Jo Boaler

Boaler received a BSc in psychology from Liverpool University in 1985, followed by an MA in 1991 and a PhD in 1996 in mathematics education from King’s College, London University.⁠[1]

She began as a mathematics teacher in London comprehensive schools, and her PhD won the national award for educational research in the United Kingdom.⁠[2]

She became an assistant professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education in 1998, was promoted to associate professor in 2000, was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in 2004–2005, and was promoted to professor in 2006.⁠[1]

In 2005 she presented research claiming that behind-grade-level students at a low-income school, taught in mixed-achievement classes emphasizing group work, outperformed higher-achieving schools; mathematics professors at Stanford and Cal State re-crunched the numbers and said they found the opposite.⁠[3]

In 2006 James Milgram, an emeritus mathematics professor at Stanford, formally accused her of research misconduct, questioning her data collection; the university inquiry’s conclusion said it was not its task to decide who was right in the debate and that it found no evidence of scientific misconduct.⁠[4]

By her own account, in 2006 she accepted a Marie Curie Foundation award to become the Marie Curie Chair of Mathematics Education in England.⁠[5]

In March 2008, writing from the University of Sussex, she and Megan Staples published in Teachers College Record a longitudinal study of about 700 students at three California high schools, reporting that students at Railside, which taught heterogeneous classes with a reform-oriented approach, learned more and enjoyed mathematics more.⁠[6]

She left Stanford in 2006 and returned in 2010.⁠[7]

In October 2012 she posted an essay on her website saying that criticism of her research by Milgram and Wayne Bishop, a mathematics professor at Cal State Los Angeles, had crossed into harassment; Milgram denied any academic bullying and maintained his objections, while Stanford said the merits should be settled by scholarly debate rather than by the university.⁠[7]

From July 15, 2013, she offered “How to Learn Math,” a free online course for teachers and parents on Stanford’s OpenEdX platform; more than 20,000 people had enrolled before it began, with topics including myths about math and mistakes and persistence.⁠[8]

On March 31, 2015, Penguin published a revised edition of What’s Math Got to Do with It?, a 272-page book updated with new research on the brain and mathematics learning.⁠[9]

On January 6, 2016, Jossey-Bass, part of John Wiley & Sons, published her 320-page book Mathematical Mindsets.⁠[10]

In April 2016 she wrote in The Atlantic about brain research linking finger perception and mathematical development, arguing that students should not be stopped from counting on their fingers.⁠[11]

On June 11, 2019, Dean Dan Schwartz of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education announced her appointment as the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education; the school noted that she had written 14 books and produced the first MOOC on mathematics education.⁠[12]

She and Cathy Williams, a former director of K-12 mathematics in the Vista Unified School District, co-founded youcubed, which provides teachers, parents and students with resources for mathematics learning.⁠[2]

In 2019 HarperOne published her Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers, which argues for discarding notions of “giftedness” and holds that people can learn almost anything once they understand how their brains work.⁠[13]

The first draft of the California Mathematics Framework was released in early 2021, with ideas such as “productive struggle” largely shaped by her work; that year more than a thousand signatories published an open letter saying the draft could politicize the subject.⁠[14]

She appeared on episode 226 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, whose description calls her a professor of mathematics education at Stanford and co-founder of youcubed; topics included the beauty of mathematics, how difficult math should be, students giving up on math, improving math education in schools, inspiring mathematical creativity and methods for studying math.⁠[15]

In October 2021 a team she led, working with UCLA statistician Rob Gould, released “Big Ideas in Data Science,” proposed standards for teaching data science from kindergarten through tenth grade; she said data science is a rigorous discipline, not a lower-level pathway.⁠[16]

In March 2023 she posted a statement on her website saying that writing the California framework had made her the target of an organized campaign by a small group, with threats against her and her family.⁠[5]

On July 12, 2023, the California State Board of Education adopted the roughly 1,000-page framework, a guidance rather than binding document; board president Linda Darling-Hammond said the framework did not abandon math facts for young students.⁠[14]

On March 20, 2024, an anonymous complaint was filed with Stanford listing, in about 100 pages, 52 alleged misrepresentations of citations in her research and in the California framework, accusing her of “reckless disregard for accuracy” and asking for disciplinary action if confirmed.⁠[17]

She responded that the complaint stemmed from a politically motivated movement against equity-focused faculty and that the complainant misread educational research.⁠[17]

In April 2024 Stanford spokesperson Dee Mostofi said that after review the university had concluded no formal process was needed and that the allegations reflected scholarly disagreement and interpretation; Boaler said she was glad the matter was closed.⁠[18]

Jon Star, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said people had long questioned the rigor of her research claims but that such liberties are common in the field; the Valhalla Foundation stopped funding youcubed in 2024.⁠[3]

In late April 2024 Duane Habecker, central section president of the California Mathematics Council, filed a complaint with Stanford’s provost office against mathematics professor Brian Conrad, saying his criticism had turned into targeting her personally; Conrad replied that he had never singled out any framework author, and the university said neither complaint would be formally investigated.⁠[19]

In 2024 HarperCollins published her book Math-ish: Finding Creativity, Diversity, and Meaning in Mathematics.⁠[20]

She was named a 2025–2026 Design Fellow of Stanford Impact Labs, planning to work with educators and parents to promote best practices in mathematics teaching.⁠[21]

Personal website: Public link: https://joboaler.people.stanford.edu/ (opens in a new window)⁠[5]

X: Public account: https://x.com/joboaler (opens in a new window)⁠[15]

Stanford University: Official website: https://www.stanford.edu/ (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

University of Sussex: Official website: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/ (opens in a new window)⁠[6]

youcubed: Official website: https://www.youcubed.org/ (opens in a new window)⁠[15]