Jessica Hunt

Jessica Hunt is a Professor of Mathematics Education and Special Education at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and a Faculty Fellow at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. She focuses on designing asset-based interventions to support students with disabilities in STEM, emphasizing uncovering strengths and fostering conceptual understanding. Hunt holds a PhD in Special Education from the University of Central Florida and a postdoc from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work integrates mathematics education and special education to enhance agency and proficiency in STEM.

Her research includes projects funded by NSF, IES, and NC-DPI, such as the Model Mathematics Education (ModelME) game-based curriculum and the FLIP-STEM initiative. She has developed interventions like the Fraction Activities and Assessment for Conceptual Teaching (FAACT) program, supported by an NSF Early CAREER Award. Hunt collaborates with schools to design tools for number, rational number, and multiplicative reasoning.

Hunt’s work spans teacher professional development, cybersecurity integration in STEM, and rural data science initiatives. She emphasizes listening to student thinking, positioning them as capable learners, and promoting equity through asset-based practices. Her publications include Designing Effective Math Interventions: An Educator’s Guide to Learner-Driven Instruction and numerous peer-reviewed articles on fraction learning, intervention design, and inclusive pedagogy.

Key awards include NSF’s Early CAREER Award. She teaches courses like ECI 709 (Curriculum Histories in Mathematics Education) and ECI 682 (Numeracy Techniques for Students with Disabilities). Her research bridges theory and practice, aiming to transform educational systems through evidence-based, student-centered approaches.