Katherine Puckett Layton facts for kids

Katherine Puckett Layton is an American math teacher and author. She wrote many math textbooks. She is known for her amazing work in teaching math and helping other teachers.

Katherine Layton's Journey in Math Education

Katherine Layton studied math at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Later, she earned a master's degree in education from Harvard University.

In 1960, after finishing at UCLA, Layton started teaching. She taught at Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California. During the 1970s, she led the math department there. She also worked with students through Mu Alpha Theta. This is an honor society for high school and college math students.

Layton was a visiting teacher at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. From 1986 to 1987, she taught in the UCLA math department. She retired from Beverly Hills High School in 1999. After that, she spent two years at the UCLA Graduate School of Education.

Exploring Education in China

Katherine Layton traveled to China twice. She went to see how education worked in that country. She shared what she learned from her second trip. This was at a big meeting for math teachers. It was the convention of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Layton was one of the experts who talked about their findings.

Helping Set Teaching Standards

In 1989, Layton joined the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. This group planned to give special certificates to qualified teachers. The program aimed to measure how good teachers were. It looked at 29 different areas. These areas ranged from how children grow to learning foreign languages.

Layton was a long-time member of the NCTM. She spoke at more than 22 yearly meetings. She also spoke at many smaller regional meetings. She served on several committees for the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). She was also a speaker at six of their yearly meetings. Besides these, Layton was on the board of the College Entrance Examination Board. She also served on the Mathematical Science Education Board.

Awards and Special Honors

In 1990, Katherine Layton received a special award. It was the Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence. This award honors amazing teachers. The National Science Foundation supports it. Two science teachers and two math teachers from each U.S. state get this award.

In 2003, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) honored Layton. They gave her the 2003 Louise Hay Award. This award recognized her great work in math education. It also celebrated her achievements as a teacher and scholar. She helped connect different groups in math education.

In the same year, Layton was chosen as the AWM/MAA Falconer Lecturer. Her lecture was called "What I Learned in Forty Years in Beverly Hills 90212". The Etta Z. Falconer Lecture honors women. It celebrates those who have made important contributions to math or math education.