Mike Steele

Candidate for Director – At-Large

Position 

Program Officer, National Science Foundation, and Mathematics Education Consultant

Education 

B.S. (Mathematics), M.S. (Natural Sciences), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Ed.D. (Mathematics Education), University of Pittsburgh

Experience 

Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2013-2021) and Michigan State University (2006-2013), Curriculum Developer, Success for All Foundation (1999-2002), Mathematics and Science Teacher, St. Michaels (Maryland) Middle/High School (1996-1999). 

Professional Memberships

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Leadership in Mathematics Education (NCSM), TODOS: Mathematics for ALL, Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) 

Leadership Experiences in Mathematics Education

Editor, Mathematics Teacher Educator (2021-Present); AMTE Board of Directors (2016-2022), President (2019-2021); Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) Executive Council (2020-2022)

Publications 

Taking Action (NCTM, 2017), 5 Practices in Practice (NCTM/Corwin, 2020), A Quiet Revolution (IAP, 2018); numerous other books and articles in NCTM and research journals.

Honors 

Mathematics Teacher Educator Outstanding Reviewer (2017), JRLE Best Article (2016)

Statement

To modernize and rehumanize mathematics and address the teacher shortage, NCTM should develop a campaign to recruit and retain a diverse teaching force.  This campaign would be launched in collaboration with other professional societies and center teacher and student voices. Better supporting students of color 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 and sustained engagement with teachers of color to understand hidden challenges. As the pandemic has increased pressure and workload on teachers and more experienced teachers are leaving the profession, the time to act is now. 

A major challenge NCTM faces is despite decades of work, research-based effective mathematics teaching practices are rare in secondary classrooms. Principles to Actions and the Taking Action series identify and illustrate, yet structural impediments inhibit progress. 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 developed PD supporting the implementation of the effective mathematics teaching practices and systemic change related to mathematics teaching.  This work includes doing rich tasks together, analyzing narrative and video cases of teaching and student work, planning lessons, and identifying observable aspects of the practices in action. The work positions teachers as professionals and agents of change, empowering them to share their practice with colleagues, coaches, and administrators.  

I have served in many leadership roles, including president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and the Executive Council of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences. I am the editor of Mathematics Teacher Educator, a joint publication of NCTM and AMTE. These roles have required me to build consensus among stakeholders to strengthen mathematics education. These experiences position me well for leadership on the NCTM Board.