Thomas P Carpenter

Thomas P. Carpenter was a professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he taught for twenty-five years. He was a leading mathematics education researcher, a former editor of Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, and the 2004 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics Education.

Carpenter is best known for his work on Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), a research-based approach centered on children’s mathematical thinking. He coauthored influential books including Children’s Mathematics, Second Edition: Cognitively Guided Instruction and Young Children’s Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction in Early Childhood Education. He died in August 2018.