Lou E Matthews

Lou Edward Matthews is a mathematics educator and author focused on culturally relevant mathematics teaching and equity in math education. He is the founder of InspireMath, a global initiative that develops culturally relevant mathematics platforms and learning experiences for communities worldwide, and has served as Director of Mathematics and Science at Urban Teachers, a national teacher residency program partnered with Johns Hopkins University, where he supports the recruitment and coaching of culturally competent mathematics teachers in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Dallas. His earlier academic work includes serving as an assistant professor of mathematics education at Georgia State University, with research on culturally relevant teaching, mathematics reform, Black masculinity and schooling, and urban mathematics education; he was also the inaugural editor-in-chief of the Journal of Urban Mathematics Education and president of the Benjamin Banneker Association from 2007 to 2009.

Matthews is coauthor of Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks: Fostering Hope in the Elementary Classroom (K–5) and Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks: Fostering Hope in the Middle and High School Classroom (6–12), both in the Corwin Mathematics Series, with Shelly M. Jones and Yolanda A. Parker. These works guide teachers in designing high-quality, cognitively demanding, culturally relevant math tasks and introduce tools such as the Hope Wheel and a Culturally Relevant, Cognitively Demanding rubric to help educators connect mathematics learning