are teacher leaders who are responsible for supporting effective PK–6 mathematics instruction and student learning. The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in a 2010 joint position paper on Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs), all advocate for the use of EMSs to support the teaching and learning of mathematics. The specific roles and expectations of EMSs will vary according to the needs of each setting, “but their expertise and successful experience at the elementary level is critical” (p 1). Elementary Mathematics Specialists: Developing, Refining, and Examining Programs that Support Mathematics Teaching and Learning is AMTE’s latest resource supporting the important work of EMSs. It has five sections related to the preparation and professional development of EMSs: (a) Overview and Current State of Affairs; (b) Models of EMS Program Development & Delivery; (c) Supporting EMSs in the Field; (d) The Mathematics Specialist Research; and (e) Future Directions. The book provides support to EMS practitioners, program providers/developers, and researchers seeking to answer important questions about how to prepare Mathematics Specialists, support them in the field, and research their effectiveness.

Hunting ghosts and solving the case before checkout? All in a weekend's work. Read the novel that New York Times bestselling author, Chris Grabenstein calls, "My kind of mystery!" When JJ Jacobson convinced his mom to accept a surprise invitation to an all-expenses-paid weekend getaway at the illustrious Barclay Hotel, he never imagined that he'd find himself in the midst of a murder mystery. He thought he was in for a run-of-the-mill weekend ghost hunting at the most haunted spot in town, but when he arrives at the Barclay Hotel and his mother is blamed for the hotel owner's death, he realizes his weekend is going to be anything but ordinary. Now, with the help of his new friends, Penny and Emma, JJ has to track down a killer, clear his mother's name, and maybe even meet a ghost or two along the way.

The shift from the traditional self-contained classroom to the departmentalized classroom structure in upper-elementary classrooms is increasing as the stakes are higher than ever for public schools. Teachers prefer departmentalization but findings as to its benefits for students are mixed. I consider the relationship between classroom structure and student achievement and whether the relationship varies by the subgroup, including race, sex, socio-economic status (SES), student with disability (SWD) status, English language learner (ELL) status, or Gifted High Achieving (GHA) status. Using fourth and fifth grade data from one school district in Florida, I use OLS and logistic regression to examine the relationship between departmentalization and three measures of student achievement based on the Florida Standards Assessment. I find an overall negative relationship between student achievement and classroom structure in fourth-grade, with some variation by student subgroup. The fifth-grade data is not significant and does not indicate that there is a relationship between student achievement and classroom structure.

This practical book and its accompanying downloadable resources include over 100 schedules to help elementary schools raise student achievement.

This handbook examines practices and issues involved in the implementation of multiage programs. Data were collected through site visits at four schools with reputations for excellent multiage programs; interviews with a representative sample of parents and teachers at each school; document analysis; a survey of multiage teachers, parents, and principals at each school; and a survey of participants attending a national conference on multiage instruction. Before implementing multiage programs, six important questions should be asked regarding: the reasons for implementation, teacher roles, type of school or organizational climate, type of parent and community involvement, leadership, and factors for success that can be generalized to other settings. The following guiding principles were identified: (1) There are compelling benefits for students and teachers that justify implementing multiage organization; (2) there is no single model; (3) neither bottom-up nor top-down implementation, by itself, is effective; (4) multiage programs require major conceptual change; (5) implementation is best viewed as an evolving, long-term change at the deepest levels of teacher beliefs about how humans learn; and (6) several incremental steps can facilitate and improve the likelihood of success. A total of 17 tables and 3 figures are included. Appendices contain information on the study methodology, data collection instruments, and codebook. (LMI)

This practical book and its accompanying downloadable resources include over 100 schedules to help elementary schools raise student achievement.