The MTE-Partnership Guiding Principles identify several indicators of the shared vision for the preparation and support of secondary mathematics teachers that are grounded in issues of equity and social justice. The Equity & Social Justice Working Group (ESJWG) responds to the challenges of those indicators, advising the MTE-Partnership community.
These challenges are not only directly related to preservice secondary mathematics teachers, but also mathematics teacher educators as well as program structures, policy, and partnerships.
General Approach
ESJWG aims to improve preservice secondary mathematics teachers’ (1) equity-driven sociopolitical dispositions, and (2) knowledge and use of equitable teaching practices over the course of their preparation program. This aim is pursued through work on 6 primary drivers: PST beliefs and identities, PST instructional strategies, educative measures, policies, partners and stakeholders, and interaction with other RACs. The ESJWG’s driver diagram shows these primary drivers, as well as secondary drivers and our initial change ideas.
The work involves a research agenda in response to the first five drivers, while simultaneously working to support other RACs—often in spaces of overlap, but also specifically in response to equity and justice challenges of their work. Examples of our current work include, organized by change idea:
Alignment
Partnering with nearby university to recruit African American students to teacher preparation program
Instructional Resources
Developing in preservice secondary mathematics teachers the potential to notice and implement equitable instructional practices Understanding what preservice secondary mathematics teachers notice to be students’ mathematical strengths
Understanding what preservice secondary mathematics teachers notice to be students’ mathematical strengths
Measures
Use of the EQUIP classroom observation tool to assess preservice secondary mathematics teachers use of equitable teaching practices
Use of the Multicultural Mathematics Disposition (MCMD; White et al., 2012) to assess preservice mathematics teachers dispositions to teach diverse student populations.
Critical Conversations
Development of a RAC Liaison structure
A project to provide a shared set of definitions for equity, diversity, and social justice within the MTE-Partnership community Strategies to engage both teacher candidates and cooperating teachers in discussions of productive and unproductive beliefs related to equity
Strategies to engage both teacher candidates and cooperating teachers in discussions of productive and unproductive beliefs related to equity
Who We Are
Appalachian State University: Travis Weiland
Auburn University: Marilyn E. Strutchens, W. Gary Martin
Black Hills State University: Jami Stone
California State University Chancellor’s Office: Fred Uy
California State University Chico: Christine Herrera
California State University East Bay: Julie McNamara
California State University Fullerton: Patrice Waller
Columbus State University: Basil Conway IV
Iowa Department of Education: April Pforts
Florida International University: Charity Watson
Kennesaw State University: *Brian R. Lawler, Belinda Edwards
Lincoln Public Schools: Josh Males
Middle Tennessee State University: Jeremy Strayer and Ryan (Seth) Jones
North Carolina State University: Cyndi Edgington
University of Arizona: Cynthia Anhalt
University of Central Florida: Farshid Safi
University of Colorado: Nancy Kress
University of Nebraska Lincoln: Lorraine Males
University of South Florida: Ruthmae Sears, Keisha Albritton
MTE-Partnership teams are encouraged to have a member participate in the ESJWG
MTE-Partnership RACs are encouraged to have a member participate in the ESJWG
Note that there are two structures for participation, active member or liaison.
Resources
Resources for Getting Started
Aguirre, J., Herbel-Eisenmann, B., Celedón-Pattichis, S., Civil, M., Wilkerson, T., Stephan, M., Pape, S. & Clements, D. H. (2017). Equity within mathematics education research as a political act: Moving from choice to intentional collective professional responsibility. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48, 124–147. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.2.0124
Aguirre, J., Mayfield-Ingram, K., & Martin, D. B. (2013). The impact of identity in K–8 mathematics: Rethinking equity-based practices. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Atweh, B., Graven, M., Secada, W., & Valero, P. (Eds.). (2011). Mapping equity and quality in mathematics education. Springer. Dyches, J. & Boyd, A. (2017). Foregrounding equity in teacher education: Toward a model of social justice pedagogical and content knowledge. Journal of Teacher Education, 86, 476–490.
Horn, I. S. (2007). Fast kids, slow kids, lazy kids: Framing the mismatch problem in mathematics teachers’ conversations. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 16, 37–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508400709336942
Langer-Osuna, J. & Esmonde, I. (2017). Insights and advances on research on identity in mathematics education. In Cai, J. (Ed.). First Compendium for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 637–648). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Rodriguez, A. J., & Kitchen, R. S. (2005). Preparing mathematics and science teachers for diverse classrooms: Promising strategies for transformative pedagogy. Erlbaum.
The Data Literacy Institute – a partnership between APLU and the Association for Institutional Research with funding from Ascendium – brings together cross-departmental teams from 11 Powered by Publics institutions from Cluster 14 to engage in training that enhance their use of data to improve equitable student outcomes. In May 2022, Powered by Publics held […]
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