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Stepping into a new math leadership role can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time—especially when your responsibility suddenly expands from supporting one school or district to supporting dozens. Where do you begin when every district is at a different place, has different needs, and may already be working toward different mathematics goals? That's exactly the challenge facing one experienced math leader as she prepares to support 30 districts in a new regional role.
K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/
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Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units
In this coaching conversation, Jon Orr explores why the first move isn't creating more professional development or trying to support everyone at once. It's going to Gemba: getting close to the work, building relationships, asking better questions, and understanding what is actually happening across the systems you serve. From there, the conversation explores how leaders can start narrow, learn fast, and implement slowly—using the Math Coherence Compass to create shared direction, identify meaningful goals and leading indicators, and build the internal capacity needed for improvement to spread sustainably.
In this episode, you'll explore:
- What "going to Gemba" looks like for math leaders
- Why starting narrow can lead to greater system-wide impact
- How to support multiple districts without spreading yourself too thin
- The importance of asking, "What are you working on, and how do you know?"
- How the Math Coherence Compass creates shared direction around mathematics improvement
- Why leading indicators provide more actionable information than test scores alone
- How to build capacity within districts instead of creating dependence on outside support
- The shift from being a reactive support provider to a proactive systems leader
If you're stepping into a math leadership role—or trying to create meaningful change across multiple schools or districts—this episode offers a practical place to begin. Start by getting closer to the work, understanding the systems you're supporting, and finding one place where you can learn deeply before trying to scale broadly.
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Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.
