As a new academic year begins, I am sure you are deep in planning – mapping out goals, designing professional learning, and preparing to support educators to become stronger in their practice. As you make your plans, I encourage you to consider that every great educator has the potential to be the next great leader. Supporting the development of great educators is essential across our system, but so is preparing them to lead, influence, and shape the future of mathematics education. 

Leadership isn’t reserved for those with titles. Leadership is a mindset, a commitment to positive change, and the willingness to step forward. Our systems need more people—at every level—to take on leadership roles, formal and informal, that drive meaningful change. 

We must not only lead ourselves but cultivate a mindset of leadership in others. Ask yourself: 

• Who around you is ready to grow into leadership?
• What can I do to help them see the leader in themselves?
• How can I support their leadership development, just as I seek support for my own?

Leadership is not a solo journey. Support is imperative. We all need mentors, champions, and sounding boards, and we must BE those things for others too. As Bobby Umar, a leadership coach who works to empower leaders, says, “Good leaders develop ideas. Great leaders develop people. The best leaders develop new leaders.” 

So, as you set your goals this year, make leadership development part of the plan. For yourself, but also for those around you. Put some intentional thought to how you will grow your own capacity to lead, but also how you will create opportunities for others to step into leadership. This might be mentoring a colleague, encouraging someone to take on a new challenge, or simply naming the leadership you already see in someone else.

Leadership isn’t a fixed trait – it’s a skill, a mindset, and a journey. Whether you are new to your role or a seasoned veteran, there is always room to stretch, reflect, and evolve. But as you work on your own growth, be sure to think about supporting someone else. Leadership is contagious when it is nurtured! If we invest in the growth of others, we multiply our impact.

Let’s build a system where leadership is not the exception but the expectation. Let’s build a future where every educator is a change-maker and every leader is committed to developing the next. 

Who is your next? Go chat with them now! Get them signed up as an NCSM member and bring them with you to the 57th Annual NCSM Conference in Atlanta! It would be a great way to connect and get a jump start and connect them to other leaders and resources they need. We would love to welcome them! 

— Katey Arrington, NCSM President

NCSM's vision is to be the premier mathematics education leadership organization, ensuring all students have access to high-quality, equitable mathematical experiences that empower them to use mathematics effectively and improve the world.

Just Two Months Away!

The Atlanta Conference is just two months away, and we can't wait to see you there.

Join NCSM and colleagues from around the world  in Atlanta, Georgia, a city with a deep legacy in civil rights, as we focus on ways to Rise Up with Bold Mathematics Leadership during our 57th annual conference. This is a conference you won't want to miss.

Conference sessions will focus on:

• Accelerating Student Learning
• Elevating Mathematics Instruction Through Bold Leadership
• Equity Rising: Transformative Practices in Mathematics Education
• Lifting Teacher Practice Through Coaching

Conference and hotel registration is still open: Register Today!

Keynote Speakers

This conference will be filled with amazing voices, learning, and connection. And, we're thrilled to welcome keynote speakers—Gloria Ladson-Billings and Deborah Peart Crayton!

In our opening keynote, we will explore what it means to be Playing the Numbers with Gloria Ladson-Billings:

Decades of mathematics assessment reveal disparities in performance among various groups of students. These disparities are neither normal nor immutable. Thirty years of asset based approaches to pedagogy suggest that we have the ability to reverse this trend and ensure all students develop the kind of mathematical literacy that is necessary in the 21st century.

And, in our closing keynote, we will affirm that we are Born a Mather with Deborah Peart Crayton:

Given our inborn affinity for patterns, shapes, and number sense in general, math more than the other subjects should be at the heart of our academic identities, but it is quite the opposite for many students. Unfortunately, school is often the place where math dreams come to die. Children are often forced to abandon sense-making in exchange for rules and procedures, and mathematics becomes an unfamiliar thing that is not for everyone. Curiosity, creativity, and joy should be at the center of mathematics in education. Children are counting on us to write the counter narrative about what it means to be “good at math.” It is time for math dreams to flourish and every student to confidently embrace the idea that they are Born Mathers!

NCSM Conference Extended Sessions

Volunteer Opportunities

Are you ready to make a difference, build lasting connections, and leave your mark on the 57th Annual NCSM Conference in Atlanta, October 13–15, 2025?

Volunteer at the Atlanta Conference!

We have a wide range of volunteer opportunities to fit your interests and schedule — whether it’s:

• Welcoming attendees at registration

• Helping members access their benefits

• Supporting conference sessions or ticketed events

• Or even prepping the conference bags Sunday afternoon

Every role matters. And we need YOU!

Spots are limited — sign up today and be part of the magic that makes this conference exceptional: Volunteer Form – Click here

Pre-Conference Sessions

Enhance your NCSM conference learning experience by signing up to attend one of our special Sunday afternoon pre-conference sessions for leaders aligned to the conference theme and strands.

These pre-conference sessions are a great way to kick off your conference experience, network with other leaders and take a deeper dive into our recent work and Essential Actions Series from NCSM.

• Workshop 1: Rise Up: Bold Leadership to Elevate Mathematics Instruction

• Workshop 2: Rising Up: Lifting Teacher Practice Through Coaching

• Workshop 3: Rise Up: Leading From the Classroom

• First-Time Attendee Orientation

• Boldly Leading NCSM Affiliates: Rising to the challenges of affiliate leadership

Pre-conference registration is open now.