PIMSER’s support model reflects nationally recognized best practices in professional learning. Our work is long-term, classroom-embedded, and customized, ensuring that professional learning leads to meaningful changes in instruction and sustained improvement in student learning. Rather than one-size-fits-all workshops, PIMSER partners closely with districts to design professional learning that is action-oriented, responsive, and grounded in real classroom practice.
Central to PIMSER’s approach is a collaborative feedback cycle that connects teachers, Master Teachers, administrators, and district leaders. PIMSER Master Teachers work alongside educators through observation, co-planning, facilitation, and reflection—creating continuous opportunities to refine instruction based on evidence of student thinking. Feedback flows in multiple directions, ensuring that professional learning evolves in response to classroom realities and district priorities.
What Makes PIMSER Different
- Sustained partnerships, not short-term PD
PIMSER works with districts over multiple years to build instructional capacity and leadership, rather than relying on isolated training events. - Classroom-embedded support
Professional learning is directly connected to teachers’ daily practice, emphasizing implementation, reflection, and refinement. - Master Teacher–led collaboration
PIMSER’s statewide network of expert Master Teachers brings deep content knowledge, instructional expertise, and credibility as practicing educators. - Research-based and practice-driven
PIMSER integrates current research with hands-on strategies that support student sensemaking, equitable instruction, and growth mindset dispositions.
District Impact in Action: Math Instruction
PIMSER’s math partnerships highlight how sustained, collaborative support leads to instructional growth and improved student outcomes.
Magoffin County Schools
PIMSER began working with Magoffin County in the summer of 2022, launching a collaborative effort to strengthen math instruction and deepen teacher content knowledge. Since then, the district has demonstrated notable growth, reflecting a strong commitment to continuous improvement.
Through a two-year grant (through July 2026) from The Steele-Reese Foundation, PIMSER is supporting elementary and middle school teachers to increase student understanding of number computation and skills. This work involves close collaboration between the Magoffin County School District and a PIMSER Master Teacher to:
- Explore math-specific instructional strategies
- Identify common naïve understandings students hold about number and computation
- Support teachers in fostering growth mindset dispositions in mathematics learning
Teachers engage in ongoing professional learning that emphasizes student thinking, discourse, and conceptual understanding—moving beyond procedural fluency alone.
Teacher Voices
“In my time working with the PIMSER program, I have learned a lot of new ways to teach math. The primary takeaway for me was giving students time to think… having kids think about the math instead of doing the math is honestly more beneficial.”
— Magoffin County Teacher
“I have learned to re-break down the Kentucky Math Standards so I can focus more on my classroom standards… PIMSER has introduced several math resources, including 3-Act Tasks, that engage students in noticing, wondering, and sharing ideas. My students enjoy these tasks—and so do I.”
— Magoffin County Teacher
These reflections illustrate how PIMSER’s approach shifts classroom culture—amplifying student voice, deepening mathematical reasoning, and supporting teachers in making intentional instructional decisions.
A Trusted Partner in Education Reform
Since 2005, PIMSER has supported more than 10,200 teachers, administrators, and education leaders across Kentucky. Grounded in a strong history of National Science Foundation–funded work, PIMSER grew from initiatives such as the Appalachian Rural Systems Initiative (ARSI), the Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP), and the NSF Master Teacher Project.
Through statewide, regional, and national partnerships, PIMSER has played a key role in shaping Kentucky’s educational landscape—supporting the network model for Senate Bill 1, leading statewide assessment literacy efforts, and building instructional leadership at every level.
Today, districts across the Commonwealth recognize PIMSER as a trusted partner known for quality, impact, and a deep commitment to meaningful, lasting education reform.