TPTE Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Professor, STEM Education/Math
Biography
Frances K. Harper is an assistant professor of STEM (Mathematics) education at the University of Tennessee. Her research and scholarly program focuses on under-recognized dimensions of equity in mathematics education, namely identity and power, in mathematics teaching and learning. These interest areas concentrate in three large domains: (1) how teachers learn to shift traditional power dynamics in mathematics classrooms by adapting mathematics curriculum and instruction to build on historically marginalized students’ community and cultural knowledge and experiences, (2) how students negotiate their social and mathematics identities in contexts where teachers are making instructional efforts to attend to dimensions of identity and power in mathematics, and (3) how relationships among teachers, families, and community partners influence efforts to shift traditional power dynamics in mathematics classrooms.
Research
Professor Harper's research interests include: mathematics education, mathematics teacher education, urban education, community engaged scholarship
Current Projects
STEM Education for East Knoxville (SEEK)
Tennessee Eastern & Appalachian Math (TEAM) Teachers’ Circle
Contact Information
- 446 Claxton Education Complex, 1122 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996
- Phone: 865-974-4040
- E-mail: francesharper@utk.edu
- Personal Website