Strengthening Organizational & Strategic Partnerships as a Reflective Response towards the Goals of Mathematics Teacher Education
Connections
An official AMTE publication for the mathematics teacher education community.
Summer 2026
Volume No.:
35
Issue No.:
4
This issue of AMTE Connections highlights the power of community in sustaining and advancing mathematics teacher education. Across this issue, contributors explore how we learn from one another, support teachers and teacher educators, advocate for equitable educational opportunities, and remain committed to the work even during challenging times. In his presidential message, Farshid Safi reflects on the importance of strategic partnerships and collective leadership, while other contributors examine responsive teaching, professional learning, mathematical healing, advocacy, and the experiences that sustain us as mathematics teacher educators. You will also find updates from AMTE committees and affiliates, opportunities for mentoring and professional development, information about the 2027 AMTE Annual Conference in Baltimore, and an announcement from the editors of Mathematics Teacher Educator highlighting the June 2026 issue and the upcoming search for the journal’s next editorial team. Thank you to all who contributed to this issue and to the many members whose work reminds us that meaningful change is built through collaboration, persistence, and a shared commitment to excellence and equity in mathematics teacher education.
Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, Connections Editor
Erica Litke (University. of Delaware)
In this reflective essay, Dr. Erica Litke, recipient of the 2026 AMTE Early Career Award, uses the metaphor of marathon training to explore the challenges and rewards of sustaining a career in mathematics teacher education. Drawing connections between distance running and professional life, she reflects on the importance of incremental progress, intentional nourishment, and finding joy in demanding work. Her reflections offer encouragement and practical wisdom for mathematics teacher educators committed to the long-term work of supporting teachers, students, and the field.
Emily Myers (North Carolina Center for the Advancement in Teaching) & Ginger Rhodes (Univ. of North Carolina Wilmington)
This article describes how the Painted Cube task, embedded within professional learning (PL) grounded in NCTM’s (2014) Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs) and Building Thinking Classrooms (Liljedahl, 2021), fostered mathematical agency for secondary mathematics educators. Three teacher narratives illustrate how concrete, visual, and pattern-based strategies, connected through structured discourse, reveal underlying algebraic structures and model high-quality equitable instruction (HQEI). Implications for mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) in professional learning contexts are discussed.
Jody Guarino & Christina Kimmerling (Univ. of California, Irvine)
Supporting teachers to enact ambitious and responsive mathematics teaching often requires sustained, ongoing learning opportunities. We describe a protocol used during grade-level team meetings that helped teachers operationalize pull-out professional learning (PL) in their contexts, with their students. We discuss the affordances of the protocol for teacher learning, as well as essential design features. Ongoing supports, such as through the protocol we describe, can advance responsive teaching by serving as a bridge between pull-out PL and teachers’ classroom practice.
Evthokia Stephanie Saclarides (Univ. of Cincinnati), Juan Manuel Gerardo (Univ. of Cincinnati), Karie Brown (Georgia State Univ.), Neet, Priya Bajwa (Illinois State Univ.), Lisa Skultety (Independent Scholar), Adam Poetzel (Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champ
Aubrey Neihaus (Wichita State Univ.), Shirley Burnett (Jackson State Univ.), Crystal Kalinec-Craig (Univ. of Texas San Antonio), Curtney Koestler (Ohio Univ.), Katie Rupe (Chicago Public Schools), & Kyle Whipple (Univ. of Wisconsin Eau Claire)
At the 2026 AMTE Annual Conference, the Advocacy Committee hosted a panel of AMTE members who are active in various aspects of advocacy to share about the work they do and how they came to it. This is a brief summary of the topics shared around equitable education, funding loss, unionizing, policy change, immigration and customs enforcement in public schools, and LGBTQ+ teachers.
Preview the June 2026 issue of Mathematics Teacher Educator, learn about the upcoming editorial team search, and discover ways to support the journal as an author or reviewer.
Find important announcements focused on the new membership scholarship, community circles, and the benefits of membership in AMTE!
The Professional Development Committee is excited to share some of our initiatives for the summer and fall.
Learn about contributing to the journal and check out the latest articles.
Calling for Applications for Editorial Leadership of the Mathematics Teacher Educator!
The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics are seeking applications for Editorial Leadership of the Mathematics Teacher Educator. The journal aims to build a professional knowledge base for mathematics teacher educators that develops and strengthens practitioner knowledge. Applications are due by Oct. 1, with the role of Editor-Designate starting in May 2027. Learn more about this exciting opportunity here.
Connections is a quarterly online publication of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. It offers a peer-reviewed opportunity for members to disseminate information to the mathematics teacher education community.
Editor
- Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, University of South Florida, AVPConnections@amte.net (2025-2028)
Editorial Panel
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Adam Fletcher, Bethany College (2026-2029)
- Gina Wilson, Knowles Teacher Initiative (2026-2029)
- Erin Edgington, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2025-2028)
- Linda Venenciano, Pacific University (2025-2028)
- Trena Wilkerson, Baylor University (2024-2027)