Dr. Jennie M. Bennett
Dr. Bennett retired in May 2007 from at Hartman Middle School in the Houston Independent School District. She has extensive and diverse experiences in many facets of education. She has supervised K–12 mathematics teachers, regularly provides professional development for teachers and administrators, and has taught students experiencing difficulties in mathematics, especially students whose first language is not English.
She served as director of the Houston Urban Systemic Initiative through the National Science Foundation. She was director of the Marguerite Ross Barnett Bridge Program in the Office of President at the University of Houston, where she established and directed an award-winning program for African American and Hispanic middle and high school students in mathematics and science. At the same time, she taught undergraduate mathematics methods and graduate multicultural courses at the University of Houston and University of St. Thomas.
She is author of “The Missing Link: Connecting Parents of Mathematically Promising Students to Schools: Developing Mathematically Promising Students,” and “Transforming Policy to Enhance the Lives of African American Mathematics Students.” She co-authored the Texas Curriculum Guidelines for Mathematics, Grade 1, and in 1996–97 she chaired the Math Curriculum Development Committee of the Texas Education Agency for grades 3–5. She has been a textbook author for Silver Burdett & Ginn and is currently an author for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. Dr. Bennett served as the lead evaluator for the review of the mathematics curriculum for the State of Louisiana.
Dr. Bennett holds a doctorate of education in Educational Leadership and Cultural Studies, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education all from the University of Houston. She currently serves as Chair on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) Mathematics Education Trust Board. Prior to that she was elected and served on the Board of Directors of the NCTM, the world’s largest mathematics organization, and Vice President of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.
As a partner of the consultant firm, NUMBERS Mathematics Professional Development, she states, “God has placed me on this Earth to share with mathematics educators and students activities that I used with my culturally diverse students who came to me with a variety of challenges. These students’ level of understanding increased their mathematics achievement and improved their attitude towards mathematics.”
Additionally, Dr. Bennett is a 15 year breast cancer survivor and founded Reconstruction of a Survivor, a non-profit breast cancer foundation that provides scripture-guided support group sessions to women diagnosed at any stage of breast cancer.