Penn State, College of Education host annual mathematics education conference

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Recently, Penn State and the College of Education hosted the 47th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.

The late-October conference brought together more than 400 mathematics education researchers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and beyond. Hosted for the first time at Penn State, PME-NA 2025 featured more than 300 presentations, working groups and plenary sessions, creating a dynamic space for exchanging research on the teaching and learning of mathematics.

“Hosting the PME-NA Conference at Penn State was both a great honor and a tremendous undertaking,” said Xiangquan “James” Yao, associate professor of mathematics education at Penn State. “But having so many of our colleagues from across the country and beyond join us right here in Happy Valley made all the work very much worth it. It was a great opportunity to showcase Penn State and the College of Education in front of such a broad audience, and we are thrilled with how the conference turned out.”

Centered on the theme “Changing Mathematics Education by Educating for Change,” the conference invited participants to imagine new paradigms for mathematics education theory, methods and practices in order to create rich, meaningful and more equitable learning experiences for all learners.

“Hosting PME-NA 2025 allowed us to see the remarkable depth and vibrancy of the mathematics education community,” said Andrea McCloskey, associate professor of mathematics education at Penn State. “Throughout the conference, scholars exchanged ideas with openness, challenged one another’s thinking, and built connections that can carry well beyond the event itself. It was tremendously rewarding to see Penn State serve as a space where such meaningful scholarly engagement could flourish.”

“I feel confident that many of my colleagues from both Penn State and the many other universities and organizations who attended would agree that it was professionally enriching and personally enjoyable,” said Rose Zbiek, professor of mathematics education at Penn State. “It was especially meaningful to see so many of our programs’ alumni and our current graduate students thriving as participants in an international mathematics education community.”

The conference took place over four days. Over those four days conference participants mingled with one another while attending three plenary sessions, engaging in research presentations during poster and breakout sessions, shared several meals and even saw a screening of the film “Counted Out,” which shows the power of math in society, the economy and democracy.

Conference organizers Yao, Zbiek and McCloskey said they received numerous messages of positive feedback from those who traveled to Penn State to participate.

“Thank you so much for all your work in putting together such a wonderful conference. You all very clearly maintained PME-NA's standing as the best conference of the year,” said Michael Meagher, professor in mathematics education from Brooklyn College. “I just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful conference and all of your hard work. It was a blast, and I enjoyed every minute this year,” said Kevin Moore, professor in mathematics education from University of Georgia.

PME-NA is a regional affiliate of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME), an organization devoted to advancing research on the teaching and learning of mathematics. PME-NA conferences are held annually at universities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

PME-NA 2026 is scheduled to be hosted by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, on Oct. 11-14.