Bill Zahner is a professor of mathematics at San Diego State University and Director of the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education. His research focuses on the design of mathematics instruction and professional learning that support meaningful engagement and learning across grades 6–14, with particular attention to how multilingual students and students from historically underrepresented communities engage with and develop understanding of advanced mathematical ideas.
Zahner’s scholarship integrates classroom-based research, design-based methodologies, and partnerships with school districts to study instructional practices, discourse, and curricular innovations. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the State of California, including multiple grants as principal investigator and co–principal investigator. He currently directs a long-term professional development initiative in partnership with the Sweetwater Union High School District, serves as an advisor to the San Diego Mathematics Project, and collaborates with educators and researchers nationally.
Before entering academia, Zahner taught high school mathematics for six years, an experience that continues to inform his research, teaching, and commitment to bridging research and practice.
Education
Ph.D. UC Santa Cruz M.A. UC Santa Cruz M.Ed. Notre Dame de Namur University B.A. Boston College
Zahner, W., Tenney, K.*, Pelaez, K.*, & Choppin, J. (2025). What is ambitious (mathematics) teaching? Clarifying a key framework in mathematics education research and practice. Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220574251393976
Zahner, W., & Sekone, A. (2025). Using Excel in a Flipped Classroom: Student Experience in Calculus for Business Analysis. In R.M. Zbiek, X. Yao, A. McCloskey, & F. Arbaugh (Eds.), Proceedings of the forty-seventh annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1701-1702). Pennsylvania State University. https://doi.org/10.51272/pmena.47.2025
Navarro Martell, M. & Zahner, W. (2024). Research on the Equitable use of Language(s) and Discourses in Dual Language and Multilingual Mathematics and Science Classrooms. In J. A. Freire, C. Alfaro, & E. de Jong (Eds.), The Handbook of Dual Language Bilingual Education (pp. 536-555). Routledge.
Schwarts, G., Herbst, P., Chazan, D., Buchbinder, O., Clark, L. M., Wieman, R., & Zahner, W. (2024). Mathematics teacher educators’ navigational expertise when designing multimodal representations of practice: A semiotic analysis. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-024-09658-y
Zahner, W., Calleros, E. D.*, Wynn, L.*, & Pelaez, K.* (2024). Transforming learning opportunities in linguistically diverse secondary classrooms through promoting discussions: results of an intervention. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2024.2383803
White, I.*, Zahner, W., & White, A. (2024). Catalyzing teacher moves in small-group problem solving: a quantitative discourse analysis. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2024.2384732
Wynn, L., Zahner, W., & Walker, C. (2024). More than Steepness: Introducing Slope Quantitatively with Interactive Dynamic Representations. Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40751-024-00150-z
Choppin, J., Greene, C., & Zahner, W. (2024). Demands, Tensions, and Resources Related to Sustainably Implementing an Ambitious Mathematics Program in a High Need Context. Education Policy Analysis Archives.https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.32.8098
Calleros, E.D., & Zahner, W. (2023). Leveraging Identity and Language to Promote DEI in Undergraduate Mathematics. In Voigt, M., Hagman, J. E., Gehrtz, J., Ratliff, B., Alexander, N. & Levy, R. (Eds.). Justice through the lens of calculus: Framing new possibilities for diversity, equity, and inclusion (pp. 101 –114). Mathematical Association of America.
Pelaez, K., Calleros, E.D., Parra, J., & Zahner, W. (2023). Examining community cultural wealth of a transfronteriza multilingual student in mathematics classrooms. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2023.2178036
Roberts, S., de Araujo, Z., Willey, C., & Zahner, W (2022). Three ways to enhance tasks for multilingual learners. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 115(7), p. 458-467.https://doi.org/10.5951/MTLT.2021.0300
Zahner, W. & Wynn, L.* (2021). Rethinking Learning Trajectories in Light of Student Linguistic Diversity. Mathematical Thinking and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2021.1931650
Zahner, W., Pelaez, K.*, & Calleros, E.* (2021). Principles for Curriculum Design and Pedagogy in Multilingual Secondary Mathematics Classrooms. In A. Essien & A. Msimanga (Eds.) Multilingual education yearbook 2021: Policy and practice in STEM multilingual contexts (pp. 235-255). Springer.
D’Errico, M. & Zahner, W. (2021). Using interviews to identify the resources of multilingual high school students. Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 12(2), 7-15.
Zahner, W., Calleros, E. D.*, & Pelaez, K.* (2021). Designing secondary mathematics learning environments to promote discussions in multilingual classrooms. ZDM Mathematics Education 52(2), 359-373.
Zahner, W. & Aquino Sterling, C. (2020). Are the words as important as the concepts? Using pedagogical language knowledge to expand analysis of mathematics teaching with linguistically diverse students. Mathematics Education Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00352-9
Zahner, W. Chapin, S., Levine, R. He, L.* & Afonso, R.* (2019). Examining the recruitment, placement, and career trajectories of secondary mathematics teachers prepared for high need schools. Teachers College Record 121(2), 1-36.
De Araujo, Z., Roberts, S., Willey, C. & Zahner, W. (2018). English learners in K-12 mathematics education: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 88(6), 879-919. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318798093
