Michelle Stephan

Michelle Stephan is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a joint appointment in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences) and the Department of Middle/Secondary Mathematics (College of Education). She teaches middle and secondary mathematics methods courses and provides extensive professional development to teachers in Cabarrus and Kannapolis County.

Her educational background includes:

• Ed.D. in Mathematics Education from Vanderbilt University (1998)
• M.S. in Mathematics from Mississippi State University (1994)
• B.Sc. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University (1992)

Dr. Stephan's research centers on design research methodology, instructional design, and supporting students with special needs in mathematics. She pioneers lesson imaging for inquiry STEM and advocates for community engagement through educational equity initiatives. Her work develops frameworks for 21st-century mathematics education that emphasize contextual problem-solving and critical consciousness.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2022-2024) reveals dominant themes in special needs mathematics education, STEM integration through systems thinking, and ethical reasoning development. Key trends include ratio/proportion instruction using ratio tables, co-teaching models for students with disabilities, and teacher strategies for contextualizing mathematical explanations. Her design research consistently focuses on creating equitable instructional sequences that bridge engineering practices with mathematical concepts while addressing social justice dimensions.

Dr. Stephan has developed statewide teacher learning communities and co-designed instructional frameworks for high-quality mathematics instruction across North Carolina districts. Her professional development work emphasizes ethical data science implementation and critical consciousness development in K-12 settings, though specific grant details are not documented in the source material.