Stephen L. Caviness

Stephen Caviness is currently a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University pursuing a Ph.D. in Teaching and Curriculum with an emphasis in Mathematics Education. His research focuses on Mathematics Identity and intersects with other areas including Mathematics Teacher Preparation, Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice, and Youth Participatory Action Research. Stephen considers himself a life-long learner and is passionate about supporting teachers to engage in ambitious mathematics teaching.

Prior to pursuing a Ph.D., Stephen taught middle school mathematics in Virginia for six years at the 8th grade and 6th grade levels. He taught several different mathematics courses ranging from Math 6 to Algebra 2. In 2019, Stephen was honored to be designated as a National Board Certified Teacher. 

Today, Stephen continues to teach, but at the University level. He has taught mathematics content courses and mathematics pedagogy courses for preservice elementary teachers. He serves as a Department Editor for NCTM's teacher-focused journal Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12. 

As a researcher, Stephen has focused primarily on understanding the mathematics identities of both teachers and learners. In 2023, Stephen was honored to receive the Robert M. Exner prize acknowledging his outstanding research as a graduate student in mathematics education at Syracuse University.

Outside of work, Stephen enjoys being an active member of his Syracuse community and may be found walking in the neighborhood with his wife and daughter, at craft fairs selling his woodworking projects, or leading music at his local church.