What Supports Do Teachers Need to Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards for Mathematics? Findings from the American Teacher and American School Leader Panels

Mathematics teachers across the United States have been working to adjust their instruction in response to states’ adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) or other standards adapted from CCSS-M. In this report, we document the extent to which U.S. teachers are expected to address new mathematics standards in their instruction, teachers’ familiarity with these standards, the professional development (PD) opportunities that teachers report receiving, and the PD opportunities they feel they need to help them implement standards effectively. Our findings draw on RAND’s American Teacher Panel (ATP) and American School Leader Panel (ASLP). The ATP and ASLP are new survey tools that take the pulse of the nation’s educators on key issues of education policy and practice through periodic surveys of a representative sample of teachers and principals across the United States. Through these unique panels, RAND collects accurate, longitudinal data regarding educators’ perspectives on and implementation of major federal, state, and district policies put in place over the past several years, including those related to standards, assessment, and evaluation. C O R P O R A T I O N