2021/2022

Theme: Imagine. Inspire. Influence. Make an Impact!

The Year of Leadership:

As I am wrapping up my first year as NCSM President, I am finding that there is a lot that I didn’t know I didn’t know. While leading NCSM is a lot of work, it is most certainly work worth doing and I am privileged that our members have placed their trust in our collective Leadership.

For this report, I am going to update you on a few key projects rather than present a laundry list of meetings, presentations, and other things that I do for NCSM. In summary, here are some meetings I regularly attend, in addition to specially-called meetings within NCSM or with our professional organization partners.

• NCSM Conference Committee meetings
• NCSM Executive leadership meetings (monthly with Kim Gill, monthly with Katey Arrington)
• Presidential meetings (monthly with NCTM, ASSM, and AMTE presidents)
• National Association of State Boards of Education Math Advisory Panel (biweekly)
• Dana Center Launch Years Project (monthly)
• High School Mathematics Project Steering Committee (as needed)

NCSM Projects
The NCSM president participates in all NCSM activities, including professional learning, resource development, and governance. Below are highlights of some NCSM projects I’ve worked on.

Summer Leadership Academy
Alongside Jenny Novak and Pam Seda, our Professional Learning Directors, we hosted about 55 people at our first in-person event since COVID on June 27-29, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland.

54th Annual Meeting
As your president, I serve on the Conference Committee and support our Conference team leadership, including Conference Director Mary Fitzgerald, Conference Coordinator Karen Spalding, and Program Chair/1st Vice President Sharon Rendon. Let me thank each member of the Conference Committee for their hard work and sense of vision as we reimagine what our annual gathering will look like.

External Partnerships
The NCSM president serves as a liaison with other organizations to (1) make sure NCSM is well-represented and (2) bring ideas and important areas for collaboration back to NCSM. This section describes some of the external networks in which I’ve participated.

National Association of State Boards of Education
I was invited to join the NASBE Math Advisory Panel in June. The panel meets biweekly and we advise the NASBE Executive Director, Paolo DeMaria on issues related to his work with members of state boards of education. He has identified equitable mathematics as a priority goal for NASBE members and we are helping him plan professional learning for NASBE members. Thus, NCSM has a seat at the table to advise the agenda of what members of our state boards of education need to know about mathematics as they create policies and structures that determine how schools in each state structure their mathematics instructional programs.

Launch Years Project
NCSM continues our partnership with the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin through the Launch Years Mathematics Leadership Network. In 2022, we have worked with several organizations to identify resources that support the recommendations from the Launch Years project for leaders to know as they create and sustain equitable pathways from high school into postsecondary education. NCSM Board members Astrid Fossum and Pamela Seda also participate in this network.

Community Wealth Partners – Knowledge Mobilization Grant
We got the grant! Katey Arrington, Southern 2 Regional Director, and I have met with the team regarding NCSM’s participation in Communities of Practice for our knowledge mobilization (i.e., how people acquire and use knowledge) work. NCSM is in a Network Communities pod along with the Black Principals’ Network, California Mathematics Project, Benjamin Banneker Association, and Math Circles. We will be investigating the wants, needs, and motivations of our members and will initially explore the role of listening sessions to act more responsively and inform future changes. This focus aligns beautifully with our board discussions at our January 2022 strategic planning sessions.

High School Mathematics Project
We are making good progress on our work! The Steering Committee for this project is composed of the presidents and president-elect or past-presidents of ASSM, NCSM, and NCTM. Before our conferences, those people are:

• Paul Gray, NCSM President
• Mona Toncheff, NCSM Past President
• Trena Wilkerson, NCTM President
• Kevin Dykema, NCTM President-Elect
• Joleigh Honey, ASSM President
• Lisa Ashe, ASSM President-Elect
• Ken Krehbiel, NCTM Executive Director

1. IMAGINE a Future of Powerful Mathematics Education: Imagine the possibilities and innovations that make a difference in powerful mathematics teaching and learning! How do we provide bold leadership at all levels that develops and commits to a shared vision for teaching and learning for each and every learner, helps to create culturally responsive spaces, and provides the support necessary for risk-taking?
   
   Proposals in this strand focus on visionary ideas, research, and practices that lead us toward equitable structures and systems fostering success for all teachers and students. Powerful learning moments are those that resonate with teachers and students and stand out as important moments in teacher and student learning.
2. INSPIRE Colleagues Through Bold Leadership: In what ways do we inspire colleagues and those we lead to reflect the NCSM framework for leadership?
   
   Proposals in this strand showcase how bold leaders advocate for high-quality teaching and learning, design structures for equitable access, empower and nurture a culture of productive professionalism, and monitor actions and results for continuous improvement.
3. INFLUENCE Educators Through Coaching: How do we use our influence to create meaningful learning experiences?
   
   Proposals in this strand focus on the coach’s role in supporting all aspects of the teaching and learning of mathematics. Proposals should identify which of the NCSM essential coaching actions will be addressed that support and empower teachers to increase student learning, create positive student identities, and develop confident users of mathematics.
4. IMPACT Systems for Equity and Social Justice: What systems need to be adapted, adjusted, or dismantled to create authentic learning environments for both students and adults? In what ways can we use bold leadership to impact mathematics learning for all students with an emphasis on equity?
   
   Proposals in this strand focus on sharing experiences and actions that can be taken to impact and improve equitable access to high-quality mathematics and implementing instructional strategies through a social justice lens.