Though inequitable outcomes in mathematics have long been a reality, they are not a given. Math educators are rethinking the role their discipline plays in education opportunity. Supporting students in developing quantitative literacy while having positive math experiences in high school is central to this work. Recently, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics released the book Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics, to initiate “critical conversations” among math educators and beyond about how high school mathematics pathways can support students’ personal and professional success.
Pamela Burdman hosted a conversation between Robert Q. Berry III, President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Phil Daro, a co-author of the Common Core State Standards for Math. They addressed strategies for building more equitable math structures, including discontinuing the practice of tracking students into “qualitatively different or dead-end math pathways.”
See below for a list of resources and citations mentioned during the webinar.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8, 1.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2007). Third annual Brown lecture in education research—The flat earth and education: How America’s commitment to equity will determine our future. Educational Researcher, 36(6), 318-334.
Daro, Philip. (2008). Mathematics for Whom? http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/025-Phil-Daro-Mathematics-for-Whom.pdf
Loeb, S., Kalogrides, D., & Béteille, T. (2012). Effective schools: Teacher hiring, assignment, development, and retention. Education Finance and Policy, 7(3), 269-304.
Mathews, Jay. "A startling tour of empty-headed classes in much-praised high schools”. The Washington Post, March 1, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/a-startling-tour-of-empty-headed-classes-in-much-praised-high-schools/2019/02/28/486a7754-39da-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8cfd2736d75f.
NCTM. (2018). Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. Reston, VA: NCTM. https://www.nctm.org/catalyzing/.
Strutchens, M. E., Quander, J. R., & Gutiérrez, R. (2011). Mathematics learning communities that foster reasoning and sense making for all high school students. Focus in high school mathematics: Fostering reasoning and sense making for all students, 101-114.
Tyson, W., & Roksa, J. (2016). How schools structure opportunity: The role of curriculum and placement in math attainment. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 44, 124-135.
Tyson, W., & Roksa, J. (2017). Importance of grades and placement for math attainment. Educational Researcher, 46(3), 140-142.
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