From Curriculum Guides to Classroom Enactment: Examining Early Career Elementary Teachers' Orientations Toward Standards-Based Mathematics Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

This article examines three early career elementary teachers’ orientations toward standards-based mathematics curriculum implementation in New York City public schools. It is important to have a greater understanding of teachers who are responsible for enacting standards-based curriculum in authentic teaching situations in order to learn more about what may facilitate or hinder student learning. Findings from this study reveal that all three teachers had varied orientations toward mathematics curriculum implementation due to their particular school contexts, expectations from their respective school administrators, and their personal beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. Implications from this study include the need for school administrators to allow teachers greater flexibility and autonomy to tailor their district’s formal curriculum to greater suit their classroom needs, which could potentially lead to higher student mathematics achievement.