Rate My Professor Alan Schoenfeld

Alan H. Schoenfeld is the Elizabeth and Edward Conner Professor of Education and Affiliated Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his BA in Mathematics from Queens College, New York, in 1968, MS in Mathematics from Stanford University in 1969, and PhD in Mathematics from Stanford University in 1973. Schoenfeld began his career as a lecturer at UC Davis in 1973 and joined UC Berkeley in 1975 as a lecturer and research mathematician. Appointed to the Mathematics Department faculty in 1985, he retired from that role in 2023 while serving as Distinguished Professor in the Berkeley School of Education. His research centers on thinking, learning, teaching, assessment, and powerful learning environments in mathematics education. He developed the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) Framework, which outlines five dimensions of effective instruction: content, cognitive demand, equitable access to content, agency and identity, and formative assessment. Schoenfeld led the Balanced Assessment project and co-led the NSF-sponsored Center for Diversity in Mathematics Education (DiME). He contributed as lead author for grades 9-12 of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, co-authored design specifications for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s mathematics assessments, and participated in developing California Mathematics Framework documents.