Kathy Liu Sun earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Stanford University. She received her single subject teaching credential in mathematics from San Jose State University. Kathy taught high school mathematics and computer science in San Jose, California. She spent four years teaching at a charter school in East San Jose and another five years in San Jose Unified School District. Kathy has also co-facilitated a variety of teacher professional development workshops throughout California.
Kathy’s research seeks to understand the barriers that prevent students from succeeding and advancing in mathematics and STEM-related fields. Her current work focuses on understanding how math teachers contribute to students’ ideas about their own math potential. She examines math teaching at various grade levels and in a variety of contexts. Kathy aims to improve math instruction so more students will believe in their potential to learn and view themselves as capable of succeeding in mathematics.
Kathy has presented her research at national and international conferences, including American Educational Research Association (AERA), Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and Psychology of Mathematics Education-North America (PMENA).