Michael D. Steele
Candidate for Director, At-Large

Position:  University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Professor; National Science Foundation Program Officer

Education:  BS (mathematics), MS (natural sciences), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; EdD (mathematics education), University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)

Previous Experience:  Michigan State University Professor (2006–2013); Success for All Foundation Curriculum Developer (1999-2002); St. Michaels (Maryland) Middle/High School Mathematics and Science Teacher (1996–1999)

Memberships:  National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM); NCSM Math Ed Leadership; TODOS: Mathematics for All; Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE); American Educational Research Association; Wisconsin Mathematics Council

NCTM Activities:  Mathematics Teacher Educator Editor Designate (MTE, 2021–)

Other Activities:  AMTE Board of Directors (2016–present), President (2019–present); Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences Council (2020–present)

Publications:  Coauthor: Taking Action: Implementing Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices (NCTM 2017); The Five Practices in Practice: Successfully Orchestrating Mathematics Discussions in Your High Scholl Classroom (NCTM/Corwin 2020); A Quiet Revolution: One District’s Story of Radical Curricular Change in High School Mathematics (Information Age 2018)

Honors:  MTE Outstanding Reviewer (2017); Journal of Research on Leadership Education Best Article (2016)

Statement:  To revitalize, modernize, and rehumanize mathematics teaching and learning, NCTM should embark on a public relations campaign that describes the importance, value, and joy of being a mathematics teacher. This campaign would be launched in collaboration with other professional societies, with teacher and student voices at its center.

Partnered with this campaign must be a high-powered initiative to broaden participation and representation in mathematics teaching. Better supporting students of color in their mathematics learning cannot truly be effective without a diverse teaching force. This includes working with universities and states to understand why students of color are underrepresented in teacher preparation as well as sustaining engagement with teachers of color to understand the hidden challenges, messages, and structural conditions they experience.

A major challenge NCTM faces is that despite decades of work, research-based effective mathematics teaching practices are rare in middle and high school classrooms. Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All and the Taking Action series identify best practices and illustrate classroom practice, yet structural impediments inhibit progress toward NCTM’s vision. Our inability to bridge the gap between the illustration of these practices and widespread use is failing students.

As co-author of Taking Action, I have designed and deployed teacher professional development supporting the implementation of the eight effective Mathematics Teaching Practices and systemic change related to ambitious mathematics teaching. This work included engaging participants in doing rich mathematical tasks together, considering and analyzing narrative and video cases of teaching, analyzing student work, planning lessons, and identifying observable aspects of the practices in action. Such work positions teachers as professionals and agents of change, empowering them to share their practice with colleagues, coaches, and administrators. These experiences position me well for leadership on the NCTM Board to support systemic change.