Equity Matters in
Mathematics Education
Marilyn E. Strutchens
Auburn University
May 4, 2007
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Equity Matters
Testimonies
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Related Research to the
Testimonies
• English Language Learners in mathematics education (Bay Williams & Socorro, 2007)
• Mathematics for all students (Schoenfeld, 2002)
• Equity Principle, African American males, and mathematics
education (Berry, 2003; 2004; 2005)
• Secondary African American students and their success and failure
in geometry (Westbrook, 2005)
• Opportunity to Learn (Tate, 2005)
• Reform mathematics and special needs students (McTier, 2007)
• Teachers who help African American students gain conceptual
understanding in mathematics (Malloy, 2007)
• The effect of part-time work on high school mathematics and
science course taking (Singh & Ozturk, 2000)
• TEAM-Math Observations (Strutchens, 2002-2007)
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What is equity?
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Equity as opportunity to learn
Equity refers to 'fairness.' We should have the same high
expectations/standards for all students (equality of
excellence). However, even though they may all have
the ability to learn, students do so in different ways; they
have their own particular strengths and weaknesses.
Thus to be fair (i.e., give all students the opportunity to
achieve excellence) we must provide an educational
environment that meets their needs. This means that we
need to be flexible with our educational programs; the
exact same instruction, curriculum, or assessment does
not work with all students (Laboratory Network Program,
1993).
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Equity as equalizing outcomes
A serious commitment to promoting equity in American
education goes beyond changing values and attitudes, to
changing policies and programs that affect student
participation and achievement, ultimately influencing
outcomes/results.
Generally, equity is a set of actions that produce results
that are not determined by differences of race, sex, or
economic status. In education, equity requires actions
that improve educational experiences and set high
expectations of success for all students.
(Jones, 1994)
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Equity as a vision of a
community of learning
The Holmes Group (1990) (cited in
Century, 1994) described school as a
place "where everybody's children
participate in making knowledge and
meaning - where each child is a valued
member of a community of learning.”
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National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics Equity Principle
“Excellence in mathematics education requires
equity --high expectations and strong support for
all students” (NCTM, 2000, p. 12).
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Equity requires:
• High expectations and worthwhile
opportunities for all
• Accommodating differences to help
everyone learn mathematics
• Resources and support for all classrooms
and all students (NCTM, 2000).
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Major Theories
• Critical Education Theory
• Critical Race Theory
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Critical Education Theory
• Argues that society is both exploitative and oppressive,
but also is capable of being changed.
 Reproduction theory is "concerned with the process
through which existing social structures maintain and
reproduce themselves" (Weiler, 1988, p, 6).
 Production theory is "concerned with the ways in which
both individuals and classes assert their on experience
and contest or resist the ideological and material forces
imposed upon them in a variety of settings" (Weiler, 1988,
p. 11).
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Weiler, K. (1988). Women teaching for change: Gender, class and power.
Critical studies in Education. New York: Bergin & Garvey.
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Critical Race Theory (CRT)
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Unmasking and exposing racism in its various permutations
Voice (Storytelling)
Critique of liberalism
Claims that Whites have been the main beneficiaries of civil rights
legislation
Ladson-Billings, G. (1999). Just what is critical race theory, and what’s it doing in a nice
field like education? In L. Parker, D. Dehyle, and S. Villenas (Eds.), Race is, race
isn’t: Critical race theory and qualitative studies in education (pp. 7 – 30). Boulder:
Westview Press.
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Particular Racial CRTs
• American Indian Tribal Critical Race Theory
(TribalCrit)
• Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit)
• Asian Critical Race Theory (AsianCrit)
Bartlett, L., & Brayboy, B. M. J. (2005). Race and Schooling: Theories and
ethnographies. The Urban Review, 37(5), 361 - 374.
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Closing the Achievement Gap: A Position of the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Every student should have equitable and optimal
opportunities to learn mathematics free from bias—
intentional or unintentional—based on race, gender,
socioeconomic status, or language. In order to close
the achievement gap, all students need the
opportunity to learn challenging mathematics from a
well-qualified teacher who will make connections to
the background, needs, and cultures of all learners.
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Quick Survey
• What is the highest level of mathematics that
you completed in high school? Why?
• What impacted you the most in terms of your
mathematics learning good or bad?
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Other Reasons Why Equity Matters
• Adequate Yearly Progress to meet No
Child Left Behind Criteria
• National Security
• National Economy
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Who needs to be concerned about
equity matters?
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Students
Teachers
Administrators
Parents
Policy Makers
And other Stakeholders
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For more than three decades equity
matters have been becoming increasingly
more important and have risen from areas
of concern for women and scholars of color
to capture the interests of larger academic
audiences.
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NCTM’s Research Committee’s
Commitment to Equity
• In 2005 the Research committee published an article in
JRME to raise awareness about equity and issues
surrounding equity from a research perspective as well
as to support the NCTM’s commitment to the Equity
Principle.
• They made the following statement: “Equity issues offer
a unique opportunity to unite research and practice
within mathematics education and across other
disciplines”(p. 92).
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As researchers, we are producing just words. And yet,
words are more than sounds. People do things with
words, and sometimes what is being done is wrong.
When the latter happens, it does not help to say that we
had little influence on what was done with our words or
that we were unaware of these words’ possible
misuses. The responsibility for our words and what is
done with them, I believe is always ours (Anna Sfard,
2005, p. 411).
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Suggested Research Questions from
NCTM’s Research Committee:
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What impact, if any, do Standards-based curricula have on existing
differentials in student achievement (Apple, 1992; Tate, 1995)? Do such
curricula reduce differentials? If they exacerbate existing differentials, can
this inequity be mitigated, and if so, how?
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Does the creation of mathematical discourse communities marginalize
students whose first language is not English (Secada, 1996)?
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How do different resources allocated to urban, suburban, and rural children
differentially affect access, opportunity, and outcome?
Gutstein, E., Fey, J.T., Heid, M.K., DeLoach-Johnson, I. Middleton, J.A., Larson, M.,
Dougherty, B., Tunis, H. (2005). Equity in school mathematics education: How can
research contribute? Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 36 (2), 92-100.
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Suggested Research Questions from
NCTM’s Research Committee:
• Are various forms of assessment inappropriate (culturally, physically,
or otherwise) in ways that prevent educators from understanding
what students actually know, and if so, how might we redesign
assessments (e.g., Ladson-Billings, 1998; Lee, 1998)?
• Do professional development programs that build on the knowledge
that teachers bring (e.g., Franke, Carpenter, Levi, & Fennema,
2001) fully capitalize on, rather than marginalize, as some have
documented (Lipman, 1998), the wisdom of teachers of color about
their own communities?
Gutstein, E., Fey, J.T., Heid, M.K., DeLoach-Johnson, I. Middleton, J.A., Larson, M., Dougherty, B.,
Tunis, H. (2005). Equity in school mathematics education: How can research contribute? Journal
for Research in Mathematics Education, 36 (2), 92-100.
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Suggested Research Questions from
NCTM’s Research Committee:
• What happens to students’ mathematics learning when taught in
culturally relevant ways (Gutstein, Lipman, Hernandez, & de los
Reyes, 1997; Ladson-Billings, 1995, 1997)?
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How do individuals learn to teach in ways that are culturally relevant, and
how can mathematics teacher education programs prepare individuals to
teach in culturally relevant ways – especially when the individuals do not
share their students’ cultures?
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How do families perceive teachers’ efforts to develop critical approaches to
mathematics (Frankenstein, 1987) and approaches to knowledge that are
oriented toward social change?
Gutstein, E., Fey, J.T., Heid, M.K., DeLoach-Johnson, I. Middleton, J.A., Larson, M.,
Dougherty, B., Tunis, H. (2005). Equity in school mathematics education: How can
research contribute? Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 36 (2), 92-100.
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Suggested Research Questions from
NCTM’s Research Committee:
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Can children with special needs profit from Standards-based (meaningful
and inquiry-based) instruction in mainstream classrooms (i.e., construct all
aspects of mathematical proficiency as outlined in the National Research
Council report Adding It Up, Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001)?
• To what extent can Standards-based instruction prevent, or at least
minimize, the number of children classified as learning disabled or
behaviorally disordered? What special instructional adaptations are
helpful or even necessary to ensure that such children prosper in a
Standards-based environment and develop mathematical power?
Gutstein, E., Fey, J.T., Heid, M.K., DeLoach-Johnson, I. Middleton, J.A., Larson, M., Dougherty, B.,
Tunis, H. (2005). Equity in school mathematics education: How
can research contribute? Journal for Research in Mathematics
Education, 36 (2), 92-100.
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Suggested Research Questions from
NCTM’s Research Committee:
• “What do equitable mathematics education classroom practices look
like in varied contexts and how do these practices align with the
Standards? How do you translate and adapt equitable mathematics
practices to new settings? Are equitable practices context
dependent?” (Tate & Lipman, 2003, p. 129).
Gutstein, E., Fey, J.T., Heid, M.K., DeLoach-Johnson, I. Middleton, J.A., Larson, M.,
Dougherty, B., Tunis, H. (2005). Equity in school mathematics education: How can
research contribute? Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 36 (2), 92-100.
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Questions Related to
Equity from Practitioners
• What are research-based strategies for mathematics instruction to
students with 1) learning disabilities, and 2) other low-incidence
disabilities?
• How can I engage my class in higher-level thinking? (effective)
• How do we differentiate instruction within the classroom when we
have inclusion/SPED/ELL?
• How do we “catch up” students who are behind (e.g. in high school)
or is it even possible?
• What are effective culturally relevant ways of teaching? Strategies
for closing the gap?
• What are the effects of gender-based mathematics instruction?
• What impact do teachers’ expectations have on students’
opportunity to learn?
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Questions Related to Equity
from Practitioners
• How does the education of the parents and the socioeconomic level of the family affect students’ motivation to
study mathematics?
• Is there any research related to students whose parents
do not value education and their struggle to find the
motivation to study?
• I really would like information or suggestions for students
in inclusion classes and those students who are not
special ed, but are very weak in math. How do we catch
them up and teach the new concepts we are responsible
for teaching?
• How do we let students of poverty know that we have
their best interest at heart when we come from different
backgrounds than they do?
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How do we bring researchers and
practitioners together in mutually
respectful ways so that each
group benefits from the
interactions?
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Mechanisms
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Media
• Teacher Journals
• Administrator Journals and Newsletters
• Internet
Note: These venues should not replace
publishing in premier research journals, but they
should be other places where our work can be
disseminated.
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Professional Development
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Inquiry Groups
Book Studies
Co-Teaching with Action Research
Systemic Initiatives
Math Science Partnerships
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TEAM-Math (Transforming East
Alabama Mathematics)
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Partnership of:
• Auburn University
• Tuskegee University
• 15 school districts in
East Alabama
NSF-funded Math and
Science Partnership
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TEAM-Math Mission Statement
To enable all students to understand,
utilize, communicate, and appreciate
mathematics as a tool in everyday
situations in order to become life-long
learners and productive citizens by
Transforming East Alabama
Mathematics (TEAM-Math).
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Project Goals
• To improve student achievement in
mathematics and close achievement gaps.
• Systemic Improvement of Mathematics
Education
 Alignment of policies and practices across the
system
 Different audiences: Teachers, administrators,
the public
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Why TEAM-Math?
• Low test scores in Alabama as a whole,
and east Alabama in particular
• Large achievement gaps between:
 Students of different race/ethnicities
 Students of different income levels
 General education students and special
education students
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Major Activities
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Curriculum alignment
Leadership development
Professional development
Redesign of teacher preparation program
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Curriculum Alignment
• Curriculum Guide:
 Developed objectives for what should be
taught at each grade/course to ensure
consistency and growth
 Now in its third edition!
• Common textbook adoption
• Quarterly tests
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Leadership Development
• District- and School-level Teacher Leaders
 Responsible for coordinating activities at their
level
 Serve as a liaison to the project
• Quarterly professional development for the
Teacher Leaders
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Professional Development
• Schools participate in cohorts
 Cohort I (Summer 2004) -- 25 schools
 Cohort II (Summer 2005) -- 22 schools
 Cohort III (Summer 2006)– 23 schools
• Additional workshops and courses
throughout the year.
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Teacher Preparation
• Improve programs at the Universities
• Initial focus on elementary content courses
• Beginning to look at the content courses
for secondary mathematics teachers
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Outreach
• Administrators
• Guidance counselors
• Parents and community
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Preliminary Results
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Summary of SAT Progress
• During the past two years, Cohort 1 schools gained more
than the state average (2.56 NCEs vs 2.17 NCEs)
• Cohort 1 schools improved in grades 3 through 6
 The largest gains have occurred in third grade (7.83 NCEs
compared to 2.0 for the state)
 Generally static at grades 7-8 (less than 2 points)
• Six (6) of the 14 schools in grades 3 to 8 experienced
two year gains at each of their grade levels
* Normal Curve Equivalent scores (NCEs)
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Summary of Alabama Reading and
Mathematics Test (ARMT) Progress
• Overall, ARMT pass rates in Cohort 1 schools are nearly
10% higher after two years with the greatest increase for
Grade 6 (14.72%).
• In Grade 4, five (5) of the 7 schools experienced
increased pass rates
(Range = 3.7% to 13.8%)
• In Grade 6, all 10 schools have experienced increased
pass rates
(Range = 1.7% to 26.8%)
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Summary of Alabama High School
Graduation Exam (AHSGE) Progress
• Cohort 1 schools have made progress in
both Grades 11 and 12
 The pass rate in grade 11 is 10% higher than two
years ago (compared to 5.5% increase statewide)
 The pass rate in grade 12 is 3% higher (compared to
a stable rate statewide)
• Greatest improvements have occurred in
Grade 11
 Seven (7) of the 8 Cohort 1 high schools improved
Grade 11 pass rates (ranging from 0.63% to 26.7%)
over the past two years
 In grade 12, five (5) of the 8 Cohort 1 high schools
improved their AHSGE passing rate.
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Goals of the Professional Development
Related to Equity Matters
• Raise awareness
• Examine barriers to equitable outcomes for all
students
• Examine the role of culture in the learning and
teaching of mathematics
• Examine students’ mathematics achievement
through equity lenses
• Analyze specific methodologies posited to
increase equity in the mathematics classroom
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Discussion Questions
• What are pivotal activities that can be
used to help teachers to see the
importance of paying attention to equity
issues?
• What are essential readings for helping
teachers to understand equity issues?
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Possible Activities
• Social Identity Petals
• Stereotypes and Beliefs Activity
• Awareness Workshop (Weissglass, J. (2002). Inequity in
mathematics education. Questions for educators. The Mathematics
Educator, 12(2), 34-39.)
• Multiple Entry Level Problems
• Culturally Responsive Teaching
• Differentiation
• Autobiography Related to Equity
• NAEP Data Workshops
• Multicultural Literature as a Context for Mathematical Problem
Solving: Children and Parents Learning Together
• Encourage teachers to use best practices from the research
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Discuss stereotypes or other
beliefs held by teachers or
school administrators that
impede the mathematical
empowerment of particular
groups of students.
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Studies Related to Equity
• Analyses of achievement tests and claims about student
ability (Tate, 1997; Strutchens & Silver, 2000; Strutchens,
Lubienski, McGraw, & Westbrook, 2004; Lubienski &
Crockett, 2007)
• Studies of tracking and limited access to educational
resources (Oakes, 1992; (Oakes & Wells, 1998)
• Studies of parent education and socioeconomic status
(Useem, 1990)
• Studies related to English language learners (Abedi &
Lord, 2001; Wang & Goldschmidt, 1999)
• Studies of student attitude and course-taking patterns
(Hoffer, 1997; Hoffer, Rasinski, & Moore, 1995 )
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More Studies
• Peer Related Studies (Fordham, 1988;
Jawanza Kunjufu, 1988; Fryer, 2006)
• Sociohistorical, sociostructural, and
community forces study (Martin, 2000)
• Opportunity to Learn (Tate, 2005)
• Case Studies (Strutchens, 1993;
Westbrook, 2005; Berry, 2005; Snipes &
Waters, 2005; McTier, 2007)
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NCTM’s Changing the Faces of Mathematics
Monograph Series
• Perspectives on Multiculturalism and Gender Equity
(Secada, 2000)
• Perspectives on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
(Secada & Edwards, 1999)
• Perspectives on Indigenous People of North America
(Secada, Hankes, & Fast, 2002)
• Perspectives on Gender (Secada, Jacobs, Becker, &
Gilmer, 2001)
• Perspectives on Latinos (Secada, Ortiz-Franco,
Hernandez, & De La Cruz, 1999)
• Perspectives on African Americans (Secada,
Strutchens, Johnson, & Tate, 2000)
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NCTM’s Changing the Faces of
Mathematics Monograph Series
• Three important commonalties cut across all six
volumes
 First the chapters are "principled practice," the
chapters are at the intersection of research and
practice.
 Second, many of the chapters address a broad range
of audiences.
 Thirdly, the volumes contain a balanced set of
manuscripts which are written to help people
recognize and avoid the recreation of stereotypes
along the lines of unidimensional analyses.
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Brown, C. A. & Clark, L.V. (2006) Learning
from NAEP: Professional development
materials for teachers of mathematics.
Reston, VA: The National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics, Inc.
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NCTM’s ABC’s
• The Research Briefs and Clips
 Research briefs and clips provide research-based
answers to questions of practice
 Research clips are concise, research-backed
statements about mathematics education
 Research briefs summarize the research on key
issues in mathematics teaching and learning.
www.nctm.org/research.aspx
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NCTM’s ABC’s
• Students with Difficulties
 Effective strategies for teaching students with
difficulties in math
 Characteristics of students with learning
difficulties in math
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Conclusion
If we truly want to make a difference as
researchers and practitioners we must
work together in mutually respectful ways
to move all of our students forward. We
must break down the barriers that keep us
from doing the work that we so
desperately need to do.
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