We were fortunate to have Steve Leinwand, an educational mathematics specialist, work with our teachers this week. Steve guided the math teachers through two days of professional development focused on math instruction using the new Common Core math standards. These standards definitely raise the bar for our students challenging them to reach their potential.

Of course our teachers put great emphasis on individualizing curriculum and taking each student from his or her current level of development to the next level. These standards are not only compatible with that goal, but superior to our existing standards.

Steve Leinwand is a Principal Research Analyst at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, D.C. and has over 30 years of leadership positions in mathematics education. His work at AIR has included technical assistance to the General Electric Foundation and to the Microsoft Math Partnership, involving work in Seattle, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee.

Steve has overseen the development of the Algebra Assessment for the ongoing High School Longitudinal Study and co-authored “What the United States Can Learn from Singapore’s World-Class Mathematics System (and what Singapore can learn from the United States).” He has also conducted periodic seminars on “Making Math Work for Underachieving Students” including the development of instructional strategies for improving student achievement generally, and in the area of fractions, decimals, proportional reasoning, measurement and estimation specifically.