Faculty Information

Christopher Rakes, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Education at UMBC. He holds a B.A. in mathematics education from the University of Kentucky (1999), an M.A. in secondary mathematics education from the University of Kentucky (2000), and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (Mathematics Education) from the University of Louisville (2010).

Dr. Rakes taught mathematics for ten years (eight in secondary; two in postsecondary) in both urban and rural settings, where he concentrated on helping at-risk students succeed in mathematics. For two years, he coordinated the peer review of grant proposals on the Mathematics and Science panel at the Institute of Education Sciences. Dr. Rakes leads the teacher preparation programs for Secondary Mathematics and Middle Grades STEM education.

His research focuses on the teaching and learning of mathematics through an interdisciplinary lens. He has done extensive research on teacher professional development (mathematics, science, STEM) and mathematics education technology. He recently led a collaborative research project about teacher preparation, funded through the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (IUSE-2013250). He currently leads the evaluation of several STEM education research projects. His scholarly work involves multiple methods such as systematic review, meta-analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), and mixed methodology.

Michele L. Stites, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Education at UMBC. She holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from The George Washington University (2012). Dr. Stites was a classroom teacher for ten years (K-5 and special education) and has taught in multiple states throughout the US. Dr. Stites’ research focuses on mathematics teaching and learning for children with and without disabilities. She uses a variety of research methodology in her scholarly work including quantitative methodologies, mixed-methods, and survey research. Her work has recently been published in Early Education and Development, the Journal of Early Childhood Research, and Early Child Development and Care. She is also an author of Families, schools, and communities: building partnerships for educating children.