Katey Arrington, Ph.D.

Director, Systemic Transformation

Katey Arrington

Katey Arrington, Ph.D.

Director, Systemic Transformation

  katey.arrington@austin.utexas.edu


Dana Center Role

Katey leads the Center's programmatic work at scale to ensure systems are providing every student with a modern mathematics, science, and early literacy education. She serves alongside the Center’s leadership team, focusing on how conditions of systemic change are understood, applied, and implemented across the Center’s portfolio of projects and initiatives.

Katey currently serves as the immediate president of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM): Leadership in Mathematics Education. NCSM is the premier mathematics education leadership network, dedicated to supporting, sustaining, and inspiring high-quality mathematics teaching and learning for each and every learner. As president, Katey oversaw the strategic direction of NCSM, ensuring that its mission and vision were effectively implemented to promote excellence in mathematics education. She also served as a member of the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (CBMS).

Katey also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP) and the Board of Directors for the Teachers Development Group.

Before Joining the Dana Center

Prior to her current role at the Center, Katey served as the associate director of the UTeach Institute. She directed the implementation and evaluation of program initiatives to expand and strengthen secondary STEM education. Katey also supported the national expansion of the UTeach secondary STEM teacher preparation program and its network supports.

Previously, Katey led the K–12 system services work at the Center for nearly a decade. She developed and facilitated system-level change innovation and professional learning for educators at the national level, working with multiple states and many districts.

Katey’s prior work also includes instructional leadership roles at the campus and district levels, including serving five years as the mathematics coordinator for a diverse district in Texas. She is a former high school math teacher and community college mathematics instructor.

Education

  • Ph.D., Educational Policy and Planning, Educational Leadership and Policy, The University of Texas at Austin
  • M.A., Mathematics Education, The University of Texas at Austin
  • B.S., Mathematics, The University of Texas at Austin

Board Memberships

  • Presidential Line, NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education (Past President, 2025–2026; President, 2023–2025; President-Elect, 2022–2023)
  • Advisory Board Member, RAND's American Mathematics Educator Study (AMES) (2025–present)
  • Board Member, Teachers Development Group (TDG) - Transforming Math Learning (2026–present)
  • Member, Data Science 4 Everyone (DS4E) Data Education Leadership Council (2024–present)
  • Member, Data Science Committee, CBMS (2023–present)
  • Trustee, COMAP (2027–present)
  • Board Member, CBMS (2023–2025)
  • Southern 2 Regional Director, NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education (2019–2022)

Publications and Products

Presentations

  • Creating Coherent 21st Century High School and College Mathematics Pathways. Invited Panelist at the National Conference for State Legislators (NCSL) Mathematics Policy Academy (June 2026).
  • Revitalizing High School Mathematics. Keynote at the Texas Instruments Leadership Summits (May 2026, January 2026, October 2025).
  • Advisory Council of State Representatives State Policy Forum: What Curriculum Trends Mean for Educator Preparation. Plenary Panel for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Annual Conference, Advisory Council of State Representatives (ASCR) Meeting (February 2026).
  • BOLD Mathematics Leadership Is Essential. Keynote at the Arizona Math Leaders (AML) Annual Conference (February 2026).
  • The Future We Teach For, Strengthening Our Collective Voices and Actions in Mathematics Teacher Education. Opening Plenary Panel for the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educator (AMTE) Annual Conference (February 2026).
  • The Mathematics Opportunity: Aligning Vision and Policy and From Policy to Practice: Navigating the Math Education. Keynote and Panelist at the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Leadership Summit (November 2025).
  • Reimagining High School Math Pathways: Modern Mathematics for Future-Ready Students. Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference (October 2025).
  • Rethinking Math Pathways: National Trends, Utah’s Evidence-Based Approach, and the Role of State Boards in Driving Excellence. Invited Panelist at the National Association of State Boards of Education (October 2025).
  • Expanding Opportunity Through Data Science, AI, and the Future of Math Education. Invited Panelist at the AI and Data Science in Education - Insights from South Korea Conference, University of Buffalo (September 2025).
  • Leading for HS Math Reimagined: Revitalized and Relevant and Coaching for Change in Secondary Mathematics. Featured Speaker at the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching (CAMT) (July 2025).
  • Navigating the Current Context in Mathematics Education. Keynote at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Mathematics Collaborative (May 2025).
  • Achieving Sustainable Systemic Change in Mathematics Education. Invited Presenter at the CCSSO Legislative Conference (March 2025).
  • Math Ed Leaders Updates and Building STEM Identity. Invited Presenter at the Texas Instruments Teachers Teaching with Technology International Conference (March 2025).
  • Math Pathways: Achieving System Change in Varied Contexts. South by Southwest Education (SXSW EDU) (March 2025).
  • Engaging Students in Principled Decision Making: Ethics in and Through Data Science. Data Science Education K–12 Research to Practice Conference (February 2025).
  • Special Session on Systemic Change Within and Between K–12 and Post-Secondary Mathematics Education: Improvement for Smooth Transitions and Increased Persistence in Mathematics for All Students. Host at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (January 2025).
  • A Systems Change Approach in Mathematics Pathways: Changing the K–12 and Higher Education Systems to Remove Barriers to Student Success. Joint Mathematics Meetings (January 2025).
  • Let's Talk About Culture: Build Relevance Through Competence. Invited Presenter at the American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) Annual Conference (November 2024).
  • Building Future Problem-Solvers: Innovations in Mathematics Education. STEM Innovation Forum (October 2024).
  • You Get What You Expect: Having and Expressing High Expectations for ALL Students in Mathematics. Invited Presenter for the presidential series at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual Conference (September 2024).
  • Social and Political Issues Faced by N. American Mathematics Organizational Leaders. Presented paper at the International Congress of Mathematics Education (July 2024).
  • Centering Diverse Perspectives in Professional Orgs. SXSW EDU Conference (March 2024).
  • Ensuring All Students Meet High Expectations in Mathematics: Tracking and Pathway Structures. Keynote at the Texas Leadership Summits in Regions 1–4 (November 2023).
  • Growing and Diversifying Networks: Shaping the Future. Invited Presenter at the AMATYC Annual Conference (November 2023).
  • Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics Education. Keynote at the CCSSO Mathematics State Collaborative on Assessment and State Standards Meeting (May 2023).
  • Addressing the Workforce Shortage: Reflections on Recruiting and Retaining STEM Educators. Invited Panelist at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association Annual Conference (April 2023).
  • What Can You Do? Productive Mindsets and Ideas for Equitable and Effective Instruction. Keynote at the Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference (November 2022).

Professional Memberships

  • AMTE
  • Benjamin Banneker Association
  • California Mathematics Council
  • NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education
  • NCTM
  • National Association of Mathematicians
  • TODOS: Mathematics for ALL
  • Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics

Honors and Awards

  • UTeach Distinguished Alumni, The University of Texas at Austin (2024
  • Stony Point 9th Grade Center Teacher of the Year (2004)
  • Share:

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