In Memoriam
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Dr. Nicholas Branca,
PDC Co-director
Professor Emeritus, Dept of Mathematics and Statistics
Nicholas A. Branca, Professor Emeritus, San Diego State University,
was involved in the field of mathematics education for over 30 years. He received
a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Iona College, a Master of
Arts in Teaching degree in Mathematics from Harvard University, and both a
Master's Degree and Doctorate in Mathematics Education from Teachers College,
Columbia University where he specialized in K-12 Mathematics Teacher Education.
At the University level, in addition to his tenure for over 25 years in the
Department of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego
State University,
Professor Branca taught at Columbia
University and New
York University and
served on the faculties of Stanford
University and the Pennsylvania State
University. He specialized
in teaching mathematics to prospective elementary and secondary teachers of
mathematics, and in programs for both masters degree
and doctoral candidates in mathematics education. He was also a visiting scholar
at the University of London, Chelsea
College, and the University of Michigan.
Before his career at the University level, Professor Branca
worked as a teacher of mathematics at the junior and senior high school levels.
During the past 20 years, Professor Branca focused
on the design, development, and implementation of professional development
programs for K-12 mathematics teachers. He served as the Director and/or Principal
Investigator of various local and regional professional development projects
sponsored by the State of California and/or the National Science Foundation;
among them, the San Diego Mathematics Project, the Mathematics Renaissance
K-12 and the Video Cases in Mathematics Professional Development Project.
Professor Branca also served as the Executive Director
of the California Mathematics Project, a statewide network of over 20 based
professional development projects.
In addition to his teaching at both the Secondary and University levels, and
his professional development work with teachers, schools, and districts, Professor
Branca has conducted research and published in the
areas of mathematics problem solving, learning and teaching. He was involved
in a number of mathematics curriculum development projects, including the
Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum Improvement Study, the School Mathematics
Study Group, the Connected Mathematics Project, and the Reconceptualizing
Mathematics Courseware for Elementary and Middle School Teachers Project.
He created mathematics curriculum material for both students and teachers,
and he was a life member of both the California Mathematics Council and the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, where he served on the writing
team for the Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics.
Professor Branca was serving as a Co-Director of
the Professional Development Collaborative (PDC) of the Center for Research
in Mathematics and Science Education at San
Diego State University. The PDC provides a variety
of professional education programs to mathematics teachers in San Diego County,
offering teachers the opportunity to reexamine the mathematics they teach
in order to come to a deeper understanding of the content and its connections
to other mathematical ideas and concepts. Professor Branca
also served as a mathematics consultant to various schools and districts and
to publishers and professional organizations, providing professional development
to teachers and educational leaders.
February 27, 2008