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PROFESSIONAL ROLES

• Teacher: Mathematics 

BIO

As CEO of the Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC), Ruth directs MEC's efforts to help schools and districts engage their communities in support of quality mathematics in schools. She is a former classroom teacher of grades 1 through 9, and author of Mathematical Power: Lessons from A Classroom (Heinemann '93), and Supporting School Mathematics: How to Work with Parents and the Public (Heinemann, 2006). From 1999 to 2005, Parker directed an NSF funded project to work with parents and the public and research the impact on mathematics restructuring efforts. MEC's community-engagement model is based on ongoing work with teachers, parents, administrators, business leaders, school board members, IHE faculty from the mathematical sciences and education, and the public-at-large. Central to the model is the development of local cadres of mathematics education leaders. As developer of MEC's series of 9-day mathematics content courses for K-20 educators, Ruth works with MEC instructors who teach these highly acclaimed courses throughout the country.

As a supporting partner on the Greater Birmingham Mathematics Partnership, MEC offers mathematics content courses for K-20 faculty, a series of semi-annual community mathematics nights, ongoing support for school and district administrators, leadership development, and colloquia for mathematics and science faculty at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Additionally, MEC facilitates semi-annual advisory meetings with local and state business leaders, education leaders and other community leaders. 

EXPERTISE

K-8 mathematics education; mathematics leadership development; parent/public engagement; performance-based assessment 

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Supporting School Mathematics: How to Work with Parents and the Public (Heinemann, 2006) - This is a series of Presenters' Guides for interactive workshops for parents and educators. The Guides include transcripts, overhead transparency masters and handout masters, and an accompanying Handbook on Learning to Work with Parents. These interactive workshops are designed to help parents and others understand important issues in mathematics education and learn to recognize characteristics of quality mathematics programs. The Presenters' Guides were field tested by mathematics education leaders throughout the country, and are appropriate for use with parents and educators.