This capstone project focused on the experiences of teachers and principals as they engaged in a system-wide curriculum implementation in the Seattle Public Schools. Using a case study design, the project chronicled district actions and the experience of 3 principals and 6 teachers during implementation of the Connected Mathematics Project, 2nd Edition (CMP2) math curriculum in grades 6 and 7 during the 2006-2007 school year. Data was gathered using direct and participant observation, document and archival analysis and focused interviews during the first year of implementation. Seattle Public Schools adopted the CMP2 curriculum in the spring of 2006. District leaders followed the adoption by developing a comprehensive implementation plan, components of which were helpful in shaping plans for the data collection and analysis portion of this project.

The last three superintendents leading the Seattle School District, prior to and during the time of this project, maintained a “tight-loose” philosophy (Stanford & Simons, 1999), whereby achievement standards and expectations for all students remained constant while principals and teachers maintained their autonomy. The CMP2 implementation initiative reflected a divergence from past practice by directing all 6th and 7th grade math teachers and principals to use the same curriculum, attend mandatory training, follow a district-wide pacing calendar, and implement district-wide baseline, benchmark and formative assessments. This change in strategy represented a “new day” for Seattle Public Schools and a shift in district culture.

The literature informing this project drew from three bodies of work: educational policy implementation, professional development, and educational leadership. The relationship between implementation strategies, local factors, and school and classroom practice is complex. The theory of action followed: If a comprehensive approach to curriculum implementation in mathematics was employed, with emphasis on professional development focused on pedagogical and leadership content knowledge for teachers and principals, instruction would improve and student learning would increase. Products generated in this project include a detailed report describing the implementation strategy and a secondary analysis describing the experience of a subset of principals and teachers as they enacted the CMP2 curriculum and participated in district sponsored professional development employed to support this process.