Sarah G. King

Research Overview

Dr. Sarah King is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her work is deeply informed by her own experiences as a student with learning disabilities, ADHD, and chronic illness, which sparked a passion for ensuring that all students have access to meaningful and empowering learning experiences.

As a researcher, teacher educator, and former struggling math learner, Dr. King understands how powerful effective instruction can be in shaping students’ confidence as well as opportunities for success beyond K-12 schooling. Her research focuses on improving mathematics outcomes for students with mathematics difficulties and disabilities through evidence-based instructional practices and teacher preparation. She is particularly interested in helping preservice and in-service teachers create mathematics classrooms that are accessible, engaging, and responsive to students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds while leveraging their academic strengths.

Dr. King believes that every student deserves the opportunity to see themselves as capable mathematicians. Through collaborative partnerships with schools and communities, her work seeks to bridge research and practice in ways that directly support teachers and improve outcomes for students.

She currently serves as the site director of Project SCALE-UP, a federally funded grant that expands access to Fraction Face-Off, an evidence-based mathematics intervention, in elementary schools serving rural communities across Hawaiʻi. Through this work, she partners with educators across the state to strengthen mathematics instruction and increase opportunities for student success.

At its heart, Dr. King’s work is driven by a simple goal: helping more students experience the confidence, belonging, and joy that come from understanding mathematics.