Denise A. Thornton, M.A.Ed.

Dana Center Role

Denise leads the professional learning and implementation team and the technical assistance the team provides to K–12 and higher education administrators, teachers, faculty, and student support staff to promote cross-grade and cross-sector alignment, development of strong leadership and instructional practices, and implementation of proven practices in mathematics education.

She is part of the strategy team for the Launch Years Initiative and works alongside key leaders and experts in mathematics education serving on the Launch Years Math Organizations Leadership Network (LY-MathLN). LY-MathLN was created to bring together mathematics organizations that have a genuine interest in collaborating to advocate for improving experiences and outcomes for students in transition from the last two years of high school and the first two years of postsecondary education.

Before Joining the Dana Center

Denise has over 20 years of experience serving in public education, including 10 years teaching both middle school and high school mathematics and coaching tennis in diverse settings throughout Texas and California. After her time in the classroom, Denise served as a campus teacher-leader as well as a district-level instructional coach who supported students, teachers, and administrators in improving mathematics curricula and instruction.

Education

• M.A.Ed., Secondary Mathematics Education, California State University, Northridge
• B.S., Secondary Mathematics/Kinesiology, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Board Memberships

• Organizational Lead, Launch Years Math Organizations Leadership Network, 2021–present
• Organizational Lead, Texas Network for School Improvement, 2019–2023
• Member, Urban Mathematics Leadership Network, 2016–2019
• Member, Texas Region 13 Instructional Coaching Network, 2011–2016
• Member, Texas Region 13 Teacher-Leader Network, 2009–2011

Presentations

• Professional Learning for New Pathways. Launch Years Initiative State Math Pathways Learning Exchange, Anaheim, CA (February 2024).
• Equipping Mathematics Education Leaders to Improve the Transition From High School to Post-Secondary. National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. (September 2023).
• The Launch Years Math Organizations Leadership Network. Presented on the NCSM Leadership in Mathematics Education Learning With Leaders Podcast (May 2023).
• Cracks in the Mathematics Pipeline: Addressing Access and Equity Issues for the High School to Higher Education Transition. NCSM Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA (September 2022).
• Imagining Modern Mathematics at Scale. NCSM Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA (September 2022).
• Activate and Amplify Rigorous Teaching. Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching, San Antonio, TX (July 2022).
• Plan and Implement Statewide Professional Learning. Conference Board of the Mathematics Sciences, Mathematics Alignment Forum (May 2022).
• Quality Change Ideas and Math Practical Measures. Texas Network for School Improvement Winter Convening (February 2022).
• Providing Impactful Professional Development. Knowledgehook District Math Leaders Roundtable (Online) (November 2021).
• Assessing and Planning for Accelerated Learning in the Math Classroom. Texas Network for School Improvement Fall Convening (October 2021).

Publication

• Staley, J. & Thornton, D. (2023). How might administrators make a difference for our students’ transition years? In A. Martínez-Gudapakkam, S. De los Santos, J. Storeygard, A. Patrone, D. Cuevas, & P. Chingo (Eds.), Antiracist mathematics education: Stories of acknowledgement, actions and accountability (pp. 123–145). Amazon Publishing Agency.

Professional Memberships

• NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
• Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics
• Texas Classroom Teachers Association