Jean Lee

Dr. Jean Lee serves as the Director of Teacher Education in the Department of Education Studies. Prior to this role, she was a Professor and Director of Accreditation and Assessment at the University of Indianapolis.

Dr. Lee holds a B.A. in Pure Mathematics and an M.Ed. from the University of California, San Diego, and earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University. Her career in education began as a secondary mathematics teacher in San Diego, and returning to her alma mater to help shape future educators is a deeply meaningful part of her professional journey.

Her research interests center on project-based learning (PBL), the preparation of teachers for high-need urban schools, and improving recruitment and retention of STEM educators. She is PBL-certified and has led numerous professional development initiatives for teachers across the state, nation, and internationally. She currently serves as a co-principal investigator on the NSF-funded Get the Facts Out project (NSF DUE #2337285 IUSE), a national initiative aimed at improving the recruitment of STEM teachers by dispelling common misconceptions about the teaching profession through evidence-based messaging and resources.

Dr. Lee has co-edited a journal issue and several books on PBL, including Project-Based Learning in Integrated STEM Education (Education Sciences, 2025), Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships: Project-Based Learning in Elementary Classrooms: Making Mathematics Come Alive (NCTM, 2021), and Making Mathematics Come Alive with Project-Based Learning (NCTM, 2018).