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Abstract In this article, we examine how elementary classroom teachers who are pursuing their Elementary Mathematics Specialist certification—who we refer to as Elementary Mathematics Specialists in Training (EMSTs)—are positioned in their advice and information networks for mathematics. Analyzing the advice networks of six elementary schools in one district, we found that EMSTs were sought out by more individuals than other teachers, and when sought out by others, provided advice at a greater frequency than formal leaders. EMSTs' advice‐interactions were often with grade‐level peers, with interactions in the same grade occurring at a greater frequency than those spanning grade levels. We also found that, in the school with a formal mathematics‐specific leader, advice interactions were primarily directed at the formal leader, including the advice‐seeking of the EMSTs at that school. Based on our findings, we conclude with implications for how teacher education programs and school administrators can support mathematics teacher leaders in enacting leadership from their classrooms. 

In this paper we examine how teachers who are pursuing their Elementary Mathematics Specialist certification—Elementary Mathematics Specialists in Training (EMSTs)—are positioned in their advice and information networks for mathematics. We analyzed the instructional networks of six elementary schools in one Midwestern school district. Our analysis suggests that EMSTs did occupy central positions in their networks. EMSTs were sought out by more individuals compared to other teachers, and when sought out by others, provided advice and information at a greater frequency than formal leaders. We also considered the school’s informal and formal structure, finding that EMSTs’ positioning was related to the broader school’s information seeking behavior and whether there is a math-specific formal leader 

Ability grouping is a common practice in elementary mathematics instruction, but some research suggests that grouping by ability can exacerbate existing inequities, and there is evidence that alternatives to grouping can improve learning experiences for all students. In this paper, we describe an effort to support teachers in using equitable teaching practices that was part of an Elementary Mathematics Specialist (EMS) certification program at a public university in the United States. We employ multiple perspectives in our collaborative action research approach: the first author was the director of the EMS program, the second author was a graduate researcher working to support the program, and the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth authors were all teachers in the program. We start by introducing efforts to address equity from the perspective of program designers, including specific activities used during a Summer Institute to prompt consideration of alternatives to ability grouping. Then we share several experiences of reducing ability grouping from the perspectives of four teachers who were participants in the program, noting successes and challenges. We conclude with implications for research and practice.