Professional Biography
Jennifer Valerio’s math education journey began at Villanova University, where she earned dual degrees in Mathematics and Secondary Education before pursuing an additional degree in Elementary Education and a master’s in Mathematics Education. Prior to coming to Penn to continue her studies at the doctoral level in the Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education program, Valerio spent 16 years teaching math at the elementary level and serving as a mathematics coordinator in Garnet Valley School District. She also held a leadership position in the district’s professional development committee and led district-wide math PD.
Since 2019, Valerio has served as a research assistant in the Responsive Math Teaching Project at Penn GSE, providing professional development and coaching to teachers in the School District of Philadelphia and conducting cross-school collaborative lesson design sessions to help teachers bring responsive teaching practices into their classrooms. Her research interests include combining practice-based and lesson study approaches to professional development so that teachers are more apt to transfer what they learn in PD into their everyday instruction.
Drawing on her experiences as a teacher and at work with the RMT Project, she became a math methods instructor in the Urban Teaching Residency program in the Spring of 2021. She enjoys working with novice teachers as they embark on their teaching careers and particularly values the opportunity to foster responsive teaching practices and a growth mindset towards mathematics and towards students in the next generation of teachers.
