Fan Liu is a graduate student in teacher education at La Sierra University, with four years experience as a college and academic advisor, tutor, teaching assistant, and student teacher. Fan is an emerging voice in educator preparation whose work reflects a growing commitment to equity, collaboration, and professional learning. Through his role at La Sierra, Fan contributes to preparing educators who are equipped to navigate the complexities of today’s classrooms. While newer to CCTE and still deepening his engagement, Fan brings a thoughtful perspective on the importance of community, dialogue, and shared purpose in advancing educator preparation. Fan’s involvement reflects a desire to both learn from and contribute to a network of professionals dedicated to improving outcomes for all students. As he continues his work with CCTE, Fan is building connections and identifying ways to contribute to the organization’s mission, with a focus on strengthening practice and expanding impact across contexts.
What is your area of expertise?
My area of expertise in teacher education centers on educational equity, social capital, and inclusive instructional practices for multilingual learners and students from historically marginalized backgrounds. My work examines how institutional structures, access to guidance, and school-based support systems shape students’ academic opportunities and postsecondary pathways. A notable contribution of my recent research is a mixed-methods study presented at the CCTE Fall Conference that explored how targeted support programs can strengthen students’ sense of belonging, academic confidence, and college readiness. This work was later published in the CCTE Research Monograph, and it reflects my broader commitment to bridging research, classroom practice, and teacher preparation to support more equitable outcomes for students.
How long and in what capacity have you served CCTE?
I just served CCTE for less than a year, Including the Presentation 2025 Fall conference and publishing the 2025 Research Monograph.
How do you achieve your commitment to equity, excellence, and innovation in educator preparation in your everyday work as a teacher educator? In your work for CCTE?
I work toward equity, excellence, and innovation in my everyday practice by intentionally bridging research, classroom experience, and teacher preparation. As a teacher educator-in-training and classroom practitioner, I center my work on helping future and current teachers recognize how institutional structures, access to resources, and instructional design shape student opportunity. In my teaching and mentoring, I emphasize asset-based perspectives, culturally responsive pedagogy, and inclusive instructional practices that support multilingual learners and students with disabilities within general education settings. My work for CCTE reflects this same commitment. Through presenting research at the Fall Conference and contributing to the CCTE Research Monograph, I aim to translate empirical findings into practical insights that teacher educators and practitioners can use to strengthen support systems for students. I see CCTE as a vital space where research, policy, and classroom practice intersect, and I strive to contribute work that advances collective learning, reflective practice, and equity-focused innovation across California’s educator preparation community.
How did you become actively involved with CCTE?
I became actively involved in CCTE through the mentorship of my professor, Dr. Keith Drieberg, who encouraged me to share my research within a broader community of teacher educators. At the time, I was eager to publish and present my findings and was looking for a meaningful platform to contribute as an emerging researcher and educator. CCTE provided an opportunity to engage with scholars and practitioners across California, share research grounded in classroom experience, and learn how research can inform more equitable educator preparation and student support.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your work with CCTE members?
I am most proud of being able to contribute research that bridges classroom experience and teacher education through the CCTE community. Presenting my work at the Fall Conference and seeing it published in the CCTE Research Monograph affirmed that practitioner-informed research can meaningfully inform educator preparation. As an emerging researcher, I value that my work sparked conversations among teacher educators about equity, access, and targeted support for students, and that it contributed to CCTE’s shared commitment to improving outcomes for historically underserved learners.