Mary Kay Stein

Mary Kay Stein is an American mathematics education scholar and Professor Emerita of Learning Sciences and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh, where she held a joint appointment as a professor in the School of Education and as a senior scientist and former director/associate director of the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC). Her work focuses on mathematics teaching, ambitious instruction, and large-scale instructional improvement, including research conducted through the QUASAR Project at the University of Pittsburgh.

Stein is the coauthor of 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics/Corwin), developed with Margaret S. (Peg) Smith to support teachers in leading high-level, student-centered mathematics discussions using the five practices of anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting. She has also coauthored additional works on district-wide reform and on implementing standards-based mathematics instruction, including Implementing Standards-Based Mathematics Instruction: A Casebook for Professional Development, which draws on research from nearly 500 classroom lessons.