Patrick L. Sullivan

Patrick L. Sullivan

Patrick L. Sullivan, PhD, is an associate professor of mathematics at Missouri State University. He is a former principal and mathematics teacher at Grace Prep High School in State College, Pennsylvania, an institution that, under his leadership, was recognized as one of the top 1 percent of all private schools in the state. Before that, he was the mathematics department head at De Soto High School and Mill Valley High School in Kansas.

In his current role at Missouri State University, Dr. Sullivan teaches content and methods courses to preservice teachers and graduate courses that involve strategies for implementing the Standards for Mathematical Practice across mathematical content areas. He champions all students, especially those who have lost hope in understanding mathematics. In the fall of 2022, he led an initiative to redesign a developmental mathematics course, coupled with improving the pedagogical training of graduate teaching assistants, which has already led to significant increases in the percentage of students achieving success.

Patrick is the current Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics president-elect. In 1999, he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in the state of Kansas. In 2016, he was recognized as the Missouri Teacher Educator of the Year. Throughout the United States, he has presented the best practical strategies for teaching mathematics, using technology to teach probability and statistics, and advancing students’ understanding of fraction concepts. He is co-author of the book Foundations of Number and Operations for Teachers. He has published articles in several different journals, including Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK–12 and the Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom.

Dr. Sullivan received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree in teaching and leadership from the University of Kansas, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Pennsylvania State University.