Beyond curriculum adoption - What district leaders are saying about using Illustrative Mathematics

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

This paper examines what happens after initial investment in high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs) through district leaders’ perspectives on implementing Illustrative Mathematics (IM). It builds on prior research comparing IM implementation impacts across Massachusetts districts and analyzes how timing, implementation duration, and professional learning conditions influence outcomes. The study highlights that successful HQIM use depends on sustained, supportive implementation environments, not only the curriculum itself. It also contextualizes Massachusetts’ supporting levers, such as CURATE, IMPlement MA, data monitoring, and funding.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

HQIMs and the need for coherent instructional systems

Study purpose and prior research base

Why Massachusetts is a focus for examining implementation

Beyond Curriculum Adoption: What District Leaders Are Saying About Using Illustrative Mathematics Maggie Hannan, Sarah Rainier, Rebecca Perry © 2026 WestEd. All rights reserved. Suggested citation: Hannan, M. , Rainier, S. , & Perry , R. (2026) . Beyond curriculum adoption: What district leaders are saying about using Illustrative Mathematics. WestEd. WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that aims to improve the lives of children and adults at all ages of learning and development. We do this by addressing challenges in education and human development, increasing opportunity, and helping build communities where all can thrive. WestEd staff conduct and apply research, provide technical assistance, and support professional learning. We work with early learning educators, classroom teachers, local and state leaders, and policymakers at all levels of government. For more information, [visit](visit WestEd.org. For)[ ](visit WestEd.org. For)[WestEd.org](visit WestEd.org. For)[. For](visit WestEd.org. For) regular updates on research, free resources, solutions, and job postings from WestEd, subscribe to the E-Bulletin, our semimonthly e-newsletter, at [WestEd.org/subscribe](WestEd.org/subscribe). This work was funded by the Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Gates Foundation. Introduction In the United States, the promise of high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs) 1 in K–12 education is both considerable and yet tobe fully realized ( Bush-Mecenas et al. , 2025; Polikoff, 2021) . In a recent RAND report, Kaufman and colleagues (2023) found that statelevel requirements to take up HQIMs are merely a“first step” (p. viii) toward more coherent instructional systems and that, nationally, states and districts have abundant room for improvement in their approach to providing clear and coherent instructional guidance for supporting all students using HQIMs. As states, districts, and foundations increasingly invest in the use and scaling of HQIMs in both mathematics and English language arts, understanding what comes after initial investment becomes increasingly pressing.2 New implementation bright spots along with decades of implementation research offer insight into what might come next, as well as the needs, opportunities, and challenges inherent to HQIM implementation. To contribute to the field’s understanding of HQIM implementation, the study described in this paper builds on a recent report by Khanani and colleagues (2025), who compared impacts of Illustrative Mathematics (IM) implementation against the impacts of other HQIMsin 71 districts in Massachusetts. They found that the impacts varied significantly depending on when each district started HQIM implementation and on how long they had been working on implementation. The authors hypothesized that pandemic-related disruptions undermined the delivery of professional learning and availability of collaborative planning time. Their study reinforced previous findings that how, when, and where a new curriculum is implemented matters just as much as what is being implemented. Successful use of HQIMs such as IM requires sustained professional learning opportunities and other 1 HQIMs, consisting of core curricula and publisher-developed resources designed to support teachers’use of the curricula, are designed to align with rigorous grade-level standards; address students’ conceptual understanding and procedural fluency; and offer routines, lesson plans, and other resources that support teachers (Neumayer DePiper, 2025; Perry et al., 2026) . 2 This study explores the core mathematics curriculum in use at each site, which offers plenty of analytical complexity. However, understanding supplemental instructional resources and alignment across instructional tiers is equally pressing and should be a priority for further research on HQIMs. con

FAQs

What does the paper focus on after districts adopt HQIMs?

The paper focuses on what comes after initial investment, using district leaders’ perspectives to understand how HQIM implementation proceeds and what conditions affect success.

How did the study build on earlier research about Illustrative Mathematics?

It builds on a prior report by comparing impacts of Illustrative Mathematics implementation against other HQIMs in 71 Massachusetts districts, finding variation by start timing and implementation duration.

What implementation factors does the paper emphasize for successful HQIM use?

It emphasizes sustained professional learning opportunities and consistent, supportive implementation conditions, noting that timing and the length of implementation work matter as much as the curriculum itself.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang