Dana Moyer is a Senior Program Director at DFI. In this role, she leads networks of educator-preparation programs and state partners, where she supports faculty and leaders in redesigning mathematics coursework and clinical experiences in alignment with early numeracy instruction and high-quality instructional materials.
Dana's expertise is in elementary and early childhood mathematics standards, curriculum, and implementation. Prior to joining DFI, Dana served as a director at the Texas Education Agency, where she led initiatives around high-quality instructional materials review and implementation, including large-scale district pilots of the state's open education resources. She has also written curriculum for Zearn, a digital mathematics program, and was a district-level curriculum specialist in Texas. She began her career as an elementary educator, and will always consider herself to be a kindergarten teacher.
Dana lives in Texas with her family.
Describe a teacher or student who made a lasting impact in your life.
My third grade teacher made her classroom - and the whole school - feel like home. She built a multi-age program where students could be supported and challenged, designed multidisciplinary units that made concepts exciting and novel, and welcomed all students and families into her classroom. When I became a teacher, I often reflected on how she made me feel as her student and aimed to bring that feeling into my own classroom.
What’s a piece of advice you’d give to aspiring or new teachers?
One piece of advice I would give to aspiring or new teachers is to always be a learner. Learn from your students, their families, and your community. Learn from mentor teachers and leaders. And be open to learning new ways of teaching. I am so passionate about early mathematics instruction because many concepts are taught differently now than the way that I learned them, and relearning as a teacher helped me make more sense of mathematics!
What were you like as a student?
As a student, I loved to read. I always carried a book around with me, from elementary through high school.