Conference: Future Directions for Mathematics Education Research, Policy, and Practice

This project aims to serve the national interest by convening leaders across all levels of mathematics education and other key partners (industry, technology, policy) in a multi-day workshop to share ideas, perspectives, and expertise on accelerating progress in mathematics education. This progress will focus on four areas, including K-12 teacher preparation; undergraduate mathematics teaching and learning, with a focus on the first two years; K-12 pathways to a range of careers that rely on mathematical learning; systemic equity-focused strategies for increasing diversity in the mathematical sciences. Workshop outcomes intend to inform future directions in research, policy, and practice across these focus areas in ways that leverage new tools, technology, strategies, and partnerships to drive innovative, feasible, and equitable advancements in mathematics education. Such advancements, achieved in an equitable way, are essential to the STEM innovation needed to enhance US prosperity, global competitiveness, and national security. The workshop content and activities will be designed to achieve two goals across each of the four focus areas. The first goal is to identify current and emerging challenges and opportunities for improving mathematics education. The second goal is to provide a set of recommendations regarding future directions for research, policy, and practice related to mathematics education. Workshop activities will support collaborative approaches to designing solutions that provide prominent leaders in all aspects of mathematics education a chance to think differently about the challenges they face and see new opportunities for progress. This aspires to foster new learning and innovative approaches to more equitable practices in mathematics education across all levels. It also aims to allow participants to build partnerships and collaborations that will equip them with the knowledge, perspectives, and resources needed to lead research, development, and innovation that addresses persistent and emerging challenges in new ways. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.