Principals’ implementation of a high-impact mathematics tutoring program: a collective case study of principals’ experiences implementing math corps in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
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Abstract
As students returned to school in the wake of the pandemic, the Spring 2022 results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) which measures student achievement demonstrated the steepest ever declines in math scores between 2019 and 2022 (Mervosh & Wu, 2022). Additionally, and even more concerning, is the especially heavy toll the pandemic took on Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities, low-income families, students with disabilities and multi-language learners (Long, 2022). Therefore, learning disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has created a spotlight on mathematics achievement in the United States and the inequities in our education system (Simon, 2021). Through an extensive literature review, high-quality math instruction, high-impact tutoring, and principal leadership skills and behaviors are considered. Previous studies have found principals are key to improving the quality of education and are therefore responsible for making data informed decisions to select and implement instructional programs and provide students with support in mathematics. However, they now face even more challenges to support mathematics learning in the wake of the pandemic (Dare & Saleem, 2022). Studies have found that tutoring has some of the strongest impacts on learning outcomes and could be an effective strategy to help all students succeed in school and, ultimately, help close academic opportunity gaps, especially post-pandemic (Nickow et al., 2020). This study examines one specific program, Math Corps, which is a well-researched, evidence-based, high-impact tutoring program that increases opportunities for students to develop math skills (Robles et al., 2023). A major limitation of current research on Math Corps, and any other high-impact math tutoring programs for that matter, is understanding principals’ leadership skills and behavior during the implication process of these programs. Addressing this gap may shed light on how to improve program implementation and ultimately increase math achievement among students. This study examines principals’ beliefs about high-quality mathematics instruction and understanding of high-impact tutoring, their reasons for choosing to implement Math Corps, how they implemented it, and the barriers they encountered. This case study involved surveying and interviewing ten Minnesota public elementary school principals who implemented Math Corps in 2023–2024.
The qualitative data collected from the surveys and interviews first showed that principals should prioritize their own mathematics instructional knowledge, this includes building proficiency in their understanding of high-quality math instruction and high impact tutoring. Furthermore, the analysis found that when implementing Math Corps, principals’ behaviors and strategies align with Grissom et al.’s (2021) four categories of leadership practices: (1) engaging in instructionally focused interactions with teachers; (2) building a productive climate; (3) facilitating collaboration and professional learning communities; and (4) managing personnel and resources strategically. According to research, these leadership behaviors produce positive student and school outcomes (Grissom et al., 2021). Furthermore, this study identifies recommendations for each category of principal leadership behaviors that will lead to improved student and school outcomes. Overall, principals need to exhibit leadership behaviors to facilitate the integration and collaboration of external tutoring programs and schools around shared goals and instructional vision. This will ultimately lead to improved student and school outcomes.
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2025