School of Education

Dr. Crystal Morton is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Urban Teacher Education at the IU School of Education in Indianapolis. Currently, she serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Director of Research for the Great Lakes Equity Center. Dr. Morton is also founder and director of Girls STEM Institute.

Dr. Morton served as the UES coordinator from 2018-2021. She continues to teach in the program, serves on numerous UES student committees, and mentors UES students during and after they graduate from the UES program.

Dr. Morton holds a B.A. in Mathematics, a M.A.T. in Secondary Mathematics Education and a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Culture, and Change from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Her scholarly work focuses on secondary mathematics education with an emphasis on the role of informal STEM learning in fostering equitable and transformative mathematics teaching and learning experiences. Dr. Morton’s research primarily examines the learning experiences, specifically mathematics learning experiences, of Black girls in grades 3-12 and the impact of a holistic informal STEM learning program rooted in the community and parent/caregiver engagement.

Dr. Morton also serves a Co-PI on the N.S.F. funded Carver Teaching Initiative Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Teaching Professionals through Internships, Recruitment, and Engagement (CTI-Inspire) project. As a former high school mathematics teacher, she is passionate about preparing people from historically marginalized populations to become the next generation of STEM professionals and leaders. Focusing on the mathematics and personal development of Black girls and young women, Dr. Morton founded Girls STEM Institute. Girls STEM Institute aims to transform communities by empowering girls of color to become leaders, innovators, and educators who use STEM as a tool for personal and social change. Girls STEM Summer Institute is open and available to all individuals, regardless of race or gender.

• Ph.D., Education (Culture, Curriculum, Change), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008
• M.A.T., Mathematics Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001
• B.A., Major: Mathematics Minor: African American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000

• M457 Methods of Teaching Secondary & Middle School Mathematics

• SCI-I120 Windows on Science

• A316 Women, Race, Culture, and Education

• S430 Teaching and Learning in High Schools

• N343 Mathematics in Elementary Schools

• N517 Advanced Study of Teaching Secondary Mathematics

• P507 Assessment in Schools

• L403/503 Assessment for Linguistically Diverse Learners

• E543 Advanced Study of Teaching Mathematics in Elementary Schools

• Informal STEM Learning

• Black girls mathematics learning and schooling experiences Holistic learning experiences Spirituality and education Mathematical problem-solving

• Black girls mathematics learning and schooling experiences Informal STEM learning Holistic learning experiences Spirituality and education Mathematical problem-solving

• Morton, C., Tate McMillan, D., & Harrison-Jones, W. (2020). Black girls and mathematics learning.In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford University Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1028.
• Mutegi, J., Morton, C.H., Etienne, L. (2019). Reconceptualizing Science Education for Learners of African Descent.  Centering Race in the STEM Education of African- American K-12 Learner. Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY. 
• Morton, C. & Cannon, M. (2019). We feel like going on: Negotiating the troubled waters of the academy through “spiritual sistering”. Queen Mothers: Articulating the spirit of Black women teacher-leaders, Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC.
• Morton, C. H. & Smith-Mutegi, D. (2018). Girls STEM Institute: Transforming and Empowering Black Girls in Mathematics Through STEM. Rehumanizing Mathematics for Black, Indigenous, and Latin@/x Students, Reston, VA.
• Cannon. M. & Morton, C.H. (2015). God-consciousness Enacted: Living, Moving, and having my Being in Him. Western Journal of Black Studies, 39(2), 147-156.
• Morton, C. H. (2014). A story of African American students as learners. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 2(3), 234-245.
• Morton, C. H. (2014). A Story of African American Students as Mathematics Learners.
• International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 2(3), 234-245.

• Girls STEM Institute
• Girls STEM Institute: Fostering and Maximizing Interdisciplinary Learning Year-round (F.a.M.I.L.Y)
• Carver Teaching Initiative Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Teaching Professionals through Internships, Recruitment, and Engagement

• The African-American Excellence in Education Award, 2020          
• Dr. Joseph T. Taylor Excellence in Diversity Award, 2019 IUPUI Trustee’s Teaching Award, 2016 Alvin S. Bynum Award for Excellence in Academic Mentoring, 2016 INSIGHT Into Diversity 2015 Inspiring Women in Stem Award Guidance Life-skills and Mentoring Icon Award Recipient, 2014 Service Teaching and Research (STAR) in Mathematics Education Fellow, 2010-present

• Morton, C.H. (2020, November). Mathematics for Liberation: Anti-racist practices in mathematics classrooms. Invited professional develop at MSD of Pike Township & MSD of Lawrence Township ElevatED, Indianapolis, IN.
• Morton, C.H. (2020, October), The power of the whole: Transforming the lives of Black girls through holistic STEM learning experiences. Casio Education – North America Virtual Equity Series.
• Morton, C. & Mutegi, D. (2017, October). Informal STEM learning: Impacting Black females’ self efficacy and interest in STEM careers. Presentation at Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA), Indianapolis, IN.
• Morton, C.H. & Smith-Mutegi, D. (2015, April) "Making "It" Matter: Strategies for Developing African American Females’' Mathematics and Science Identities. Paper to be presented at the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL

• Girls STEM Institute Summer Institute, CICF, $6500, Summer 2021
• Girls STEM Institute: Fostering and Maximizing Interdisciplinary Learning Year-round (F.a.M.I.L.Y), Research Support Funds Grant (RSFG), IU Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI) - Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, $34,871, 2020-2021 
• Girls STEM Institute (GSI): Bessie Coleman Project, $13,542, 2020-2021
• Girls STEM Institute: Cultivating Financial Wellness, Teacher Credit Union (TCU), $5000, 2020
• Carver Teaching Initiative Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Teaching Professionals through Internships, Recruitment, and Engagement (Proposal # 1758481), National Science Foundation (Noyce). co-PI, $1,446,335, Spring 2018 -2023
• Equity Fellow, IU School of Education, Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center, $125,000, Spring 2016-2021

• American Education Research Association

• American Educational Studies Association

• Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

• Benjamin Banneker Association

• Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics