Mathematics Learning and Diverse Students

 

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in learning complex mathematics. Importantly, however, this structural change must go hand-in 

hand with pedagogical and curricular changes that support all students in learning math. 

 

Developing teaching practices that disrupt inequities requires that teachers engage in a 

shared vision around equity, and that they communicate with one another, and work together to 

support change and to learn new ways of approaching their teaching, as well as new ways of 

viewing their students. However, these strong communities don’t sprout up spontaneously—they 

must be consciously created. At the policy level, schools and districts must structure teacher’s 

work lives in ways that foster collaboration, and perhaps build in apprenticeship and hiring 

practices that further encourage the development of teacher professional communities designed 

to disrupt inequity. 

 

A final important implication at the structural level is that support for reaching equity goals 

my be present at both school and district levels. When teachers feel unsupported in doing equity 

work, and when the district and school-level administrators don’t support their teaching 

practices, equity pedagogy in mathematics is near impossible to sustain. 

 

Pedagogical Level 

 

Our review of the research literature identified several components of instruction that have 

implications for enacting teaching that disrupts inequity. Students need to have access to a high-

quality curriculum—one that engages them in curriculum that engages students in complex 

thinking and problem solving. This likely has two important effects; it engages students in 

complex mathematics thinking and supports their mastery of important mathematical concepts, 

and it helps to reframe their identity so that they come to see themselves as “smart” in 

mathematics. It is important to note, however, that teachers must have access to training that 

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supports their ability to implement such a curriculum.  

 

A curriculum that provides students to access to complex mathematical ideas is most 

effective when paired with classroom practices that foster access and a range of ways to bring 

intellectual strengths to the endeavor of learning mathematics. That is, practices and activities 

that build on students’ strengths and ways of knowing, and that connect to their experiences and 

identities outside of the classroom. 

 

Implications for Future Research 

 

While there is a sizable research literature on equity and mathematics teaching and learning 

in general, we found that much of this research simply described the nature and extent of 

achievement gaps. There was less research on curricular and pedagogical approaches intended to 

disrupt these inequalities. And existing studies on pedagogy, curriculum, and practices that 

create equitable outcomes tended to be case studies and/or descriptions of particular approaches; 

there was a paucity of studies that compared different approaches to teaching mathematics in 

systematic ways. Additionally, very few studies included rigorous outcome measures, for 

instance changes in course-taking patterns, or measures of math learning. The field would benefit 

from such well-designed, outcomes-based research. 

 

Additionally, there is a shortage of research on the nature of the relationship between the 

practice of teaching (including learning outcomes) and the school, district, and education policy 

context. More research is needed to better understand the various factors at these broader levels 

that support or inhibit the disruption in inequality in access to mathematics. 

 

 

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In conclusion, we hope that this report has highlighted both the critical insights from the 

body of research on equity and mathematics teaching, and has offered some insight on potential 

fruitful directions for future research. It is time for the discussion on equity in mathematics 

education to move beyond simply describing inequities in outcomes; we must move towards 

both a political commitment and the development of a knowledge-base on how to create 

classrooms, schools, and educational policies that support greater equity. Creating such 

classrooms will require that we address political, social, and pedagogical issues in schools, and 

ultimately, involve directly attending to issues of race, social class, language, and power in 

schools.  

 

 

References 

 

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Necessary and sufficient factors in stereotype threat. Journal of Experimental Social 

Psychology, 35, 29–46. 

Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2006). Closing the mathematics achievement gap in high-poverty 

middle schools: Enablers and constraints. Journal of Education for Students Placed at 

Risk, 11(2), 143–159. 

Boaler, J. (2002a). Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship between Reform 

Curriculum and Equity. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 33(4), 239-258. 

Boaler, J. (2002b). Experiencing school mathematics: Traditional and reform approaches to 

teaching and their impact on student learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum 

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Boaler, J. (2008). Promoting 'relational equity' and high mathematics achievement through an 

innovative mixed-ability approach. British Educational Research Journal, 34(2), 167-

194. 

Boaler, J., & Greeno, J. G. (2000). Identity, agency, and knowing in mathematics worlds. In J. 

Boaler (Ed.), Multiple perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning. Westport, CT: 

Ablex Publishing. 

Boaler, J., & Staples, M. (2008). Creating mathematical futures through an equitable teaching 

approach: The case of Railside School. The Teachers College Record, 110(3), 608–645. 

Brantlinger, A. (2007). Geometries of inequality: Teaching and researching critical mathematics 

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