Kelly F. Finn’s research while affiliated with University of Iowa and other places

We report results from a study of instructional practices that relate to student achievement in high school classrooms in which a standards-based curriculum (Core-Plus) was used. We used regression techniques to identify teachers' background characteristics, behaviors, and concerns that are associated with growth in student achievement and further described these associations via graphical representations and logical analysis. The sample consisted of 40 teachers and their 1,466 students in 26 schools. Findings support the importance of professional development specifically aimed at preparing to teach the curriculum. Generally, teaching behaviors that are consistent with the standards' recommendations and that reflect high mathematical expectations were positively related to growth in student achievement.

The classroom practices of 20 teachers were studied during the field test of course 1 of Contemporary Mathematics in Context (CPMP), the high school mathematics curriculum developed by the Core-Plus Mathematics Project. In each year of the CPMP curriculum, mathematics is developed along the interwoven strands of algebra and functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and discrete mathematics. Ten of the teachers were in the top quartile of field test teachers and the other 10 in the bottom quartile with respect to their students' growth in mathematics achievement over the 1-year course. The goal was to provide a description of the classroom practices and concerns of teachers whose students achieve at the highest levels using the practices and concerns of teachers of lower achieving students as a contrast. At the end of the school year, teachers completed a teacher concern survey. One the whole, teachers of first quartile students (first quartile teachers) perceived themselves as better informed about the CPMP curriculum and its use at their school. First quartile teachers expressed less concern about their ability to implement the CPMP curriculum and were less concerned about the impact on their students of using CPMP. These and other findings suggest that a teacher whose behavior is positively associated with growth in student achievement would have strong preparation in reform curriculum and teaching before teaching his or her first CPMP class or would have completed a workshop to prepare for the curriculum. The teacher would use the various parts of the CPMP curriculum in ways that align well with the developers' expectations and would not be likely to supplement the curriculum materials. (Contains 34 references.) (SLD)