NCSM Mission and Vision

Revised June, 2017

As we look forward to the next 50 years, the NCSM board took some time to review our current mission and vision at the summer strategic planning meeting. Were these statements sufficient for the future of our organization? Do they reflect where we are heading and what we plan to accomplish? After significant reflection and discussion, the consensus of the board was to revise the mission and vision to reflect our current goals. A strong mission and vision are critical for the success of an organization. Just as in teaching, where we have curriculum and learning outcomes to guide what the lesson will accomplish, we need a clear vision to direct us. Research suggests organizations are more successful when they have clearly defined mission and vision statements that are aligned with a strategic plan. A mission statement should define an organization’s primary purpose, objectives, and why it exists. The vision statement provides guidance and inspiration for an organization, identifying what the organization wants to accomplish as they focus on their future. Both will change as an organization evolves.

Connie Schrock, NCSM President, 2017-2019

NCSM Mission Statement

NCSM is a mathematics education leadership organization that equips and empowers a diverse education community to engage in leadership that supports, sustains, and inspires high quality mathematics teaching and learning every day for each and every learner.

NCSM Vision Statement

NCSM is the premiere mathematics education leadership organization. Our bold leadership in the mathematics education community develops vision, ensures support, and guarantees that all students engage in equitable, high-quality mathematical experiences that lead to powerful, flexible uses of mathematical understanding to affect their lives and to improve the world.

High quality leadership is vital to this vision. NCSM is committed to:

Developing and Informing Vision

  • Provide leadership to influence issues and policies affecting mathematics education in ways consistent with the mission and vision of NCSM;
  • Equip leaders to be critical consumers of educational information, research, and policy to become change agents in their communities;
  • Support leaders to develop an actionable vision of mathematics instruction consistent with a view of mathematics as a sense-making endeavor.

Ensuring Support to All Stakeholders

  • Develop networking and communication opportunities that connect the mathematics education community, as well as the broader education community;
  • Equip leaders with the tools to create and sustain systems that fully align with the vision of mathematics and mathematics instruction promoted by NCSM;
  • Equip leaders with the understanding, knowledge, and skills to continue their own personal growth, support emerging leaders, and further develop excellence in mathematics teaching.

Guaranteeing All Students Engage in Equitable, High-Quality Mathematical Experiences

  • Provide advocacy and support regarding issues and policies affecting mathematics education in ways consistent with the mission and vision of NCSM;
  • Provide resources for implementation of research-informed instruction to ensure students engage in relevant and meaningful learning experiences that promote mathematics as a sense-making endeavor;
  • Advocate for each and every student to have access to rigorous mathematics that develops their understanding, skills, and knowledge, along with the confidence to leverage their learning, in order to improve their world.