The Board of Directors of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators has established the Early Career Award, to be presented each year at the Annual Conference.
The purpose of the Early Career award is to recognize a mathematics teacher educator who, while early in their career, has made distinguished contributions and shows exceptional potential for leadership in one or more areas of teaching, service, and/or scholarship.
List of Early Career Award Recipients
- Courtney Baker (2025)
- Hyunyi Jung (2024)
- Megan Wickstrom (2023)
- Cathery Yeh (2022)
- Lynsey Gibbons (2021)
- Zandra de Araujo (2020)
- Christopher C. Jett (2019)
- Sarah Bush (2018)
- Jennifer M. Tobias (2017)
- Susan A. Peters (2016)
- Eva Thanheiser (2015)
- Amanda Jansen (2014)
- Anderson Norton (2013)
- Tim Boerst (2012)
- Kathryn Chval (2011)
- Beth Herbel-Eisenmann (2010)
- John Lannin (2009)
Criteria for Early Career Award
The nominee for the Early Career Award should be a mathematics teacher educator serving in the field no later than 10 years after receipt of a doctoral degree. The Early Career Award is intended to recognize a colleague’s contributions in a program of teaching, service, and/or scholarship within the first decade after receiving a doctoral degree. We invite nominations that highlight an individual’s innovative contributions in one or more areas of teaching, service, and/or scholarship.
Teaching: Contributions in the area of teaching preservice or inservice mathematics teachers may include one or more of the following areas:
- Implementation of effective and innovative teaching practices.
- Demonstration of innovative teaching methods (e.g., publications, materials, video).
- Recipient of awards in teaching from department, college, university, and/or national entities.
Service: Contributions in the area of service to mathematics teacher education may include one or more of the following areas:
- Active participation in advancing the development and improvement of mathematics teacher education (e.g., membership and leadership roles in state, national, and international organizations).
- Active promotion and participation in activities promoting quality mathematics teacher education (e.g., creator of programs, coordinator of programs, author of and participant in grants, conferences, symposia, academies).
- Active participation in the governmental and political areas to promote and protect beneficial legislation, to promote better awareness, and/or to build better communication.
- Active promotion and participation in school-university-community-government partnerships that have advanced mathematics teacher education at the local, state, and/or national level.
- An unusual commitment to the support of mathematics teachers in the field (e.g., distinctive mentoring experiences).
Scholarship: Contributions in the area of scholarship to mathematics teacher education may include one or more of the following areas:
- Dissemination of research findings offering unique perspectives on the preparation or professional development of mathematics teachers.
- Publication of materials useful in the preparation or continuing professional development of mathematics teachers.
- Design of innovative preservice or inservice programs.
- Contribution of theoretical perspectives that have pushed the field forward.
Documentation Required for Early Career Award
Please be sure that all items are in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format, and are clearly labeled with the name of the nominee.
- A current vita of the nominee.
- A letter of nomination from an established colleague documenting evidence that supports nominee’s contributions in the particular focus area (service, teaching, scholarship) for which they are nominated.
- Additional letters of support (no more than two) from individuals knowledgeable of the nominee’s contributions relative to the focus area (e.g., colleagues within and outside of the individual’s institution, recent doctoral graduates mentored by the nominee). Multiple authored letters are accepted.
Nomination Process
AMTE members can nominate a mathematics teacher educator who meets the criteria for eligibility. Self-nominations will not be considered. The three areas of teaching, service, and scholarship shall be weighted equally in the evaluation of the nomination materials. Nominees do not need to demonstrate exceptional work in every area, and may be considered for exemplary work in only one area.
The committee will review applications in an electronic format; all application materials should be submitted as a single PDF file using the AMTE Award Nomination Form. The deadline for nominations is June 15.
Roll Over Process
Beginning 2019, nominators can select to have their candidates be considered for the Early Career Award up to three years (provided that the nominee is still eligible for the award). The individuals nominating the candidates will have the option to opt-in to roll over their candidate to another year by selecting a box on the application. If the nominator decided to opt-in, during the next awards cycle the nominator would be able to submit updated materials; however, updated materials are not a requirement. If you have questions about the process, please contact the Associate Vice-President for Awards.
Review Procedure
The AMTE Awards Committee, a seven-member committee, will review the materials and select the award winner yearly. Nominations will be reviewed by the committee, and the award recipient will be notified by September 30, so that the person can have time to make arrangements to attend the AMTE conference.
Recognition
The award recipients will receive a plaque and be recognized at the AMTE Annual Conference in the year in which he or she receives the award. The winner of the Early Career Award will be asked to contribute an article for the Summer AMTE Connections Newsletter and to give a talk at the AMTE Annual Conference the year after they receive the award.