Principals' Perceptions and Expectations of Primary Teachers with a Specialisation in Mathematics

This study explored the perspectives of primary principals, as they consider the prospect of employing new teachers with a 'specialisation' in mathematics. Structured interviews were conducted with six NSW principals across school sectors. Analysis of the data revealed the nature of 'specialist' roles in a school depended heavily on current funding arrangements and the levels of existing expertise. The traits that principals wanted new specialists to have formed three strong themes: knowledge for teaching mathematics, personal attributes, and relationships with others -- with leadership qualities anticipated across all three. We raise questions about the preparation of graduates to meet the expectations of schools.