Mission
At the heart of the research, teaching, and outreach activities in the Division of Science, Technology, and Mathematics Education (DSTME) is the unifying mission of advancing and improving the learning and teaching of science and mathematics in K-16 and informal education settings. Faculty and graduate students of DSTME are engaged in both qualitative and quantitative research in both science and mathematics education that explore student and teacher thinking, teacher practice, teacher education, and education policy. This research includes an emphasis on understanding how technological advances can both improve student learning, teaching, and advance our understanding of student thinking in science and mathematics contexts.
The Division offers graduate degree programs for practicing teachers, as well as future educational researchers, teacher educators, and policymakers. The Division also promotes innovation in teacher preparation programs through both graduate and undergraduate programs offered by the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership. The Division offers focused outreach efforts to local urban schools and aims to inform and critique current national and international conversations focused on the critical role mathematics and science education plays in future innovation and technological advances. Throughout DSTME, the promotion of access and participation of underrepresented minorities in the mathematics and science teaching profession and professional STEM fields is a tangible commitment that is evident across research, teaching, and outreach efforts.