Fredricka K. Reisman, PhD
Dr Reisman is founder of Drexel’s School of Education and is Emerita Professor in the School of Education. Additionally, Dr. Reisman served as Assistant Provost for Assessment and Evaluation, Interim Associate Dean for Research of the Goodwin College, and currently is Director of the Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation. Dr. Reisman received her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Syracuse University. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, Dr. Reisman served as Professor and Chair of the Division of Elementary Education at the University of Georgia and as an elementary, middle school, high school mathematics teacher in New York State, and mathematics education instructor at Syracuse University. Dr. Reisman has an impressive record of external funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the US Department of Education, the PA Department of Education, and foundation support such as the Wallace Funds and the Anna E. Casey Foundation, to assist pre-and in-service teachers in developing their mathematics and technology skills both in regular and charter public schools including national projects. In 1984, Dr. Reisman headed the Drexel project management team for the Computer Applications in Teaching Program which was the first major effort to integrate computing into instruction in the Philadelphia high schools.
She recently completed her fifth year as ACA President (James Kaufman was installed ACA president in November 2017). She has worked with a team of instructional designers and software developers at Drexel to create simulations for pre and in service, teachers addressing school-age violence and classroom management. Dr. Reisman was a virtual keynote speaker at the KIE conference held in Riga, Latvia in July 22-15, 2014 (see http://www.kiecon.org/page3.html). She also presented virtually at KIE conferences in London, Istanbul, and Berlin. The recent KIE conference was at Drexel in Philadelphia with participants from the UK, Finland, and several US locations. Dr. Reisman received the 2017 National Association for Gifted Children E. Paul Torrance Award with the following statement:
Fredricka Reisman’s championing of creativity—as author, educator, test developer, and advocate—is consistent with Dr. Torrance’s spirit and wisdom. She has been the long-time president of the American Creativity Association. She is an active scholar who has written numerous books and articles about STEM, learning, and creativity. She has successfully obtained funding in excess of $13M over the last 15 years towards improving mathematics and science creativity in K-12 schools. Keeping up with the times, Dr. Reisman recently developed the mobile app the Reisman Diagnostic Creativity Assessment. She worked extensively with Dr. Torrance at Georgia and continues to build off of his legacy. At Drexel, she founded the Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation, the first Center outside of the University that had Dr. Torrance’s personal permission to open.