Professor Erica Walker was appointed Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) beginning in January 2023. Professor Walker joined the University of Toronto from the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she was appointed the Clifford Brewster Upton Professor of Mathematical Education and the Director of the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME). Professor Walker also served as Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology.

A former public high school mathematics teacher from Atlanta, Georgia, Professor Walker’s research focuses on social and cultural factors as well as educational policies and practices that facilitate mathematics engagement for underserved students. Professor Walker’s work has been published in journals such as the American Education Research Journal, Educational Leadership, and the Urban Review. She is also the author of two books: Building Mathematics Learning Communities: Improving Outcomes in Urban High Schools (Teachers College Press) and Beyond Banneker: Black Mathematicians and the Paths to Excellence (SUNY Press). She has also received over $4.5M USD in grants since 2018 for her research from a range of agencies including the National Science Foundation.

Professor Walker earned her BS in Mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College, her MEd in Mathematics Education from Wake Forest University, and her EdD and EdM in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University, before joining Teachers College as a postdoctoral research fellow and professor.

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