This analysis draws on multiple regression methods to examine the relationships between the accountability pressures facing schools who fail to make sufficient improvement on end-of-year state tests and the nature of teachers' beliefs and practice pertaining to inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction. Drawing on data from a longitudinal study of teachers' practice in the context of district-wide instructional improvement efforts, this analysis is framed around three research questions: i) Is there a relationship between school-level pressure to improve assessment scores and teachers’ likelihood to describe productive, inquiry-oriented supports for students who struggle in mathematics? ii) Are teachers at schools facing significant accountability pressures more likely to describe and enact practices that are inconsistent with their espoused beliefs about teaching and learning in mathematics? iii) How do these institutional settings shape teachers’ beliefs and practices differentially?

Session Type: Brief Research Report