Instructional Guidance Infrastructure, Curricular Reform, and Teachers’ Beliefs Related to Elementary Mathematics Instruction

National- and state-level policies focused on standards and accountability have transformed the educational sector in the United States over the last quarter century. This chapter focuses on new institutional theory (Scott, 2007) to explore how instructional guidance infrastructures (IGI)s in two school districts undergoing reform in elementary mathematics education functioned to influence changes in teachers’ beliefs about math instruction. It explores several components of IGI that have been previously identified in the literature. The chapter describes the components of each district’s IGI for elementary math education as it implemented a new curriculum. It then shows how the regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive dimensions interacted to enable or constrain teachers’ work practices. The adoption of statewide K-12 mathematics standards in 2009 prompted both Auburn Park and Twin Rivers to redesign their IGIs for elementary mathematics. School-level leaders, including principals and math coaches, were primarily responsible for the oversight of elementary math instruction in both districts.