EDC's Schifter Named to Math Educators Hall of Fame
Alison Cohen
617-618-2109
acohen@edc.org
WALTHAM, MA | EDC’s Deborah Schifter was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame for Mathematics Educators by the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts (ATMIM), an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Her induction was celebrated at a dinner in her honor June 27.
ATMIM is devoted to improving math education in the Commonwealth, and the Hall of Fame honors outstanding educators working and teaching throughout the state. Each year, Massachusetts mathematics educators nominate a peer who has a minimum of 20 years in the field, has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of mathematics education, and has a distinguished record as a mathematics teacher in the state.
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An expert in early algebra learning, Schifter leads research, develops instructional resources, and designs professional development that helps teachers enhance their instruction and ensures students’ proficiency. She is the author or coauthor of several books, including the recent But Why Does it Work? Mathematical Argument in the Elementary Grades, with several co-authors, published by Heinemann. She has also been updating and revising the acclaimed Developing Mathematical Ideas professional development series with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Schifter has been a member of the editorial board of Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education since 2001 and has either chaired or been a member of numerous advisory committees for the NCTM, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Science Foundation. She is the recipient of a number of awards and honors and is a frequent collaborator with colleagues at TERC and the Mathematics Leadership Program at Mount Holyoke College.
Before joining EDC, Schifter taught elementary, secondary, and college-level mathematics and was an applied mathematician at the Naval Research Laboratory.
At the ceremony celebrating her Hall of Fame induction, Schifter reflected on her deep commitment to furthering the learning of students and their teachers and her immense respect for children as mathematical “sense makers.” To learn more about Deborah Schifter, read this interview.
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