Founding Teachers and Facilitators

Kate Abell has been the facilitator of the Math Collective for the past fourteen years, most recently supporting work in the Brooklyn North and Manhattan Field Support Centers. Prior to her work with the Math Collective, she was a Region 9 math coach in the South Bronx for 4 years, and taught 4th and 5th graders for 11 years in the NYC public schools. 

Kim Van Duzer has taught and coached in K-5 classrooms in NYC public schools for 21 years, and is currently a math coach at PS 29. As a member of the Math Collective, Kim has facilitated previous math labs, co-planned and facilitated lesson studies and content-based workshops, and revised curriculum to highlight inquiry-based, student-centered methods of teaching mathematics.

Rachel Benoff has taught and coached in K-5 classrooms in NYC public schools for 16 years. As a member of the Math Collective, Rachel has co-planned and facilitated lesson studies and content-based workshops. She is especially interested in the transformational power of school leadership to create equitable, learner-driven school environments that foster sense making in mathematics.

Barry Rust taught 2nd and 4th grade before becoming a math coach at Community Roots Charter School eight years ago. He is also a member of the Math Collective, leading workshops and lesson studies, developing resources shared across schools, and working to start conversations around equity in math education.

Peter Cipparone is currently the Founding Head of School at the Croft School: Jamaica Plain in Boston, MA. Prior to that, Peter completed a PhD program in Educational Studies at the University of Michigan, with a focus on Teaching and Teacher Education, and taught 4th grade in two NYC Public Schools, PS 29 and PS 161.