Center for Mathematics Achievement

Hilary is a passionate, dedicated, and well-rounded educator whose interests in education span from mathematics to accessibility. She began her career as an elementary teacher. Spending many lunch periods modeling mathematics instruction for her colleagues, she later decided to become a Math Coach to be able to support teacher understanding of mathematics, while still being able to teach and impact students.

As a member of several local, regional, and national mathematics teacher organizations, she became interested in educational leadership and was elected the President of the Boston Area Mathematics Specialists organization, a professional development network for supervisors of mathematics.  As she continued to study mathematics education, curriculum development, and educational policy, she joined the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University, where she has acted as director since 2017, providing high-quality professional development, coaching, coursework, and training to educators nationally and internationally.

Hilary co-authored her first book, Adding Parents to the Equation (2019), with Dr. Matthew Beyranevand, which has won three awards by BookAuthority (Best Math Books of All Time; Best Parent Books of All Time, and Best New Math EBooks). The book is targeted for parents of children ages 2–12 but is also a resource for anyone interested in why math instruction has changed over the years and how kids are learning math in the 21st century. School districts, teachers, and parent groups are encouraged to use her FREE book discussion guide to facilitate book groups around Adding Parents to the Equation. Dr. Kreisberg and Dr. Beyranevand's second book, Partnering with Parents in Elementary School Math (2021), assists school leaders and educators in engaging and informing parents about the shifts in math instruction.

Dr. Kreisberg’s Let’s Talk Math: Engaging Students as Mathematical Thinkers (2021) supplemental resource for grades K-5 develops students as confident problem solvers who communicate their thinking through structured discourse routines. Co-authored with Kit Norris, a nationally recognized math educator, author, and consultant, Let’s Talk Math cultivates students’ language (oral and written) through meaningful and unique problem-solving experiences.

Dr. Kreisberg has also been featured on CBS Boston's WBZ-TV, NPR’s Boston News Station WBUR, and in the Lowell Sun. You can also hear Hilary on a variety of podcasts: AIMS Center - Zone of Potential Construction, How We Teach - Growing in Our Math Practice, and on Episode #49 and Episode #151 of the Make Math Moments podcast series, and Episode #72 of the NCSM Leadership in Mathematics Education Learning with Leaders Podcast.

Hilary is also a Certified U.S. Math Recovery® Intervention Specialist, reviewer for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) journals, and local, regional, and national speaker. In addition, she is endorsed to teach Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) learners and holds both Special Education and Mathematics licensure. Contact the Center for Mathematics Achievement to work with Hilary or one of her team members.

Kit Golan is the Secondary Mathematics Consultant for the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Kit began their decade-long classroom career as a Math for America (MfA) Teaching Fellow, teaching all levels of middle school math in New York City public schools. Kit became a MfA Master Teacher, collaborating with and mentoring hundreds of MfA Master Teachers and Early Career Fellows and collaboratively designing, revising, and facilitating professional learning courses.

In 2019, Kit was a Fund for Teachers Fellowship Grant Recipient, studying Realistic Math Education at the Freudenthal Institute in Utrecht, Netherlands. They presented a TED-style talk, “Become the Subject,” at MfA’s MT² 2017: Master Teachers on Teaching event. Their 6th-grade classroom served as a model for the Instructional Routines Video Project with New Visions for Public Schools. Kit has also been a co-advisor for his schools' Gender and Sexuality Alliances, published an article, “We’ve All Got Homework to Do” in Kaleidoscope: Educator Voices & Perspectives, a magazine for the Knowles Teacher Initiative, and wrote a chapter, “Bathrooms for All,” for the upcoming book Social Action Stories: Impact Tales for the School and Community. 

Shelby Strong (she/her) is the elementary and secondary mathematics consultant for the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Shelby began her education career as a secondary teacher in Louisiana. She became a Louisiana Teacher Leader in 2014, and soon began leading professional development and presenting at local, regional, and national education conferences. She later spent time writing and reviewing mathematics curricula.

In 2016, Shelby wrote a four part series for NCTM’s blog entitled Communicating in the Classroom. She wrote, “When Teachers Overcome Math Anxiety, Students Benefit,” for Edutopia in 2021. She has been a guest on Lesson: Impossible, Math 4 All, DebateMath, and Unprofessional Development. Shelby is a Certified Illustrative Mathematics K-5 facilitator and has experience supporting elementary and secondary educators.

Shelby holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from the University of New Orleans and a Master’s Degree from the Math Leadership program at Mount Holyoke College. She holds her Teaching Certificate in Math Education (7-12) from Louisiana. 

Samantha Sklar is the Elementary Mathematics Consultant for the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Sam began her education career as an elementary classroom teacher in Arlington, Virginia. During her classroom teaching career, she taught in both New London, CT and Arlington, VA as a third and fourth grade teacher.

Over the course of four years, Sam helped to develop and refine science and math curriculum for Arlington, VA county. In 2021, Sam presented on incorporating voice and choice in the mathematics classroom during the Virginia Council for Teachers of Mathematics Conference (VCTM). In 2022, Sam became an elementary math coach in Arlington, VA and continued to support her school and district by facilitating professional development and supporting math instruction in her school building. 

Sam holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and Math from Boston College and a Master’s Degree in Math Education Leadership from George Mason University. Sam holds a Postgraduate Professional License in Elementary Education (PreK-6) and Math Specialist for Elementary Education in Virginia. 

Twitter: @MissSklar

Sarah Hugenberger is the Program Coordinator for the Center for Mathematics Achievement and the STEAM Learning Lab at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She handles administrative tasks and daily operations for those programs. 

Sarah spent the early part of her career in product management and training roles at technology companies. Later, while taking time away from work when her children were young, she completed a master’s program in Geo-Information Science. Sarah wrote her master’s thesis on Improving Compactness Measures for Political Districts. 

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geological Sciences from Brown University and a Master of Science Degree in Geo-Information Science from Salem State University.