Angela Barlow, associate professor of mathematics education, began her two-year term as president of the Mississippi Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators at the organization’s annual meeting, which wraps up today in Oxford. Her initiatives will focus on the creation of elementary mathematics specialists in the state’s K-12 public schools.
“As president, it is my responsibility to help the membership craft the vision of our work and then lead them towards the completion of the work,” said Barlow, who is working with faculty from institutions of higher learning and community colleges across the state to address the topic. “I will be a primary representative of the group in conversations with the Mississippi Department of Education, the IHL and school districts.”
Because UM is the state’s flagship university, it seems proper that a UM faculty member is taking a leadership role in meeting critical educational needs, said Linda Chitwood, interim dean of the UM School of Education.
“Our School of Education provides leadership in developing creative solutions for the issues facing public education,” Chitwood said. “We thank Dr. Barlow for continuing this tradition of leadership by serving as president of MAMTE as this organization works to improve mathematics education in our elementary schools.”
Barlow joined the UM faculty in August 2006. She previously served as an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of West Georgia, where she received the UWG College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award.
Barlow was also a math teacher in Alabama public and private schools. She received her doctorate in mathematics education from Auburn University.
MAMTE is the Mississippi chapter of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, the largest professional organization devoted to the improvement of mathematics teacher education. With more than 1,000 members, it is dedicated to the pre-service education and professional development of K-12 teachers in mathematics.
For more information about the UM School of Education, go to http://olemiss.edu/depts/educ_