Overview:
Today I speak with Steve Leinwand who has a long and impressive career as a math teacher, leader, researcher, and author in the field. Steve calls himself a Math Education Change Agent and as you’ll see does not hold back from sharing his views on how we can best support our students and teach math in a way that is meaningful to them. Steve shares best practice strategies and explains why students learn much more from our questions than our lectures. We also discuss UDL, the effects of the pandemic, and give you a sneak peek into Steve’s presentation for SENIA 2021.
Steve Leinwand is a principal research analyst at AIR, the American Institutes for Research in Arlington, VA, and has over 40 years of leadership positions in mathematics education. He currently serves as mathematics expert on a wide range of AIR projects that focus on high quality mathematics instruction, turning around underperforming schools, improving adult education, evaluating programs, developing assessments and providing technical assistance for school improvement. Leinwand co-authored "What the United States Can Learn from Singapore's World-Class Mathematics System (and what Singapore can learn from the United States." Leinwand has spoken and written about effectively implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, differentiated learning and “What Every School Leader Needs to Know about Making Math Work for All Students. In addition, Leinwand has provided school and district-level support and technical assistance for the General Electric Foundation’s Ensuring Futures in Education project and the Microsoft Math Partnership, As part of AIR’s assessment program, Leinwand has overseen the development and quality review of multiple-choice and constructed response items for AIR’s contracts with Ohio, Hawaii, Delaware, Minnesota, South Carolina and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
Before joining AIR in 2002, Leinwand spent 22 years as Mathematics Consultant with the Connecticut Department of Education where he was responsible for the development and oversight of a broad statewide program of activities in K-12 mathematics education including the provision of technical assistance and professional development, the evaluation of Title 1 and K-12 mathematics programs, the assessment of student achievement and teacher competency, and the coordination of statewide mathematics programs and activities. Steve has also served on the NCTM Board of Directors and has been President of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.
Steve is an author of several mathematics textbooks and has written numerous articles. His books, Sensible Mathematics: A Guide for School Leaders in the Era of Common Core State Standards and Accessible Mathematics: 10 Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement were published by Heinemann in 2012 and 2009 respectively. His forthcoming Invigorating High School Mathematics: Practical Guidance for Long-Overdue Transformation, co-written with Eric Milou is due out in Fall, 2021. In addition, Leinwand was the awardee of the 2015 National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Glenn Gilbert/Ross Taylor National Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to mathematics education and has been awarded the 2021 NCTM Lifetime Achievement Award.
