Maggie McHugh
National Faculty
Dr. Maggie McHugh believes that all students are creative, compassionate, and capable learners who thrive when given meaningful opportunities to engage with the world around them. A passionate educator, PBL practitioner, and teacher educator, Maggie is committed to designing learning experiences that empower students and educators to see themselves as capable changemakers.
Maggie brings extensive experience designing and facilitating project-based learning in innovative school settings. As an educator and Innovation Specialist with the School District of La Crosse, she taught in a PBL middle/high school centered on design and innovation, supporting students as they used creativity, collaboration, and problem solving to engage with authentic challenges. Her work connects rigorous mathematics and STEM learning with student agency, design thinking, and real-world problem solving.
Maggie currently teaches Mathematics Education at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, working with pre-service educators as they develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to create meaningful mathematics learning experiences for their future students. As a National Faculty member with PBLWorks, she supports educators nationwide in designing and implementing high-quality project-based learning, and has designed multiple curriculum units for TEACH.
Maggie's scholarship focuses on project-based social justice mathematics and the ways meaningful, authentic learning experiences can help students see mathematics as a tool for understanding and shaping the world around them. Maggie holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University.
Maggie's contributions to education have been recognized through numerous honors, including Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), and National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Mathematics.