About the Dean

Dr. DeFranco became dean of the Neag School of Education in July 2009 after serving five years as associate dean and another two years as director of teacher education.

Since arriving at UConn in 1991, he has held joint faculty appointments in the Neag School’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Department of Mathematics. This enables him to combine his love of teaching with his passion for mathematics -- an achievement that earned him one of UConn's highest honors in 2001 - University Teaching Fellow. In 2008, he received the Teaching Innovation Award from the AAUP – Conn. chapter.

Dr. DeFranco is as ardent about his research as he is his teaching. His research focuses on math problem-solving and on the teaching and learning of mathematics. Based on much of that work, he has authored or co-authored numerous articles, a book on mathematical problem-solving, and has been the principal or co-principal investigator on many grants.

He is credited with co-developing an innovative proposal for improving teacher preparation which resulted in the Neag School’s landing the Teachers for a New Era project, a major initiative and grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Working with math department colleague Chuck Visonhaler, the pair established and now co-direct the Center for Research in Mathematics Education, which combines the math department’s emphasis on content with the Neag School’s interest in pedagogy and performance.

Dr. DeFranco got his start in teaching at the elementary and secondary school levels. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz, a master’s from Seton Hall University, and a Ph.D. from New York University. He taught mathematics at St. John's University on Staten Island and mathematics education at the University of Hartford.