As Mathematics Teacher Educators (MTEs), we find ourselves not only navigating our own careers, but also regularly monitoring and often responding to a broader climate of evolving and urgent challenges impacting our field (e.g., the proposed dismantling of the United States Department of Education, persistent teacher shortages—especially in mathematics—diminishing external funding opportunities, increasing expectations with fewer resources). Such external pressures compound ongoing tensions within our field, such as the continued perceived dichotomy between conceptual understanding and procedural fluency (e.g., Eisenhart et al., 1993; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2024), and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational structures and priorities (e.g., Banerji, 2025; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2024). In response to these challenges, my work has become deeply rooted in inquiry. I find myself continually asking: "How might I enact purposeful leadership through everyday interactions to cultivate intentional, systemic change?" This question has guided both my scholarship and professional practice, prompting a shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive vision-building (Baker & Knapp, 2023) and collaborative critical inquiry (e.g., Baker & Bitto, 2021; Baker & Edwards, 2023).
Cultivating systemic change in mathematics education requires more than individual resolve—it demands a reimagining of how we lead, how we support one another, and how we navigate the seemingly perpetual evolving landscape of academia. As the pressures on our field continue to shift, the need for intentional and distributed forms of leadership has become even more urgent. This calls us to look beyond traditional models of leadership and ask - How do we, as MTEs, lead from our own spaces and positions so that we might collectively build structures that recognize and amplify the diverse forms of expertise within our community?
Beyond Titles: Cultivating Transformative Leadership
In moments of uncertainty, it is essential that MTEs acknowledge and demonstrate responsive leadership. Such leadership, especially in turbulent times, is not perceived as a dichotomy of leader or follower; rather, it is a disposition (Allen et al., 2014), a way of engaging with the work of teaching and learning, and with others. As MTEs, we are not merely educators and scholars—we are advocates, collaborators, and change-makers (AMTE, 2025). Our work in mathematics education is a shared responsibility, grounded in mutual growth and collective agency. Each of us, regardless of our career stage or formal title, has daily opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways. Some MTEs may focus on research, others on policy, teacher preparation, or community engagement—but all of us hold specialized knowledge that, when shared, strengthens our collective capacity. To move the field forward toward the cultivation of systemic change, we must intentionally create and maintain a space for diverse voices, honor lived experiences, and affirm that leadership can emerge from anywhere. When we do so, we empower others to lead alongside us.
In the face of systemic constraints, MTEs have consistently found ways to lead—through grassroots organizing, collaborative research, critical dialogue, and mutual mentorship. In these intentional and collaborative spaces, leadership emerges in unexpected yet powerful ways. This kind of distributed leadership, rooted in relationships and shared purpose, enables us to act not just as individuals working in a system, but as a community working to reshape it. For me, one of the most meaningful expressions of this leadership has been through inquiry—a practice that invites curiosity, challenges assumptions, and opens up new possibilities for understanding and transformation.
Beyond the Classroom: Inquiry as a Unifying Practice
Inquiry—the practice of asking meaningful, complex questions (Dewey, 1938) —is a powerful practice. For MTEs, inquiry is a thread that weaves through our work as teachers, coaches, researchers, and advocates of ambitious mathematics instruction (Lampert et al., 2011). Whether we are engaging with students, collaborating with colleagues, or partnering with our communities, inquiry invites us to listen carefully, think critically, and embrace complexity and diverse perspectives. It is both a pedagogical stance and a professional orientation that fosters curiosity, builds connection, and challenges us to disrupt norms of authority, passivity, and exclusion in mathematics education.
As a teaching tool, inquiry holds similar power and is connected to one of the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices (NCTM, 2014), emphasizing its central role in ambitious and equitable mathematics instruction. Questions like “Why?” and “How do you know?” are not just instructional prompts—they are invitations for students to articulate their thinking, draw on their lived experiences, and engage in meaningful sense-making. Posing focused, purposeful questions shifts the dynamic of the classroom from teacher-centered to student-centered (Herbel-Eisenmann & Breyfogle, 2005), transforming mathematics learning into a space where grappling with ideas is prioritized over quick solutions, and deep understanding is built through inquiry, dialogue, and the ongoing development of students’ mathematical thinking and identity.
In coaching contexts, inquiry similarly serves as a powerful tool for connection and growth. Asking questions provides opportunities for careful listening as well as learning about the context, beliefs, and values that shape another educator’s practice (West & Staub, 2003). Rather than offering solutions as directives, inquiry in coaching has the ability to foster curiosity without judgment and opens space for authentic, ongoing dialogue. It invites reflection, honors identity, and builds relational trust—laying the foundation for collaborative learning and transformation of practice.
As MTEs, inquiry is not only central to our teaching and coaching—it is also foundational to how we understand and enact our roles more broadly. Just as we pose purposeful questions in classrooms and coaching conversations, we can also draw on inquiry to guide our research, inform and direct our scholarship, and foster authentic collaboration. At its core, inquiry reflects a stance of genuine curiosity—an openness to learning from and with one another.
Inquiry as Transformative Leadership
Beyond an MTE pedagogical practice, inquiry is also an underrecognized form of leadership. It does not rely on authority, hierarchy, or having all the answers. It is relational. It invites individuals and communities to engage with uncertainty, acknowledge tensions, and grapple with complex, and sometimes competing truths. In this way, inquiry moves us beyond impulsive quick fixes or reactive decisions; it becomes a leadership stance fostering thoughtful reflection and the capacity to respond proactively in the face of challenge and change.
Inquiry-centered leadership opens space for dialogue, values diverse perspectives, and nurtures collective agency (Cochran-Smith & Stern, 2014). It allows us to ask critical questions, explore complex problems, and resist reductive narratives about what education is, who it serves, and whose knowledge is deemed valuable. In this sense, inquiry also becomes a form of professional and political resistance—especially vital in a time when educational systems are under pressure to simplify, standardize, and silence. Tools such as “calling in and calling out” protocols (Haslam, 2019) help leaders foster accountability and growth within their communities. Questions like “How might someone else see this differently?” and “How might the impact of your words/actions differ from your intent?” push beyond surface-level engagement and invite deeper, more transformative dialogue (p. 2). Whether in research, policy work, or partnerships with schools and communities, inquiry empowers MTEs to center diverse perspectives, confront inequities, and (re)imagine what is possible in mathematics education.
Inquiry in Motion: Reflecting Together, Leading Forward
In a landscape shaped by both enduring and emerging challenges, deepening our understanding of leadership is essential. One pathway forward is through inquiry. Inquiry reminds us that leadership is not the sole domain of a few, but something that can and should be enacted by all of us. Each MTE has a leading role to play in shaping our collective future. Even small, intentional efforts can lead to meaningful and lasting transformation. To deepen this inquiry and broaden our collective imagination, we must consider asking ourselves and one another: How do we, as MTEs, lead from our own spaces and positions so that we might collectively build structures that recognize and amplify the diverse forms of expertise within our community? As we reflect on this question, it is important to remember leadership is less about having the answers, and more about staying engaged, asking better questions, and moving forward together.
Acknowledgements
I am deeply grateful to Drs. Francis 'Skip' Fennell, Margret Hjalmarson, and Laura Bitto for leading the nomination packet, with the support of nearly a dozen educators. I also appreciate the thoughtful feedback on manuscript drafts provided by Dr. Bitto, Dr. Fennell, Dr. Melinda Knapp, and Katherine Comey Edwards.
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