Angela Knotts has 18 years of experience in mathematics education as a secondary and postsecondary mathematics teacher, mathematics coach, K-16 PD leader, researcher, and professional learning facilitator. She has expertise designing and leading technical assistance and professional learning at schools and districts around the country on a wide range of topics related to classroom mathematics instruction, curriculum, assessment, coaching and leadership, and organizational change.
At WestEd, Knotts leads development and coordination of professional learning and technical assistance services for the Mathematics content area. She has extensive experience designing and facilitating professional development experiences for mathematics teachers and leaders in both face-to-face and online settings, specializing in mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge; standards alignment; mathematical discourse; and the impact of identity, power, and agency in the mathematics classroom. In addition to working with teachers to deepen their content knowledge and instructional repertoires, she also works with school and district instructional leaders to help them assess their broader mathematics programs and improve student outcomes. From 2018 through 2022, she served as Co-Director of the WestEd-SVMI Mathematics Network, a network of schools and districts in Southern California focused on strengthening mathematics teaching, coaching, and instructional leadership. Knotts also worked with the California Department of Education on the 2021 revision of the California Mathematics Framework and assisted the state of Montana with its revision of secondary mathematics course pathways.
As a researcher, Knotts recently served as Co-Principal Investigator of the Discovery Research PreK–12 project Video in the Middle: Flexible Digital Experiences for Mathematics Teacher Education, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). She regularly works on a variety of other federally funded research projects, including efficacy studies of Khan Academy postsecondary mathematics resources, WestEd’s Math Pathways & Pitfalls, and the Division of Undergraduate Education study Scaling Up through Networked Improvement (SUNI): Testing a practical theory about improving math outcomes for developmental students at scale, which seeks to test and refine a practical theory of scaling complex educational innovations within institutions through a Networked Improvement Community.
Prior to joining WestEd, Knotts designed and implemented peer-led professional development experiences as a classroom mathematics teacher and coached and supervised student teachers. As a classroom teacher, she has developed and taught mathematics courses ranging from middle school math to AP Calculus to postsecondary developmental math and college algebra. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Oberlin College, a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education from Stanford University, and a secondary mathematics teaching credential with English language authorization from Stanford University.