About This Episode
Season 7. Episode 14.
Math is often seen as a subject that divides. Some students feel confident, while others quickly decide it’s “not for them.” But what if that belief is one of the biggest misconceptions in education today?
In this episode of Education Insight, Dr. Dave Kung, award-winning mathematician, educator, and co-founder of Just Equations, reframes how we think about math education in today’s America. From everyday decision-making to understanding public issues, he explains why math is essential for all of us. Not just those pursuing STEM careers.
Dr. Kung dives into the roots of math anxiety, how early classroom experiences shape lifelong perceptions, and why traditional systems often prioritize speed and right answers over true understanding. He also challenges the long-held belief that math needs to be difficult or selective to maintain rigor, offering a more inclusive and practical vision for what math education can be.
From rethinking the role of calculus to creating pathways that align with students’ interests and futures, this conversation explores how schools can rebuild confidence, spark curiosity, and make math meaningful again.
Featured Guest
Dr. Dave Kung
Executive Director, Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics (TPSE-Math)
Biography
Dr. Dave Kung has worked in the intersection of mathematics and equity at numerous levels over the last three decades. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics (TPSE-Math). Prior to that, he served as the Director of Policy at the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin. In this role, Kung led the Launch Years Initiative, working with state teams to modernize math options for students across the high school / higher ed transition – and ensure equitable access and success.
Kung directed MAA Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching), the math community’s premiere professional development program for early-career professors, from 2014 to 2023. He also works closely with K-12 and higher ed organizations, especially concentrating on equity issues in mathematics. Two Great Courses lecture series, on math/music and mind-bending paradoxes, have engaged audiences around the world. He has authored a variety of articles and books on topics in harmonic analysis and mathematics education. Kung was awarded the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award, the MAA’s highest award in college math teaching, for his work at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a public honors college outside Washington, D.C. He resides there, coaching local high school teachers, as well as playing violin and running–never simultaneously, but sometimes alongside his partner and daughter.
