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Anders Jasson AJ Stachelek

Hostos CC

Bio

My journey with AMATYC predated my current position at Hostos Community College, but these two institutions are forever linked in my mind. Because of my excitement of what AMATYC had to offer in regards to professional development and networking, I knew I had to increase my level of involvement somehow. Upon reading the requirements for Project ACCCESS in regards to institutional support, I knew I had to see if I could garner such support from Hostos. I am proud to say that with the unwavering and continuous support of Hostos, I became a Project ACCCESS Cohort 12 fellow and have been deeply involved with AMATYC ever since.

My interest in equity is a personal one and motivated me to seek out ways to align my personal goals with my professional ones. In this way, my deep desire for equity in mathematics education was born. This desire was nurtured during my graduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University by my mentor Dr. Erica Walker. She introduced me to the idea of multicultural education and taking into consideration the experiences of students and the reality of (mis)representation. Through her, I was introduced to Dr. Laurie Rubel and developed my doctoral dissertation around the implementation of her professional development for 8-12 grade teachers based in culturally relevant pedagogy (e.g., Gloria Ladson-Billings). My dissertation investigated the adaptations teachers made to their instructional practices throughout their participation in this professional development, focusing specifically on the interplay between their beliefs and their instruction. See The impact of culturally relevant mathematics pedagogy-based professional development on teachers' instructional practices.

This work also led Dr. Rubel and I to develop a tool to visualize the structure of the lessons in regards to participation made available to the students in regards to active or passive modalities. See Rubel, L. H., & Stachelek, A. J. (2018). Tools for rethinking classroom participation in secondary mathematics. Mathematics Teacher Educator, 6(2), 8-25. We also collaborated on a research grant to implement culturally relevant context in my own classrooms at Hostos, providing students the opportunity to dive deeply into the mathematics of financial institutions and their availability in certain neighborhoods. In particular, these lessons focused on pawn shops, check cashing outlets, banks, and the lottery. See Mathematics for Spatial Justice.

In regards to my more recent research involving analysis of systemic issues in mathematics education, I have spent the past years (2017 - present) working as the Co-PI on another grant funded by The Teagle Foundation on the Project for Relevant and Improved Mathematics Education (PRIME) in which four associate-degree granting institutions collaborated to enact changes in the structure and pacing of developmental education. The main focus of this grant is to implement corequisite courses to align and streamline mathematics curricula for students placed below college level mathematics (PRIME). This work is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of the need for systemic changes, but it is a starting point that has received more recognition in recent years.

Returning to my involvement with AMATYC, I am honored to be given the opportunity to be the chair of the Equity Committee and know that the road to improving the mathematics educational system will be long and difficult. I also know that my colleagues in community colleges are incredibly dedicated to their students and are capable of enacting amazing steps to improve the lives of our students. I am excited to be working with all of these amazing educators and think that the years ahead show incredible promise in these times that indicate how badly we need them!

Education

Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, New York, United States
Doctorate, 2014
Mathematics Education
2008 To 2014
Dissertation: The Impact of Culturally Relevant Mathematics Pedagogy-based Professional Development on Teachers' Instructional Practices
Advisor: Dr. Erica Walker

Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, New York, United States
Masters of Education, 2012
Mathematics Education
2008 To 2012

University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Masters of Science, 2004
Statistics
2002 To 2004

University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Bachelors of Science, 2002
Mathematics
1999 To 2002

Job History

Hostos Community College, The City University of New York
Assistant Professor and Deputy Chair
New York, NY, United States
August 2014 - present