John W. Staley

COFOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF MATHEMATICS

I began my teaching career at a juvenile correctional facility for males between the ages of 12 and 18. I learned early on that teaching mathematics was about the relationship and showing your students that you believe in them. The passion to make mathematics meaningful, relevant, and accessible for each learner has been a driving force for me over the past three decades as a mathematics teacher and leader in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. I continue to focus my time and energy on projects that seek to disrupt inequities for learners who have been traditionally marginalized in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Doing the work to Change the Narrative.  

My journey continues and following projects have prepared me for such a time as this, the Math Milestones initiative: 

• Past president of NCSM, Leadership in Mathematics Education, 2015-2017.  Spearheaded the influential NCSM-TODOS joint position statement, “Mathematics Education Through the Lens of Social Justice: Acknowledgment, Actions, and Accountability.” 

• Past chair of the National Academy of Sciences’ U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction.

Co-author of High School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice