Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics
3300 Washtenaw Avenue
Suite 220
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-4200
Phone: 734-477-0421
Fax: 734-677-2407
E-mail: alecia@ucia2.com
The Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics Award For Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Mathematics EducationBack to the top
About the Outstanding Achievement Award
The Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Mathematics Education is designed to recognize the
recipient's contributions to mathematics education in the state of Michigan. The award is intended to be the highest recognition MCTM can bestow upon one of its members for contributions to mathematics education.The person selected for this award will have made significant contributions to mathematics education in one or more of the following categories:
1. Active leadership in mathematics education at the local, state and national levels.
2. Outstanding contributions to the improvement of mathematics curricula.
3. Significant engagement in professional development for teachers of mathematics at all levels.
4. Contributions to mathematics education over a significant period of time.
5. Overall excellence of contributions to mathematics education.
The award will be given only when an exceedingly worthy individual is identified. The award will be presented at the MCTM annual conference.
The award will be given only on the basis of well-recognized contributions.
The Executive Board Subcommittee of MCTM will be responsible for the final decision on giving the award. Nominators should assemble a packet that includes:
1. A cover letter nominating the candidate
2. A signed narrative describing the outstanding contributions to the various areas of the award. The narrative should be detailed and show why this nominee's activities have been extraordinary.
3. Professional vitae.
4. Supporting letters (up to three) providing examples of nominee's outstanding distinguished service would be most helpful to the decision process.
Nominations for an award at an annual conference of MCTM should be received by MCTM no later than the first of April for that year's conference. Nomination packets will be retained for three years but can only be activated by the person being renominated. It is expected that the awardee will be honored with at a plaque, complimentary registration for the conference and 2 tickets for meal functions.
Nominations should be sent to:
MCTM, c/o Alecia Powell, 3300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 220, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-4294
For a list of past recipient's, see the 2005 Annual Report
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2007 Award Winner
Christian R. Hirsch, Western Michigan UniversityThe Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics Executive Board is pleased to honor Dr. Christian R. Hirsch as the 2007 recipient of the MCTM Outstanding Achievement Award. Chris Hirsch has devoted his career to the improvement of mathematics education in Michigan and in the nation. His stellar accomplishments make him richly deserving of MCTM's highest recognition.
Christian R. Hirsch is currently the James H. Powell Professor of Mathematics at Western Michigan University. He earned both his B.A. (1966) and his Ph.D. (1972) in mathematics (with specialization in mathematics education) from the University of Iowa.
Dr. Hirsch is probably best known for his leadership in and innovative thinking about secondary school mathematics curriculum. For over a decade, he has led the Core-Plus curriculum development project which was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in 1999 as an "exemplary mathematics program." Core-Plus is widely acknowledged as one of the best, and probably the most accessible, "reform" mathematics curriculum at the secondary school level. Chris is now extending his influence on mathematics curriculum through his work as co-PI of the NSF-funded Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum.
Chris has been active in working with mathematics teachers through several professional development endeavors within the state, most notably his Making Mathematics Accessible to All initiative from 1992-1997, through the preparation of the secondary school level NCTM Standards Addenda series books and workshops, and through the numerous workshops associated with the dissemination of the original and revised versions of the Core-Plus curriculum.
Chris has a distinguished record of leadership, service and achievement within both NCTM and MCTM. Chris served on the NCTM Board of Directors (1993-1996), was co-chair of the program committee for the NCTM regional conference held in Michigan; was editor of the “activities” section of the Mathematics Teacher and four NCTM yearbooks; and chaired the secondary school writing group for the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989).
Chris served as President of MCTM (1988-1989). Prior to that he sat on numerous committees, authored two MCTM monographs, was 4-year College Vice President, served on the Executive Subcommittee of the Board, and chaired the program committee for the 38th annual MCTM conference in 1987. In recognition of his exceptional service to MCTM Chris was awarded the Mathematics Service Award in 1993.
Dr. Hirsch has authored over 100 published articles and books, has been a frequent speaker at both NCTM and MCTM conferences, has served on numerous national and statewide task forces and committees related to mathematics education, and has garnered over $25 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and the Michigan Department of Education to direct projects that impact mathematics teaching and learning in Michigan and around the nation.
For nearly 35 years Chris has worked to improve mathematics education by supporting the daily work of teachers with innovative curricula and powerful instructional tools that are needed to "teach for understanding." His contributions have helped to define a curriculum and an approach to high school mathematics instruction that is accessible for more students and that gives real promise to the aspiration of helping all students acquire a solid core of important mathematics. Dr. Hirsch's vision of, and belief in, mathematics instruction that can promote equitable success for all students has inspired many Michigan educators. Honoring Dr. Hirsch makes a strong statement that teaching for understanding is indeed an attainable goal.
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2006 Award Winner
Glenda T. Lappan, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University
The MCTM Executive Board is pleased to honor Dr. Glenda Lappan as the 2006 recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award. We suspect that every mathematics educator in Michigan has heard Glenda's name and most have been influenced by her work. Dr. Glenda Lappan's vita reads like the Who's Who in Mathematics Education. In her tenure as a mathematics educator she has done it all, with grace, dignity, and the highest integrity. There are so many ways that Glenda has influenced mathematics education that it is hard to know where to begin.
Glenda Lappan, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, received her Ed.D. in mathematics and education from the University of Georgia in 1965 and since has been at Michigan State University. Glenda had earned her B.A. in mathematics and education in 1961 from Mercer University, Macon, Georgia and her M.Ed in 1963 from the University of Georgia, Athens.
Well known is Glenda's distinguished record of leadership, service and achievement within the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). This spans a full career beginning with years of work in the state of Michigan in the NCTM committee structure, on the NCTM Board of Directors, as chair of the middle school writing group for the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989) and chair of the commission that developed the NCTM Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics (1991), a frequent sought-after speaker for state, regional, and national meetings, and has contributed to every one of NCTM's journals. This all culminated in her election as NCTM President in 1998. Glenda served in that leadership role during the beginnings of a highly turbulent time for mathematics education, a period during which the previously unchallenged authority and expertise of the NCTM was called into question by critics who were becoming increasingly organized and vocal. This coincided with the development of Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Glenda managed the very delicate balance of leading and advocating with passion and wisdom, and introduced the notion of NCTM as a "learning organization" that needed to grow, expand its reach into the policy and mathematics communities, and assume strong leadership in difficult times. She was recognized for all of her accomplishments in 2004 when NCTM presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Glenda's experience in the national policy arena, in terms of longevity, breadth, and effectiveness, may be unique. Consider that she served as Program Director for Teacher Preparation at the National Science Foundation from 1989-91, Vice-Chair of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board at the National Academy of Sciences from 1994=1998; she served on the National Education Research Policy and Priorities Board of the US Department of Education for nine years; she recently chaired the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences Executive Committee currently; and was a member of the National Research Council's US National Committee on Mathematical Instruction (USNCMI). Her sustained presence in Washington for more than 20 years has benefited mathematics education in untold ways. Glenda consistently brings wisdom, rationality, expert knowledge, and persuasiveness to those settings, with visible and lasting results.
She has published over one hundred scholarly papers and numerous books for middle grade students and teachers. She was instrumental in initiating the Middle Grades Mathematics Project which eventually grew into the multi-year National Science Foundation funded Connected Mathematics Project.
When awarded the Association for Women in Mathematics' Louise Hay Award in 1996 Dr. Lappan was honored with the following tribute:
Glenda Lappan's long-standing and varied contributions have touched the individual and collective lives of mathematicians, mathematics teacher educators, undergraduates, graduate students, practicing teachers, and children. She embodies a rare combination of "mathematics educator" and "mathematics education educator" whose professional life is grounded in a deep understanding of and love for mathematics and the teaching and learning process. She is highly respected as a teacher, researcher, consultant, and national leader.
Letters of support to honor Glenda with the MCTM Outstanding Achievement Award acknowledge:
Dr. Lappan is one of the most gracious mathematics educators I know. Not only is she a powerful speaker for the field but she is a caring individual who mentors young professionals in the field. This important role ensures that her contribution extends across generations and well into the future.
For more than twenty years I have had the good fortune to count Glenda as my role model, mentor, colleague, teacher and friends... Glenda Lappan's name is synonymous with innovation, commitment, and vision in the field of mathematics education... She has a graceful way that is undergirded by steely commitment and intellectual drive, and uses these tools well to defuse difficult situations-bringing together people who are at opposite poles, and helping to soften difficult conversations.
Simply put - Glenda Lappan has been and continues to be a most honored and treasured colleague in the state and in the country and in the world.
Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 3300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 220,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-4200, Phone: 734.477.0421, Fax: 734.677.2270, E-mail: alecia@ucia2.com
The MCTM Executive Board is pleased to honor Dr. Glenda Lappan as the 2006 recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award. We suspect that every mathematics educator in Michigan has heard Glenda's name and most have been influenced by her work. Dr. Glenda Lappan's vita reads like the Who's Who in Mathematics Education. In her tenure as a mathematics educator she has done it all, with grace, dignity, and the highest integrity. There are so many ways that Glenda has influenced mathematics education that it is hard to know where to begin.Glenda Lappan, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, received her Ed.D. in mathematics and education from the University of Georgia in 1965 and since has been at Michigan State University. Glenda had earned her B.A. in mathematics and education in 1961 from Mercer University, Macon, Georgia and her M.Ed in 1963 from the University of Georgia, Athens.
Well known is Glenda's distinguished record of leadership, service and achievement within the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). This spans a full career beginning with years of work in the state of Michigan in the NCTM committee structure, on the NCTM Board of Directors, as chair of the middle school writing group for the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989) and chair of the commission that developed the NCTM Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics (1991), a frequent sought-after speaker for state, regional, and national meetings, and has contributed to every one of NCTM's journals. This all culminated in her election as NCTM President in 1998. Glenda served in that leadership role during the beginnings of a highly turbulent time for mathematics education, a period during which the previously unchallenged authority and expertise of the NCTM was called into question by critics who were becoming increasingly organized and vocal. This coincided with the development of Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Glenda managed the very delicate balance of leading and advocating with passion and wisdom, and introduced the notion of NCTM as a "learning organization" that needed to grow, expand its reach into the policy and mathematics communities, and assume strong leadership in difficult times. She was recognized for all of her accomplishments in 2004 when NCTM presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Glenda's experience in the national policy arena, in terms of longevity, breadth, and effectiveness, may be unique. Consider that she served as Program Director for Teacher Preparation at the National Science Foundation from 1989-91, Vice-Chair of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board at the National Academy of Sciences from 1994=1998; she served on the National Education Research Policy and Priorities Board of the US Department of Education for nine years; she recently chaired the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences Executive Committee currently; and was a member of the National Research Council's US National Committee on Mathematical Instruction (USNCMI). Her sustained presence in Washington for more than 20 years has benefited mathematics education in untold ways. Glenda consistently brings wisdom, rationality, expert knowledge, and persuasiveness to those settings, with visible and lasting results.
She has published over one hundred scholarly papers and numerous books for middle grade students and teachers. She was instrumental in initiating the Middle Grades Mathematics Project which eventually grew into the multi-year National Science Foundation funded Connected Mathematics Project.
When awarded the Association for Women in Mathematics' Louise Hay Award in 1996 Dr. Lappan was honored with the following tribute:
Glenda Lappan's long-standing and varied contributions have touched the individual and collective lives of mathematicians, mathematics teacher educators, undergraduates, graduate students, practicing teachers, and children. She embodies a rare combination of "mathematics educator" and "mathematics education educator" whose professional life is grounded in a deep understanding of and love for mathematics and the teaching and learning process. She is highly respected as a teacher, researcher, consultant, and national leader.
Letters of support to honor Glenda with the MCTM Outstanding Achievement Award acknowledge:
Dr. Lappan is one of the most gracious mathematics educators I know. Not only is she a powerful speaker for the field but she is a caring individual who mentors young professionals in the field. This important role ensures that her contribution extends across generations and well into the future.
For more than twenty years I have had the good fortune to count Glenda as my role model, mentor, colleague, teacher and friends... Glenda Lappan's name is synonymous with innovation, commitment, and vision in the field of mathematics education... She has a graceful way that is undergirded by steely commitment and intellectual drive, and uses these tools well to defuse difficult situations-bringing together people who are at opposite poles, and helping to soften difficult conversations.
Simply put - Glenda Lappan has been and continues to be a most honored and treasured colleague in the state and in the country and in the world.
Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 3300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 220,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-4200, Phone: 734.477.0421, Fax: 734.677.2270, E-mail: alecia@ucia2.com