Theodore Ruiz Sagun, EdD, is a faculty advisor in the Teacher Education Program (TEP) at the University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA). In this role, he works and supports mathematics and science teachers who are new to teaching. Sagun is also
the director of mathematics instruction and learning at UCLA’s Community Programs Office where he works alongside middle school and high
school mathematics teachers to surface and recognize students’ strengths. While in this position, Sagun has also served as a co-investigator of a Carnegie research project focused on the teaching and learning of mathematics. Prior to these experiences, Sagun served as an associate director of the UCLA Mathematics Project (UCLAMP). In this role, he became curious and interested in students’ mathematical thinking and ideas related to Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). Sagun has facilitated professional development spanning elementary to secondary mathematics for the UCLAMP. In other roles, Sagun has worked with NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education to contribute to its Essential Actions Series. In this effort, he helped to write Culturally Relevant Leadership in Mathematics Education for NCSM (2022). Sagun also served on the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee in 2012 and 2020. He has presented at an array of conferences including the International Psychology of Mathematics Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), CGI, and California Mathematics Council North, South, and Central. Sagun has served as an adjunct professor at Whittier College and began his mathematics teaching career working with middle school and high school students in Whittier, California.
