Ann R. Edwards

Overview

Ann R. Edwards, Senior Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, is a nationally recognized leader in mathematics education with over 30 years of experience in research and development in mathematics learning, instructional practice, teacher learning, curriculum development, and policy. Throughout her work, which spans K–12, postsecondary, and adult education contexts, she brings a deep commitment to addressing barriers to access and excellence in mathematics education to improve mathematics learning experiences and outcomes for all students.

Her projects have been funded by the U.S. Department of Education OESE, IES, NSF, the Gates Foundation, and other private philanthropies and agencies. Her recent work has focused on math pathways design and implementation; dual enrollment mathematics; support for college mathematics persistence and success; the design, implementation, and evaluation of EdTech and GenAI products supporting math teaching and learning; and the alignment of mathematics learning opportunities and workforce needs. She has coled significant policy and standards efforts in K–12 mathematics education, including the NAEP Mathematics Framework Revision and the 2024 revision of the California Mathematics Framework. She is also a nationally recognized leader in policy and practice in higher education, particularly in math pathways and student success reform efforts.

Edwards serves as the Director of the Carnegie Math Pathways (CMP), a network of educators, researchers, designers, students, and content experts committed to increasing student success in postsecondary mathematics and overall college and career outcomes. Since 2010, CMP has served more than 85,000 college students in more than 140 institutions, improving students’ success in first year mathematics by at least 3 times and reducing their time to achieve college credit in mathematics by half.

Edwards came to WestEd from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and, prior to that, the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was a faculty member focusing on research on mathematics teaching, teacher learning, and professional development, with a particular focus on achieving equity and serving marginalized student populations. She has published in numerous journals and books.

Education

• PhD in education in mathematics, science, and technology, University of California, Berkeley 
• MA in education in mathematics, science, and technology, University of California, Berkeley 
• BA in applied mathematics, Harvard University 

Select Publications

Sandoval, C., Sansing-Helton, B., Knotts, A., & Edwards, A. (2023). Leadership practices in scaling efforts in community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2023.2288210 

Bartell, T., Wager, A., Edwards, A. R., Battey, D., Foote, M., & Spencer, J. (2017). Toward clarifying the role of equity research around the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(1), 7–21. 

Coffey, J., & Edwards, A. (2016). The role subject matter plays in prospective teachers’ responsive teaching practices in elementary math and science. In A. Robertson, R. Scherr, & D. Hammer (Eds.), Responsive teaching in science and mathematics, Chapter 7. Routledge/Taylor-Francis. 

Edwards, A. R., & Beattie, R. L. (2016). Promoting student learning and productive persistence in developmental mathematics: High impact practices from the Carnegie Pathways. NADE Digest, 9(1), 30–40. 

Edwards, A. R., Esmonde, I., Wagner, J., & Beattie, R. L. (2016). Learning mathematics. In P. Alexander & R. Mayer (Eds.), Handbook of research on learning and instruction (2nd ed., pp. 57–80). Routledge/Taylor-Francis.  

Edwards, A. R., Sandoval, C., & McNamara, H. (2015). Designing for improvement in professional development for community college developmental mathematics faculty. Journal of Teacher Education, 0022487115602313. 

Diversity in Mathematics Education Group. (2007). Culture, race, power, and mathematics education. In F. Lester (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 405–433). Information Age Publishing.  

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Board member, Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (2019–present) 

Founding member, National Mathematics Summit Steering Committee (2017–present) 

WestEd Paul D. Hood Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field (2021) 

Board Member, Research in Mathematics Education, Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (2012–2014)