Early numeracy coordinators in Victorian primary schools: Components of the role, highlights and challenges

Thirty-six teachers were nominated as numeracy coordinators in their schools for the Early Numeracy Research Project1 (ENRP). These people led teams of teachers who worked with students in Years P-2. They participated in three years of the research project, investigating ways to assist the professional growth of their professional learning teams and to improve mathematics learning outcomes for their students. The university research team worked closely with these people as co-researchers. Coordinators were supported in their role through professional development, the establishment of a network of coordinators and through mentoring by members of the university research team. Over the course of the project, researchers listened to coordinators’ accounts of their work with school teams and gathered data about their role from time to time. In this way, the research project built a picture of the complexity of the role of the numeracy coordinator in the early years of school, but also the impact of their work on their personal professional growth and that of their teams.