Nicole L. Fonger

Associate professor, Syracuse University

Nicole L. Fonger, PhD, is a mother-scholar, visual artist, and associate professor of mathematics and mathematics education at Syracuse University. Nicole is married and also a mother of three school-age children. Based in Syracuse, NY, Dr. Fonger leads community-engaged, collaborative research with teachers, students, and youth to support meaningful mathematics education. Dr. Fonger’s research focuses on supporting students’ meaningful learning of algebra through collaborative partnerships with classroom teachers to realize culturally responsive designs for social justice mathematics tasks. A mathematics educator for 18 years, Dr. Fonger’s research and practice are deeply intertwined through theoretically grounded, empirically driven design-based research and community-engaged events and public scholarship. Dr. Fonger was awarded the Linking Research and Practice Outstanding Publication Award from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Saint Thomas. She also earned her master’s degree in mathematics, master’s degree in mathematics education, and PhD in mathematics education at Western Michigan University. Dr. Fonger regularly presents at local, state, national, and international conferences. She writes articles for practitioner and researcher audiences. She is the founder of the Antiracist Algebra Coalition, the cofounder of the Data Warriors, and the principal investigator of the Meaningful Math Research Group.