System-level improvement in mathematics education: re-considering the National Numeracy Strategy in England

The whole-system improvement of mathematical education is a pressing concern for many governments yet there is a paucity of research on these complex change processes, and of rich case studies of national instructional improvement strategies. In this paper we ‘network’ theoretical ideas from three literatures to reconsider the National Numeracy Strategy (1999-2002). We use the Multiple Streams Framework to consider why and how particular policies get adopted; implementation science to interrogate the tactics and trade-offs of multiscaled policy enactment; and communities of practice concepts to bridge these and other aspects of system changes strategies. We show how the National Numeracy Strategy satisfied key conditions for successful implementation and so demonstrates the potential of a whole-system approach to improvement, albeit in a particular place and time.