Glenda Lappan facts for kids
Glenda T. Lappan (born in 1939) is a retired math professor from Michigan State University. She is famous for helping to create a popular math program called "Connected Mathematics". This program is used by many middle school students in the United States.
Her Early Life and Career
Glenda grew up on a farm in southern Georgia. She was an only child.
She went to Mercer University and graduated in 1961. After that, she taught math in high school. Later, she earned her highest degree (a doctorate) from the University of Georgia in 1965. She taught math at Michigan State University for 50 years. She started in 1965 and retired in 2015.
From 1986 to 1991, Glenda helped the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). She led a project to set new rules for what middle school students should learn in math.
After this, she started the Connected Mathematics Project. This project aimed to put those new math rules into action. She was also the president of the NCTM from 1998 to 2000. Later, she led the Mathematical Sciences Education Board for the National Academy of Sciences.
Awards and Special Recognition
Glenda T. Lappan has received many awards for her important work in math education:
- In 1996, the Association for Women in Mathematics gave her the Louise Hay Award.
- She was named a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University in 1998. This is a very high honor.
- In 2002, a special teaching position was created at Michigan State. It was named the Lappan-Phillips-Fitzgerald Endowed Chair in Mathematics Education. It honors Glenda and the other two people who started the Connected Mathematics project.
- The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics gave her a lifetime achievement award in 2004.
- In 2008, she and Elizabeth Phillips won a prize for their excellent work on Connected Mathematics. This award was from the International Society for Design and Development in Education.
- She was added to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2009.
