The Scaling Up through Network Improvement (SUNI) project set out to test and refine a practical theory about scaling complex educational innovations within institutions in the context of an ambitious effort to scale the Carnegie Math Pathways (CMP) program. What do institutional leaders do when planning for, building will around, and growing equity-centered reform efforts? What resources do they draw upon? What practices and tools do they employ? And how can they be supported through leadership coaching to do so effectively? Using tools and methods from improvement science, change management, and effective leadership in higher education, SUNI coaches supported institutional leaders at four institutions of higher education each seeking to improve access and outcomes in developmental and gateway mathematics through math pathways reforms. The project was comprised of two studies: The qualitative Leadership Study, a case study analysis of institutional planning and implementation supported by improvement-focused leadership coaching, and the quantitative Outcomes Study, which examined student level outcomes of the CMP courses at the partner institutions in comparison to concurrent alternatives or with historical comparison data (depending on specific contextual factors). 

A key challenge institutional leaders face when introducing an innovation such as a math pathways course, where the pedagogy and philosophy have been shown effective in some contexts, is implementing at scale effectively and sustainably across varying contexts. The institutional case studies identified two intertwined, central practices that leaders engaged in to constrain and enable efforts to scale: tracking and leveraging. Both practices highlight how leaders engaged with their institutional context, how context was produced, modified, or upended by leaders, and how context constrained and enabled what leaders did. The case studies then examined how major policy shifts (e.g., Guided Pathways implementation, state-level developmental education policy) came to shape these practices and how these practices came to serve as enactments of these policy shifts. Additional analysis revealed several habits or competencies demonstrated by leaders who successfully implemented and scaled the innovation: System thinking, Micropolitical literacy, Fostering personal and institutional relationships, Change management, Communicate effectively, Build self awareness, and Leverage supports like coaching. A central contribution of the project was the design and delivery of learning experiences based on these practices and habits aimed to build leadership capacity and help leaders recognize, analyze, and lead existing and emergent change initiatives in their institutions, including a toolkit for change leaders in higher education.

The Student Outcome study examined the differences in the students who were served by the gateway math courses (CMP vs. comparison) within each institution (three institutions were included in the outcomes study analysis) and estimated the impact of CMP at the partner institutions using propensity score weighting. Across all institutions, students enrolled in CMP courses were more likely to identify with a group that has been historically underrepresented in STEM fields (e.g., female, non-binary, black, indigenous) and had, on average, lower prior achievement in math and non-math courses at that institution, ACT math scores, and high school grade point average. There were no significant differences in how likely students were to pass the gateway math course (CMP vs. comparable). In one institution, CMP students accumulated more college level math credits after gateway course completion but fewer credentials were attained. And in another institution, CMP students gained fewer math course credits and showed no difference in credential attainment. These results point to the crucial importance of context in the implementation and effectiveness of pathways reform at scale.

The primary impact of this project has centered on insights about how institutional leaders and coaches organize for scaling promising mathematics reform efforts in institutions of higher education. We have drawn upon the case studies in the project to help us understand the individual and organizational practices, processes, structures, and cultures that enable and constrain efforts to scale gateway-level math reforms in higher education. We have applied these learnings to our work with other institutions, and refined the model for scaling math reform efforts in colleges and universities. This revised model is broadly applicable to any setting in which there is an effort to scale an educational innovation in ways that are embedded inside of institutional structures and consistent with institutional values, commitments, and priorities. Additionally, this project has helped us learn about the role, benefits, and practices of coaches in higher education leadership, the extent to which institutions took up coaching, and, when they did, how coaching shaped leadership practice on the ground.

Last Modified: 12/27/2024
Modified by: Ann Edwards