CALSA Summer Institute 2025

Rather than handing over the math, what if we invited students to wrestle with it, wonder about it, and talk their way through it? For school leaders, fostering that kind of classroom doesn’t just happen through delegation—it takes intentionality, clarity, and systems that endure even as teams evolve. This session explores how leaders can shape instructional culture by guiding teachers to ask purposeful questions that open space for student thinking, spark peer-to peer discourse, and deepen understanding—especially for English Learners. Grounded in the California Math Framework, we’ll examine what rich “math talk” sounds like and share tools to help teachers design opportunities for students to share ideas, pose observations, and make meaning together. Leaders will walk away with strategies to create simple, repeatable structures that build accountability, support instructional coherence, and set a school-wide tone where student voice, curiosity, and collaborative thinking are not just encouraged—but expected.