This spring, I was privileged to give a special talk to more than 350 researchers in San Diego at the twentieth anniversary  conference of the Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME).

It was one of the most difficult addresses I’ve ever given, not because of its content, but because of the moving introductions I received from many of my former doctoral students, who introduced me to their students, some of whom then introduced me to the first of my academic great-grandchildren.

Over the years, it has been a special pleasure to experience the maturation of mathematics education research and the increasing potential of its findings to influence national initiatives to improve mathematics education for all students. And, seeing that at least 50 members of the audience had been at some point my students, the students of my students, or my mentees—that I had directly influenced the professional lives of more than 20 percent of the people in the room—was the greatest gift that a teacher can possibly receive.

My reaction was to discard my notes and to speak from the heart. I talked about the potential of the mathematics education research community and its dual needs to understand and support its growing membership while creating an agenda for the next decade of its work that is worthy of RUME’s mission and of our aspirations as researchers.

Since that talk, I’ve been thinking with a leadership team of RUME members—Catherine Good, Eric Hsu, David Kung, Natasha Speer—about how we might understand the aspirations of mathematics education researchers, the problems they believe are most worthy of their energy, and the hopes they have for their work’s influence on the field. READ MORE.


Uri Treisman
University Distinguished Teaching Professor
Professor of Mathematics | Professor of Public Affairs
Executive Director, The Charles A. Dana Center

Texas Transfer Inventory -  Program Comparison Dataset Tool
Now Available
Audience: Math departments, faculty, and advisors 

We are excited to release a new, simplified tool using data from our AY 2016-2017 DCMP Texas Transfer Inventory. The Program Comparison Dataset Tool allows users to view and compare math course requirements for programs of study for all public four-year institutions in Texas. Using drop-down menus, users can now sort programs alphabetically or by math requirement to compare requirements across institutions. The annually updated Texas Transfer Inventory is one of our most popular tools, and we hope that the new Program Comparison Dataset Tool will also boost the ability to align courses across institutions. 
 

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A Conversation with the Authors: Featuring Dr. Martha Ellis and Dr. Linda García
Audience: General 

Congratulations to our very own Interim Director of Higher Education Strategy, Policy, and Services, Dr. Martha Ellis, and Center for Community College Student Engagement Assistant Director, Dr. Linda García, for their recently published book Generation X Presidents Leading Community Colleges: New Challenges, New Leaders (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). 

Listen to the authors’ candid discussion about their challenges and successes while writing this insightful book on emerging leadership in community colleges. 

Pathways Post-Participation Outcomes: Preliminary Findings

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching released a five-year impact report brief, showing promising results from the Carnegie Math Pathways. For example, Statway™ and Quantway™ students complete their math requirements in a more accelerated timeline than students in the traditional math sequence.