Trena L. Wilkerson, Ph.D., is Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University, where she currently serves as the department's Graduate Program Director. In 2016 she received the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ E. Glenadine Gibb Achievement Award for her contribution to the improvement of mathematics education at the state and national level. She is the editor of the Texas Math Teacher, the journal of the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Dr. Wilkerson served on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics board of directors from 2014 to 2017.
Dr. Wilkerson was also a co-recipient of the Award for Excellence in Integrating Science and Mathematics from School Science Mathematics Association (SSMA) for her role as Director of the GEAR UP Math Initiative and Co-Principal Investigator of the GEAR UP Waco grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Baylor and the School of Education were involved in the GEAR UP project from 1999 to 2013. The second phase of that project (2006 – 2013) provided $11.3 million in grant funds. GEAR UP stands for “Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs” and prepares students for higher education beginning in middle school.
Dr. Wilkerson's research interests include mathematics education, teacher education, algebra teacher efficacy, teaching and learning of mathematics, and professional development. She is interested in the effective teaching of mathematics and its impact on student learning. She recently conducted research in early childhood understanding of rational number concepts, worked with a cross-university collaborative to develop an instrument to measure algebra teacher efficacy, and studied the effect of professional development on mathematics teachers and their students through Lesson Study. She has published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, Journal of Advanced Academics, and The Mathematics Teacher and Teaching Children Mathematics.