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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Speaker Biographies." National Research Council. 1998. The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6286.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Speaker Biographies." National Research Council. 1998. The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6286.
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Page 128
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Speaker Biographies." National Research Council. 1998. The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6286.
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Page 129
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Speaker Biographies." National Research Council. 1998. The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6286.
×
Page 130
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Speaker Biographies." National Research Council. 1998. The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6286.
×
Page 131
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Speaker Biographies." National Research Council. 1998. The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum: Proceedings of a National Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6286.
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Page 132

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Appendix C Speaker Biographies Geoffrey Akst serves as Professor of Mathematics at the Borough of Manhattan Community College/The City University of New York, where he coordinates the college's developmental mathematics program. For more years than he would care to remember, he has taught algebra with varying combinations of the three C's calculators, computers, and calcite (chalk!) and has been the principal investigator for several grants dealing with the impact of technology on the college mathematics curriculum. Dr. Akst is currently preparing a manuscript on the changing nature of elementary algebra across the last 200 years as seen through the prism of English-language textbooks. Hyman Bass received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. In 1975, after 16 years in teaching and research positions, he accepted the position of Chairman of the Mathematics Department at Columbia University, where he remains as professor. As an academic mathematician, Dr. Bass is involved in basic research, mainly in algebra and its interface with geometry, and in teaching at all university levels. He is an author of research and expository writings, active in the editorial aspects of scientific publishing, and engaged in matters of educational and scientific policy. Dr. Bass has served as a member of or consultant to many national and international groups concerned with mathematical research and science. He has served on the Executive Committee for the American Mathematical Society and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. Dr. Bass is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He chaired an Advisory Committee on Pure Mathematics in 1970 for the National Research Council (NRC) and currently chairs the Mathematical Sciences Education Board (MSEB) for the NRC. Rick Billstein is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT. He has worked in the area of mathematics education for 30 years and is probably best known as a co-author of the book, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Problem Solving Approach, which is now in its 6th edition. He is presently the Director of the National Science Foundation-funded "Six Through Eight Mathematics" (STEM) project. STEM has a five-year grant to develop a new standards-based mathematics curriculum for middle schools. The materials are now available through McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin. Jere Confrey joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin as a Professor of Mathematics Education in 1997. Her research at Cornell University has focused on how to reform the teaching of algebra toward the ideas of functions and modeling. She works on these topics across the curriculum, starting with young children's understanding of multiplication, division, and ratio and proceeding through the grades toward the introduction of calculus. She is the author of the software, "Function Problem," and co-author of "Multimedia Precalculus" (in progress). She was the founder of the SummerMath program for young women at Mount Holyoke College and co- founder of SummerMath for Teachers. She believes that research is best developed in relation to ongoing classroom 127

128 THE NATURE AND ROLE OF ALGEBRA IN THE K-14 CURRICULUM practices and, thus, typically is involved in extensive school-based activities. Her most recent work has been with seventh grade students and teachers in designing and implementing a technology-rich introduction to algebra. She is a senior editor of the International Journal on Computer and Mathematics Learning and is a member of the editorial panel of the Journal of Research in Mathematics Education. Rosalie Dance teaches mathematics at Georgetown University, where she also develops mathematical model- ing activities for use in secondary and community college classrooms. Her research interest centers on means to promote equity in mathematics education, and she works as a consultant on mathematics education and equity issues. She was a District of Columbia Public Schools mathematics teacher for an incredibly long time and received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching. She has led many inservice courses and workshops for secondary mathematics teachers. She has been a mathematics teacher and a mathematics student in six countries on three continents. Robert L. Devaney is currently Professor of Mathematics at Boston University. His main area of research is dynamical systems theory. He is currently director of the Dynamical Systems and Technology Project at Boston University. This is a National Science Foundation-sponsored project to show teachers how to incorporate modern ideas in mathematics into the high-school curriculum, as well as to provide teachers with the necessary technolog- ical tools. John A. Dossey, Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics at Illinois State University, served as President of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics from 1986-1988 during the writing of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. Dr. Dossey is currently the Chair of the Conference Board of Mathematical Science and chaired the commission appointed to develop the dimensions of and specifications for the proposed national mathematics exam. Gregory Foley is a mathematics educator, consultant, and textbook author and is interested in the appropriate uses of technology for mathematics teaching and learning in grades 6-14. Dr. Foley obtained BA and MA degrees in mathematics and a PhD in mathematics education from the University of Texas at Austin. He is an associate professor of mathematics at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, having previously held faculty positions at North Harris County College, Austin Community College, and Ohio Sate University. Dr. Foley has presented some 120 papers, talks, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, minicourses, and summer institutes in 28 states, Belgium, Canada, England, Mexico, and Spain. He has directed three federally supported calculus projects and contributed his services to the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, the Mathematical Association of America, the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, and CBAMN. Landy Godbold currently holds the Loridans Foundation Alex P. Gaines Chair and teaches mathematics at The Westminster Schools. He has taught at the Westminster Schools since 1975. He received both his BS and MS degrees in Applied Mathematics from Georgia Institute of Technology and his EdS in Secondary Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction from Georgia State University. He served for six years as Computer Director for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Summer Institutes. He is a member of the Mathematical Association of America and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, he has contributed to the Mathemat- ics Teacher, and he has spoken at numerous regional and national conferences. He is currently Principal Investigator for ARISE, one of several National Science Foundation-funded secondary curriculum projects. Deborah Hughes Hallet is a Professor of the Practice in the Teaching of Mathematics at Harvard University. She has also taught at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, and at the University of Arizona. She graduated from Cambridge University in England. Professor Hughes Hallet served as Principal Investigator, with Andrew Gleason and David Mumford, for the National Science Foundation-funded "Calculus Consortium," which is based at Harvard. Christian Hirsch is a Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI. He received his PhD in mathematics (with specialization in mathematics education) from the University of Iowa in 1972. Dr. Hirsch was a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics'

APPENDIX C 129 (NCTM) Commission on Standards for School Mathematics and Chair of its Working Group on Curriculum for Grades 9-12. He is co-author of several high-school mathematics textbooks, author of numerous articles in mathematics education journals, and editor of several NCTM publications. Dr. Hirsch has served as President of the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics, on the Board of Directors of the NCTM, and on the Board of Directors of the School Science and Mathematics Association. Dr. Hirsch currently directs the "Core-Plus Mathematics Project," a National Science Foundation-funded, comprehensive high-school curriculum develop- ment project. In addition, for the past five years he has directed the "Making Mathematics Accessible to All" project, an Eisenhower-funded statewide professional development program for teachers. James }. Kaput, with a PhD in Mathematics from Clark University, joined the faculty at what eventually became the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in 1968, where he is now Chancellor Professor of Mathemat- ics. He has written or edited a half dozen books and is currently finishing an edited volume summarizing work done by the Algebra Working Group of the National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Education from 1989-1995, which involved rethinking the role of algebra in school mathematics and researching the early development of algebraic reasoning in the context of elementary mathematics. Dr. Kaput's current National Science Foundation-funded "SimCalc Project" involves building and testing simulations and visualization tools on both computers and calculators for learning the fundamental ideas underlying calculus beginning at the elementary- school level. Dr. Kaput is on the editorial board of five journals related to mathematics education and is a founding co-editor, with Alan Schoenfeld and Ed Dubinsky, of a new series of volumes jointly published by the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America on research in collegiate mathematics education. He is on many research and development project advisory boards, publishes widely, and is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings Glenn Kleiman is Vice President and Senior Scientist at the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and lecturer in the Technology in Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A cognitive psychologist by background (PhD, Stanford University, 1977), Dr. Kleiman has long been involved in research on children's learning, exploring applications of technology in education, and developing innovative curriculum materials and educational software. He has directed two large-scale mathematics curriculum development projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the most recent of which developed the "Mathscape: Seeing and Thinking Mathematically" middle-school curriculum, published by Creative Publications. Glenda Lappan, Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University (MSU), received her EdD in Mathematics and Education from the University of Georgia in 1965. She has been a member of the Department of Mathematics faculty at MSU since she received her degree. Her research and development interests are in the connected areas of students' learning of mathematics and the professional development of mathematics teachers at the middle and secondary levels. She is currently Co-Director of the "Connected Mathematics Project," President- Elect of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Vice-Chair of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, and a member of the National Education Board for Research Policy and Priorities. She served as Chair of the Middle-School Working Group for the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics and was Chair of the commission that developed the NCTM Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics. David D. Molina, PhD, serves as the Associate Director of the Charles A. Dana Center and as Adjunct Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Texas at Austin. A former high-school mathematics teacher and experienced higher education faculty member, Dr. Molina has made significant contributions to textbook publishing, professional development, teacher preparation, and educational technology. His current work spans the areas of mathematics education policy, curriculum development, algebra reform, systemic change, teacher preparation reform, and school restructuring. Beatrice Moore-Harris is currently a K-12 Mathematics Instructional Specialist for the Houston Independent School District's South Central District. She has worked as an Educational Specialist (Mathematics and Title I) for the Region IV and Mathematics Specialist, K-8, in Fort Worth Independent School District. The majority of her work as teacher and supervisor has been with urban school districts that are addressing the challenge of preparing all

130 THE NATURE AND ROLE OF ALGEBRA IN THE K-14 CURRICULUM students to successfully complete Algebra I, increasing the postsecondary attendance rate of underrepresented youth, and coordinating professional development and student academic enrichment activities. Ms. Moore-Harris has served as Chair of the Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School journal's Editorial Panel and Editor of the "Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School Algebra Focus Issue." She was a member of the Algebra Working group, which produced the document entitled "Creating a Vision for Algebra." She is co-author of Mathematics Applications and Connections, Courses 1, 2, 3, and Algebra I and Algebra II. She is consulting author for Interactive Mathematics, Units 1-18, published by Glencoe. Milton O. Norman is a member of the mathematics department at Granby High School in Norfolk, VA. He received his BS degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk and his MBA in Information Systems from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Mr. Norman retired from military service to begin teaching at Granby High School. He is constantly searching for an effective means of mentoring students to help them appreciate the beauty of mathematics. He has served as a co-facilitator of a series of workshops for mathematics and science teachers entitled "Enhancing Instruction through Technology." He is an instructor for the Virginia Network for Technology. Since 1990, Mr. Norman has been "Teacher of the Year" at Granby High School twice, and since 1990, he has received the "School Bell Award" from Norfolk Public Schools for outstanding contributions to education six times. He is a national instructor with "Teachers Teaching with Technology." Elizabeth Phillips is a member of the Department of Mathematics at Michigan State University. She has been the director or principal investigator of several teacher enhancement, curriculum development, and research grants in mathematics education at both the middle- and high-school levels. She was Editor of the Michigan Council of Teacher of Mathematics Monograph series. In 1990, she served as a member of the "Leading Mathematics into the 21st Century" project. She is author of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Addenda book, Patterns and Functions for Middle Grades Teachers (NCTM, 1991~. Ms. Phillips conducts numerous in-service workshops for teachers, gives speeches, and is the author of several papers and books, including the Middle Grades Mathematics Project. She was Co-Chair of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Algebra for the Twenty-First Century conference and Chair of the NCTM Algebra Working Group. Currently, she is Co-Director of "The Connected Mathematics Project," a five-year NSF-funded project to write, test, and implement a complete mathematics curriculum for the middle grades. She is also Co-Director of an NSF-funded teacher enhancement grant that ends in 1999. These projects complement her ongoing interest in the learning and teaching of mathematics. Henry Pollak spent 35 years at Bell Telephone Laboratories and Bell Communications Research doing mathematical research and heading various research organizations devoted to this and related topics. He received his BA from Yale University and his MA and PhD from Harvard University. In addition to his research in various areas of mathematics related to communications, Dr. Pollak has been active in mathematics education. He has served as a member of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, Chairman of the School Mathematics Study Group Advisory Board, Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation's Education Directorate, President of the Mathematical Association of America, member of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics, member of the COMAP Board of Trustees, and Co-Director of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation's summer institutes for mathematics teachers. Dr. Pollak retired from Bell Communications Research in 1986 and is now a Visiting Professor at Teachers College of Columbia University. Diane Resek is a Professor of Mathematics at San Francisco State University and one of the authors of the National Science Foundation-funded secondary curriculum project, "The Interactive Mathematics Program." She has taught and written curriculum materials for all levels of mathematics, from pre-school to graduate school. Cornelia Tierney is a researcher with Ricardo Nemirovsky on children's understanding of the mathematics of change and an author of the National Science Foundation-sponsored K-5 curriculum, "Investigations in Number, Data, and Space." A coordination of work on these two projects resulted in the writing of curriculum units for grades 2-5 that involve children in investigating and representing changing situations. Dr. Tierney was for many

APPENDIX C 131 years a classroom teacher at the middle school level. She is interested in how the mathematics of change contributes to the development of ideas basic to the study of algebra. Martin van Reeuwijk is a mathematics educator and researcher. He is the Dutch coordinator of the "Mathematics in Context" project and one of the authors in the project. His interests include assessment, algebra (school algebra), and the use of new technologies in mathematics education. Bert K. Waits is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and visiting Professor of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at Ohio State University. He is the co-founder of the international T-cubed (Teachers Teaching with Technology) professional in-service teacher development program that was founded at Ohio State in 1987. In 1987 and 1988, Dr. Waits served as a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Working Group that wrote the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics for grades 9- 12. His current focus is mathematics teacher-training and the appropriate use of hand-held technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Since 1988, Dr. Waits has assisted in the design of graphing calculators and hand-held computers. Beverly Williams is the K-12 Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator for the Pulaski County Special School District in Arkansas (near Little Rock). Her interest in the teaching and the learning of algebra is an ongoing theme in her professional activities. In 1989, she received a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (WWNFF) award to Princeton University for the study of algebra. Additionally, since 1990 she has been a TORCH teacher on a WWNFF Algebra Team, doing workshops around the nation on algebra: its curriculum, the impact of technology, and the role of multiple representations. She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the PBS Math Line Algebra Project. In addition to her algebra affiliations, she brings to this algebra symposium her experiences as a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conventions and Conference Committee, from 1993- 1996, and, from 1996-1997 as chair of the committee. Rose Zbiek currently teaches mathematics and mathematics education courses for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Iowa. She previously taught mathematics and computer science courses at Lake- Lehman High School in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Her interests center on using computing tools to develop mathematical understanding, with an emphasis on the roles of justification, proof, and evidence. She is a co-author of Computer-Intensive Algebra, Concepts in Algebra: A Technological Approach and the addenda booklet, "Algebra in a Technological World."

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With the 1989 release of Everybody Counts by the Mathematical Sciences Education Board (MSEB) of the National Research Council and the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the "standards movement" in K-12 education was launched. Since that time, the MSEB and the NCTM have remained committed to deepening the public debate, discourse, and understanding of the principles and implications of standards-based reform. One of the main tenets in the NCTM Standards is commitment to providing high-quality mathematical experiences to all students. Another feature of the Standards is emphasis on development of specific mathematical topics across the grades. In particular, the Standards emphasize the importance of algebraic thinking as an essential strand in the elementary school curriculum.

Issues related to school algebra are pivotal in many ways. Traditionally, algebra in high school or earlier has been considered a gatekeeper, critical to participation in postsecondary education, especially for minority students. Yet, as traditionally taught, first-year algebra courses have been characterized as an unmitigated disaster for most students. There have been many shifts in the algebra curriculum in schools within recent years. Some of these have been successful first steps in increasing enrollment in algebra and in broadening the scope of the algebra curriculum. Others have compounded existing problems. Algebra is not yet conceived of as a K-14 subject. Issues of opportunity and equity persist. Because there is no one answer to the dilemma of how to deal with algebra, making progress requires sustained dialogue, experimentation, reflection, and communication of ideas and practices at both the local and national levels. As an initial step in moving from national-level dialogue and speculations to concerted local and state level work on the role of algebra in the curriculum, the MSEB and the NCTM co-sponsored a national symposium, "The Nature and Role of Algebra in the K-14 Curriculum," on May 27 and 28, 1997, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

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