Karen King

Karen D. King is transitioning to become Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings in the Education and Human Resources Directorate. She most recently served as Director of Research for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the largest professional association of mathematics teachers in the world, serving the US and Canada. King’s current research focuses on urban mathematics reform, the mathematics preparation of elementary and secondary teachers, and the policies of mathematics teacher professional development. She has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator of National Science Foundation funded grants totaling over $2,000,000 and recently co-edited book titled Disrupting Tradition: Research and Practice Pathways in Mathematics Education with William Tate, IV and Celia Rousseau Anderson. She also serves as part of the writing team for the revision of The Mathematical Education of Teachers, which describes the mathematics teachers need to know and be able to do to be successful in light of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics.

King has served as associate editor of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education and was a member of the RAND Mathematics Study Panel, which made recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education about future research funding in mathematics education. She received a Ph.D. in 1997 at the University of Maryland, where she conducted research on mathematics teacher thinking. She also serves on numerous committees focusing on research in mathematics education and teacher education with national organizations.