I, Regina Mistretta, associate professor and
program coordinator in The School of Education, hold a
B.S., M.S., and Ed.D. in mathematics education. I strive to
help forward this field through teaching, research, and service
efforts that address the needs of students, teachers,
administrators, and parents. My research includes
investigations of geometric conceptual understandings, pedagogical
practices in elementary and middle school settings, student error
patterns, teacher challenges, and parental issues and perspectives
concerning mathematical learning. As a university professor,
I seek to blend her research findings with both current theory and
practice.
I have designed and am currently implementing and studying the
effects of a professional development model on mathematics teaching
practices and student achievement. I simultaneously conduct
parental involvement initiatives and am studying their effects on
parent-child collaboration concerning mathematical learning.
Funding for such research comes from a contract with the New York
City Department of Education. To date, I have interacted with
17 Pre-k to 8 learning communities encompassing approximately 200
teachers, 20 administrators, and 4500 multi-cultural non-public
school children and their parents in low-socioeconomic areas of
Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island.