Keep Inquiring: A Collective Examination of Elementary Mathematics Specialist Preparation

Abstract

This chapter discusses the escalating call for and preparation of special-ists in elementary mathematics, linked to increasing needs and policy in the USA. The recent unified position of several prominent mathematics education organisa-tions in the USA contends that every elementary school has access to specialists and that advanced specialist certification be offered via rigorous preparation programs. Nineteen states have established routes for licensure, certification, or endorsement of specialists, with nine others in the process of developing pathways. This chapter presents one university’s program intended to develop these specialists and their agency in fostering learner-centred mathematics classroom environments, specif-ically perspectives and literature related to Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs), a rich description of the EMS preparation program, and the line of inquiry over time on the program. Findings focus on three inquiries, including those in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (2018), Journal of Teacher Education (2020), and Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (2021). Outcomes investi-gated included participants’ specialised content knowledge for teaching mathematics, mathematical beliefs, and instructional practices in classrooms, as well as their views on program experiences. The program aimed to develop specialists as highly effec-tive and equitable teachers and teacher leaders who are refining their own sense of agency while advocating for changes in mathematics education within the complexity of school contexts.