Publications

EDARXIV, 2023

Spatial inequities in advanced placement® stem success: investigating rural disparities in examination results

This study investigates the geographic landscape of student success on Advanced Placement® (AP®) examinations. Using a licensed, proprietary dataset containing the full population of AP® exams (N = 16,993,460) taken in the U.S. between 2016 and 2019, we conducted a series of multivariate regressions to estimate possible associations between a student’s school locale and AP® exam outcomes. These models include state by exam by year fixed effects and covariates to adjust for student and community demographics. We find that AP® examination success varies by geographic locale, with sizable gaps occurring between rural/non-rural students. These rural/non-rural differences widen in AP® STEM, with rural students generally scoring lower (-0.227 points ) and city students, higher (0.122 points ) than their suburban peers. These disparities widen in highly technical, high math-demand fields, as well as for the two more distant/remote locale classifications when rural is disaggregated into subtypes.

Recommended citation: Boles, K. L., & Domingue, B. W. (2023). Spatial inequities in Advanced Placement® STEM success: Investigating rural disparities in examination results. EdArXiv. 10.35542/osf.io/pzsgr

Published in AI in Learning: Designing the Future, 2023

Four surveillance technologies creating challenges for education

‘Ubiquitous AI’—embodied in cloud computing web services, coupled with sensors in phones and the physical world—is becoming infrastructural to cultural practices. It creates a surveillance society. We review the capabilities of four core surveillance technologies, all making headway into universities and preK-12 schools: (1) Location Tracking; (2) Facial Identification; (3) Automated Speech Recognition; and (4) Social Media Mining. We pose primary issues educational research should investigate on cultural practices with these technologies. We interweave three priority themes: (1) how these technologies are shaping human development and learning; (2) current algorithmic biases and access inequities; and (3) the need for learners’ critical consciousness concerning their data privacy. We close with calls to action—research, policy and law, practice.

Recommended citation: Pea, R., Biernacki, P., Bigman, M, Boles, K., Coelho, R., Docherty, V., Garcia, J., Lin, V., Nguyen, J., Pimentel, D., Pozos, R., Reynante, B., Roy, E., Southerton, E., Suzara, M., Vishwanath, A. (2023). Four surveillance technologies and challenges for education. In Niemi, H., Pea, R., & Lu, Y. (2023). (Eds.). AI in Learning: Designing the Future. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09687-7_19

Published in International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 2021

Learning to lead: An approach to mathematics teacher leader development

This paper describes a partnership between a university and an urban school district, formed with a goal of preparing mathematics teacher leaders to conduct professional development (PD) at their schools. The university and district partners worked together to achieve the district’s mission of providing every student with high-quality instruction and equitable learning opportunities in mathematics by building the district’s capacity to conduct school-based PD for mathematics teachers. Given the power of school-based subject-specific PD for improving instructional quality, we worked with Teacher Leaders from participating schools to prepare and support them to lead PD workshops at their schools. In this paper, we examine how Teacher Leaders learn and adapt key elements of a PD model over three school years through the lenses of Prediger et al.’s Three-Tetrahedron-Model (2019) and the university’s Learning to Lead model. Over 3 years, we see that Teacher Leaders use the key structures of the PD model; make adaptations in response to school goals, interests, and priorities; and gain confidence in their work with colleagues. By viewing the adaptations through the lens of pedagogies of practice as well as the relationships illustrated by the 3-T model, this work offers insights into the complexities of teacher leadership development.

Recommended citation: Borko, H., Carlson, J., Deutscher, R., Boles, K. L., Delaney, V., Fong, A., Jarry-Shore, M., Malamut, J., Million, S., Mozenter, S., & Villa, A. M., III (2021). Learning to lead: An approach to mathematics teacher leader development. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education 19, 121-143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-021-10157-2

Published in Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Mexico, 2020

Self-directed learning for rural mathematics teachers

Teachers in rural, socio-economically disadvantaged Appalachia were invited to apply for grants in order to support their self-directed learning needs. This paper analyzes the reasons the teachers chose to apply, the people and resources they sought to learn from, and the lessons learned from their grant experiences. Findings highlight that teacher applications were motivated by two purposes: (1) preparing students for prospective future economic opportunities within the region and (2) the current learning needs of students. Teachers used grant funds to purchase materials resources and technology. When reflecting on lessons learned, some teachers reported unexpected learning around technology implementation and difficulty accessing professional expertise needed to implement their ideas.

Recommended citation: Anderson, R. K. & Boles, K. L. (2020). Self-directed learning for rural mathematics teachers. In A. I. Sacristán, J. C. Cortés-Zavala, & P. M. Ruiz-Arias (Eds.) Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Mexico. (pp. 1947-1948). Cinvestav / AMIUTEM / PME-NA. https:/doi.org/10.51272/pmena.42.2020

Published in The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020, Volume 4, 2020

Mathematical thinking and representational engagement of in-service secondary mathematics teachers in pattern-based algebraic growth tasks

Ten current or former secondary mathematics teachers completed a series of five pattern-based think-aloud tasks. Teachers who identified as having more experience with pattern-based tasks demonstrated more instances of relational thinking and generally less functional thinking. The converse was true of teachers who self-identified as having less experience with pattern-based tasks; these teachers who had less pattern-based experience also were more likely to rely on symbolic representation to make sense of the task, relative to their peers. Implications for teacher professional learning focused on mathematical representations are discussed.

Recommended citation: Boles, K.L. (2020). Mathematical thinking and representational engagement of in-service secondary mathematics teachers in pattern-based algebraic growth tasks. In M. Gresalfi & I. S. Horn (Eds.), The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020, Volume 4 (pp. 2417-2418). Nashville, Tennessee: International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//handle/1/6589

Published in The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020, Volume 4, 2020

Building capacity via facilitator agency: Tensions in implementing an adaptive model of professional development

Working with data from a larger research practice partnership project, we analyze the ways in which teacher-leader professional development (PD) faciliators exercised agency in their facilitation of a highly adaptive program of PD. We conceptualized agentic facilitator actions as the modification, creation, or omission of particular structures within the PD. Modifications occurred the most frequently in order to incorporate shifts in analytical lenses or new resources. Creations often were made to reflect the classroom curricular experiences of facilitators and to meet site-specific priorities, such as discussion and alignment around standardized testing. Omissions increased over the course of the project years and within the academic year. This study highlights the tension experienced when building capacity within an adaptive PD program — providing facilitators the agency to adapt and respond to local interests and priorities while also striving to keep core aspects of the PD program intact.

Recommended citation: Boles, K.L., Jarry-Shore, M., Villa, A. M., III, Malamut, J., & Borko, H. (2020). Building capacity via facilitator agency: Tensions in implementing an adaptive model of professional development. In M. Gresalfi & I. S. Horn (Eds.), The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020, Volume 4 (pp. 2585-2588). Nashville, Tennessee: International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//handle/1/6625

Published in Proceedings of the Forty-First Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2019

Teacher leader learning through participation in and facilitation of professional development addressing problems of practice

Analyzing data from a larger research practice partnership project, we consider the ways teacher leaders (TLs) at school sites within a district adopted and adapted particular professional learning structures and facilitation moves over multiple years. As part of the PD model, teacher leaders first attended Leader Support Meetings (LSM) as teacher learners then delivered PD as facilitators at their own school sites. Analysis shows that, over the course of the project, inquiry into LSM facilitation became more TL-led. We also noted that time often placed constraints on TLs site-delivered PDs, limiting participation and discussion opportunities. Models of TL faciliation, co-facilitation, and facilitation roles also varied by site and time.

Recommended citation: Villa, A. M., III, Boles, K. L., Borko, H. (2019). Teacher leader learning through participation in and facilitation of professional development addressing problems of practice. In S. Otten, A. G. Candela, Z. de Araujo, C. Haines, & C. Munter (Eds.), Proceedings of the Forty-First Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 594-598). St Louis, MO: University of Missouri

Published in Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Interaction Design and Children, 2018

Manipul8: An interactive experience to inspire pattern-based algebraic thinking and representational fluency

Using a tabletop tangible user interface, we develop a learning technology that allows for the visual-tile-based representation of algebraic expressions and the tangible manipulation of such representations. Using equation frames that allow for the consideration of quadratic, linear, and constant terms, or any combination thereof, students can manipulate the constant values for each term, modifying the computer-projected tile representation in real-time. Manipul8 was design to support students in the transition from arithmetic to algebraic to relational thinking.

Recommended citation: Boles, K.L., Macedo, L., Proctor, C., & Blikstein, P. (2018). Manipul8: An interactive experience to inspire pattern-based algebraic thinking and representational fluency. In Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Interaction Design and Children. (pp. 501-504). https://doi.org/10.1145/3202185.3210763