Mathematics pathways can serve as a catalyzing step towards establishing guided pathways and should be integrated with other college–wide efforts to support student learning and completion. When managed well, work on math pathways will open lines of communication and generate collaborative efforts across departments and institutional roles.
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Drastically improving student success requires changing the normative practice of the institution. Leaders must clearly articulate early in the process what a full–scale implementation means and communicate a commitment to that vision to the entire college community.
The DCMP model also encourages institutional leaders to move quickly on the structural changes described in the first two DCMP principles: implementing pathways aligned to programs of study and ensuring that most students take their gateway math course in the first year. Many institutions find it is easier to scale up quickly than to phase in implementation, which requires supporting two systems. At the same time, the institution should prepare for the long–term continuous improvement described in DCMP principles 3 and 4: integrating and aligning with student success strategies, and utilizing evidence–based curriculum and pedagogy.
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A leadership team works over multiple years to implement, monitor, and improve math pathways. The inclusion of people from different roles allows for a proactive strategy of considering multiple perspectives, understanding, planning for potential impacts, and addressing challenges early. The leadership team should have a faculty lead supported by an administrative lead who has the authority to make key decisions, understands cross–institutional change management, and reports to the president regularly. The work of the team is enhanced by a clear charge, permission to act, a timeline, and clear accountability measures around key data points.
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Sustainability depends on building a depth of capacity across the faculty and staff who will be champions, on-the-ground leaders, and implementers. Ongoing success can be thought of in three categories.
Support for implementers. Consider creative ways to recognize and support faculty and staff efforts. Offer release time and stipends tied to clear expectations; arrange to provide food at meetings or provide administrative staff support to schedule meetings and take notes; publicly recognize individuals and ensure supervisors make efforts to value faculty and staff contributions.
Build leadership and capacity. Offer mentoring and professional learning opportunities to emerging leaders and across key departments. Build depth beyond a few “go–to” people.
Engage the skeptics. Gather data to understand concerns and find ways to surface and address valid concerns.
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Full implementation of effective math pathways depends upon coherence across institutions and systems. Ensuring that students can apply math credit to a degree requires consistency in math requirements across two– and four–year institutions. It is also important that high schools understand evolving college readiness standards and gateway mathematics options, and collaborate with higher education on better preparing students.
Institutional leaders and administrators play an essential role in initiating and supporting these conversations. Presidents and chancellors set the charge for cross–institutional engagement with their own staff and faculty and often make the first contact to their counterparts to initiate efforts. Provosts, vice presidents, and deans help organize meetings, ensuring the right people are involved. Department chairs from across disciplines engage directly with their institutional and cross–institutional colleagues to develop and align math pathways.
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