In Memoriam

Thomas P. Carpenter

It is with sadness that we note the passing of Thomas P. Carpenter. Tom influenced the Council, influenced the field, and influenced me. We were blessed to have him as a colleague, mentor, teacher, and leader and he was a friend to many. I know that that he is missed and we extend our condolences to his family, colleagues, students, and friends.

Tom’s impact on NCTM and the mathematics education community is far reaching. His initial work focused on issues associated with children's learning of measure, but in the early 1980s, he shifted his emphasis to helping teachers incorporate knowledge about students' mathematical thinking and conceptual understanding into classroom instruction. His contributions to Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) and the shift to focusing the act of teaching on sense making and developing the mathematical understandings of students had a tremendous impact on the way I engaged learners.

Tom also served the larger community through his participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) item development team and contributions to the structuring of early NAEP assessments. This work lasted over a decade starting in 1975. Tom brought his expertise on NAEP to NCTM and worked with a task force to build broader understanding of the process and data through our community. Tom also served as the editor of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education from 1988 through 1992. His work continued through his leadership as the director of the National Center for Improving Student Learning and Achievement in Mathematics and Science and the consortium for Diversity in Mathematics Education, Center for Learning and Teaching (DiME/CLT).  For his contributions Tom was recognized with the NCTM Lifetime Achievement award in 2004.

Many in our community have expressed their sadness for the passing of Tom Carpenter. Along with his scholarship, openness, and insightfulness it is his generosity, warmth, and kindness that most often voiced by his friends, students, and colleagues. Tom is missed. But we know his contributions live on in the work we do. 

Robert Q. Berry III
NCTM President