As WestEd’s Director of Mathematics, Ann R. Edwards leads a team of experienced researchers, curriculum developers, and technical assistance providers working to improve math outcomes for underserved communities at the PreK–12, postsecondary, and adult basic education levels.
Edwards has more than 30 years of professional experience, including secondary and collegiate mathematics teaching and research, curriculum development, teacher education, and professional development spanning elementary to postsecondary levels. She brings a deep commitment to addressing issues of equity that shape mathematics teaching and learning at all levels. Her projects, aimed at developing, implementing, and examining approaches to improving learning experiences and outcomes in mathematics, have been funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), National Science Foundation (NSF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private philanthropies and agencies.
Edwards is the Director of the Carnegie Math Pathways, a network of educators, researchers, designers, students, and content experts committed to increasing student success in developmental and gateway mathematics and overall college and career outcomes. She is also the PI of the Scaling Up through Networked Improvement project, studying the use of quality improvement tools in institutional implementation of innovation at scale. She also leads the Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era project, developing and evaluating a technology-enhanced mathematics intervention for adult learners. She has led and supported the revision of the NAEP Mathematics Framework and of the California Mathematics Framework.
Edwards came to WestEd from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and, prior to that, from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was a faculty member focusing on mathematics teaching, teacher learning, and professional development. She has published in numerous journals and books.
Edwards received a BA in applied mathematics from Harvard University, and an MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in education in mathematics, science, and technology.