Erica N. Walker facts for kids

Erica Nicole Walker, born around 1971, is an American mathematician. She is a special professor of mathematics education at Teachers College, Columbia University. There, she leads the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology. She also directs the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. Dr. Walker studies how social and cultural things, along with school rules, help students learn math. She especially focuses on helping students who don't always get enough support.

Learning and Education

Erica Walker grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She started learning math very early, even before preschool. Her neighbor, who was a math teacher, helped her.

In high school, Erica was very good at math. A teacher encouraged her to take a hard class called AP Calculus. The teacher wasn't great, so Erica and her friends taught each other after class. She realized she really enjoyed teaching math to her friends. This experience made her decide to study mathematics in college. It also led her to start her career teaching math in public schools.

Dr. Walker earned her first degree in mathematics from Birmingham–Southern College. She then got a Master of Education in Mathematics Education from Wake Forest University. After that, she taught high school math in Atlanta. She noticed that not many African-American students took advanced math classes. This made her want to help more of them take these courses. She even won several awards for her teaching.

In 2001, Dr. Walker earned her highest degree, a Doctor of Education, from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. At Harvard, she studied why students of color had certain experiences in math classes. Her main project looked at which high school students kept taking advanced math classes, and why some stopped.

Her Work in Academics

From 2001 to 2002, Dr. Walker was a special researcher at Teachers College, Columbia University. She joined the faculty there in 2002 and has been teaching and researching ever since.

Her main research looks at fairness in math education for different races and genders. She also studies why some students continue with advanced math. She writes about how school rules affect math learning. Dr. Walker has written two books and many articles for important academic journals.

In 2017, she became the director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College. This institute works to improve education in cities and for minority groups.

Dr. Walker is recognized by important math groups like the National Association of Mathematicians. She also works with the Association for Women in Mathematics. She helps teachers, schools, and other groups make math better for young people. She wants everyone to have a fair chance to learn math.

Her work has been shared in well-known journals. These include the American Education Research Journal and the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. She also helps decide what gets published in other journals.

Awards and Special Recognitions

In 2015, Dr. Walker was chosen as the AWM/MAA Falconer Lecturer. This is a special honor where she gave a big talk. Her talk was called "A Multiplicity All at Once: Mathematics for Everyone, Everywhere." In 2019, she was honored by Mathematically Gifted & Black. This group celebrates Black mathematicians during Black History Month.

Books and Articles

Here are some of the books and articles Dr. Walker has written:

• Building Mathematics Learning Communities: Improving Outcomes in Urban High Schools. New York: Teachers College Press, 2012
• Beyond Banneker: Black Mathematicians and the Paths to Excellence. New York: State University of New York Press, 2015
• Getting to the Right Algebra: The Equity 2000 Initiative in Milwaukee Public Schools. MDRC Working Papers. (co-authored with Sandra Ham)
• Why Aren't More Minorities Taking Advanced Math?, Educational Leadership, Nov. 2007, Volume 65 - Making Math Count, pp. 48–53