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A Pathway to
Equitable
Math Instruction
Dismantling
Racism in
Mathematics
Instruction
Exercises for educators to reflect
on their own biases to transform
their instructional practice
1
STRIDE
1
Dismantling Racism
in Mathematics
Instruction
This tool provides teachers an opportunity to examine
their actions, beliefs, and values around teaching math-
ematics. The framework for deconstructing racism in
mathematics offers essential characteristics of antiracist
math educators and critical approaches to dismantling
white supremacy in math classrooms by visibilizing the
toxic characteristics of white supremacy culture (Jones
and Okun 2001; dismantling Racism 2016) with respect
to math. Building on the framework, teachers engage
with critical praxis in order to shift their instructional be-
liefs and practices towards antiracist math education.
By centering antiracism, we model how to be antiracist
math educators with accountability.
While primarily for math educa-
tors, this text advocates for a
collective approach to dismantling
white supremacy. This school-
wide approach ensures that anti-
racist work is not left alone to one
individual (i.e., math teacher or the
director of equity), but to enlist the
support and voice of all stakehold-
ers in the school ecosystem.
•
Teachers should use this work-
book to self-reect on individual
practices in the classroom and
identify next steps in their anti-
racist journey as a math educator.
• Leaders and coaches should use
the framework during observa-
tions and walkthroughs, annotat-
ing the behaviors and providing
targeted feedback.
•
Administrators should examine
programs and policies and how
white supremacy impacts student
outcomes (e.g., tracking, course
selection, intervention rosters). In
addition, they can hold teachers
accountable for completing the
activities in this workbook.
HOW TO USE THIS TOOL
CONTENT DEVELOPERS
Sonia Michelle Cintron
Math Content Specialist
UnboundEd
Dani Wadlington
Director of Mathematics Education
Quetzal Education Consulting
Andre ChenFeng
Ph.D. Student
Education at Claremont Graduate
University
FEEDBACK ADVISORS
Kyndall Brown
Executive Director
California Mathematics Project
Denise Green
Educational Administrator, Mathematics
Monterey County Office of Education
Manuel Buenrostro
Policy Associate
Californians Together
Ana Benderas
Director of Humanities Education
Quetzal Education Consulting
THEMES
Teacher Beliefs
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Culturally relevant curricula and
practices designed to increase
access for students of color.
Promoting antiracist
mathematics instruction.
STRIDE 1
2
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
3
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
LETTER TO READER 4
DECONSTRUCTING RACISM IN MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION 6
Dismantling White Supremacy In Math Classrooms
Characteristics Of Antiracist Math Educators
CRITICAL PRAXIS 10
Shifting Toward Antiracist Math Education
CALENDAR 11
PROCESS 11
BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR 12
What Are My Expectations For The Year?
SEPTEMBER 15
Who Are My Students?
OCTOBER 22
What Am I Teaching?
NOVEMBER 29
How Am I Authentically Including Black, Latinx, and Multilingual Students?
DECEMBER 36
How Did I Learn Math?
JANUARY 43
How Do I Teach Math?
FEBRUARY 50
How Do I Track What Students Know?
MARCH 57
How Do I Engage Students In Learning?
APRIL 64
How Can I Facilitate Deeper Understanding?
MAY 71
How Do I Dismantle Power Structures In The Classroom?
END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 78
What Are My Expectations For Next Year?
REFERENCES 81
Table of Contents
4
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
This workbook provides teachers an opportunity to examine their actions,
beliefs, and values around teaching mathematics. The framework for
deconstructing racism in mathematics offers essential characteristics of
antiracist math educators and critical approaches to dismantling white
supremacy in math classrooms by visualizing the toxic characteristics of
white supremacy culture (Jones and Okun 2001; dismantlingRacism 2016)
with respect to math. Building on the framework, teachers engage with critical
praxis
1
in order to shift their instructional beliefs and practices toward antiracist
math education. By centering antiracism, we model how to be antiracist math
educators with accountability.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
While primarily for math educators, this text advocates for a collective approach to dismantling white supremacy. This
school-wide approach ensures that antiracist work is not left alone to one individual (i.e., math teacher or the director
of equity), but to enlist the support and voice of all stakeholders in the school ecosystem.
• Teachers should use this workbook to self-reect on individual practices in the classroom and
identify next steps in their antiracist journey as a math educator.
• Leaders and coaches should use the framework during observations and walkthroughs, annotating
the behaviors and providing targeted feedback.
• Administrators should examine programs and policies and how white supremacy impacts student
outcomes (e.g., tracking, course selection, intervention rosters). In addition, they can hold teachers
accountable for completing the activities in this workbook.
Letter to Reader
1
Critical praxis: “Ernest Morrell and Jeff Duncan-Andrade acknowledge that
critical praxis in the classroom involves a continuous, self-reflective cycle
between theory and action as follows: (a) identifying a problem, (b) researching
the problem, (c) developing a collective plan of action to address that problem,
(d) implementing the collective plan of action, and (e) evaluating the action and
assessing its efficacy in reexamining the state of the problem. Thus, critical
praxis involves a constant path of evaluating thought with action, theory with
practice, in the effort to gain a higher consciousness for positive change upon
the world.” (McLaren, Ryoo, Crawford, & Moreno, 2010, p. 151).
5
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
“We live in a toxic culture that
affects us all; one dynamic
of the culture is that we are
discouraged from seeing it. One
of our tasks is to learn to see our
culture and how it teaches us to
make normal that which is not
and should never be normal.”
(dismantlingRacism 2016)
6
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
White supremacy culture inltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions. Coupled with the beliefs that underlie
these actions, they perpetuate educational harm on Black, Latinx, and multilingual students, denying them full access to
the world of mathematics.The table below identies the ways in which white supremacy shows up in math classrooms.
Deconstructing Racism in
Mathematics Instruction
ENGAGING AND
SUPPORTING
ALL STUDENTS
IN LEARNING
(CSTP 1)
CREATING AND
MAINTAINING
EFFECTIVE
ENVIRONMENTS FOR
STUDENT LEARNING
(CSTP 2)
UNDERSTANDING
AND ORGANIZING
SUBJECT MATTER
FOR STUDENT
LEARNING
(CSTP 3)
PLANNING
INSTRUCTION AND
DESIGNING LEARNING
EXPERIENCES FOR
ALL STUDENTS
(CSTP 4)
ASSESSING
STUDENTS FOR
LEARNING
(CSTP 5)
DISMANTLING WHITE SUPREMACY IN MATH CLASSROOMS
We see white supremacy culture show up in the mathematics classroom even as we carry out our professional
responsibilities outlined in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP). Using CSTPas a
framework, we see white supremacy culture in the mathematics classroom can show up when:
• The focus is on getting the “right” answer.
• Independent practice is valued over teamwork or collaboration.
• “Real-world math” is valued over math in the real world.
• Students are tracked (into courses/pathways and within the classroom).
• Participation structures reinforce dominant ways of being.
• Teachers enculturated in the USA teach mathematics the way they learned it.
• Expectations are not met.
• Addressing mistakes.
• Teachers are teachers and students are learners.
• Math is taught in a linear fashion and skills are taught sequentially,
without consideration of prerequisite knowledge.
• Supercial curriculum changes are offered to address culturally
relevant pedagogy and practice.
• State standards guide learning in the classroom.
• Procedural uency is preferred over conceptual knowledge.
• “Good” math teaching is considered an antidote for mathematical inequity
for Black, Latinx, and multilingual students.
• Rigor is expressed only in diculty.
• “I do, we do, you do” is the format of the class.
• Students are required to “show their work.”
• Grading practices are focused on lack of knowledge.
• Language acquisition is equated with mathematical prociency.
7
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
These common practices that perpetuate white supremacy
culture create and sustain institutional and systemic barriers
to equity for Black, Latinx, and Multilingual students. In order
to dismantle these barriers, we must identify what it means to
be an antiracist math educator.
In order to embody antiracist math education, teachers
must engage in critical praxis that interrogates the ways
in which they perpetuate white supremacy culture in their
own classrooms, and develop a plan toward antiracist math
education to address issues of equity for Black, Latinx, and
multilingual students.
“The only way to undo racism is to
consistently identify and describe
it—and then dismantle it.”
(Kendi 2019)
8
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
Antiracist math educators deconstruct the ways they have been
taught math to learn and teach math differently.
Design a Culturally Sustaining
2
Math Space
Center Ethnomathematics
3
Make Rigor Accessible Through Strong and Thoughtful Scaffolding
Prepare Students of Color to Close The Gap in Access to Stem Fields
Embrace and Encourage Multiple and Varying Ways of Sharing,
Showing, and Communicating Knowledge
Support Students to Reclaim their Mathematical Ancestry
CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTIRACIST MATH EDUCATORS
DESIGN A CULTURALLY SUSTAINING MATH SPACE
CENTER ETHNOMATHEMATICS
• Use culturally relevant, antiracist pedagogy, practices, and curriculum.
• Cultivate mathematical identity so that everyone can see themselves as mathematicians.
• Adapt homework policies to t the needs of students of color.
• Recognize and name the mathematical successes of students of color, and teach them
to recognize successes in themselves and others.
• Intentionally integrate physical movement in math classes.
• Recognize the ways that communities of color engage in mathematics and problem solving in their everyday lives.
• Teach that mathematics can help solve problems affecting students’ communities. Model the use of math as a
solution to their immediate problems, needs, or desires.
• Identify and challenge the ways that math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist, and racist views.
• Teach the value of math as both an abstract concept and as a useful everyday tool.
• Expose students to examples of people who have used math as resistance. Provide learning opportunities that use
math as resistance.
2
“Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy views schools as places where the cultural ways of
being in communities of color are sustained, rather than eradicated.… Culturally
Sustaining Pedagogy promotes equality across racial and ethnic communities
and seeks to ensure access and opportunity. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy
also supports students to critique and question dominant power structures in
societies.” (https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ee/culturallysustainingped.asp)
3
“The term ethnomathematics is used to express the relationship between culture
and mathematics. The term requires a dynamic interpretation because it describes
concepts that are themselves neither rigid nor singular—namely, ethno and
mathematics(D'Ambrosio 1987).” (D’Ambrosio 2001)
9
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
4
Some struggle in learning is good, but there is a key distinction to be made
between productive struggle and destructive struggle. Productive struggle allows
students the space to grapple with information and come up with the solution
for themselves. It develops resilience and persistence, and helps students
refine their own strategies for learning. In productive struggle, there is
a light at the end of the tunnel; learning goals not only are clear but also
seem achievable. Although students face difficulty, they grasp the point of the
obstacles they face and believe that they will overcome these obstacles in the
end. Destructive struggle is different. Students cannot see how the difficulty
or confusion they’re experiencing will lead to any beneficial outcome. Learning
goals seem unclear, even impossible. These students feel like their efforts are
in vain, and they get frustrated and give up.” (Robyn R. Jackson and Claire
Lambert 2010)
MAKE RIGOR ACCESSIBLE THROUGH STRONG AND THOUGHTFUL SCAFFOLDING
PREPARE STUDENTS OF COLOR TO CLOSE THE GAP IN ACCESS TO STEM FIELDS
SUPPORT STUDENTS TO RECLAIM THEIR MATHEMATICAL ANCESTRY
EMBRACE AND ENCOURAGE MULTIPLE AND VARYING WAYS OF
SHARING, SHOWING, AND COMMUNICATING KNOWLEDGE
CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTIRACIST MATH EDUCATORS (continued)
• Teach rich, thoughtful, complex mathematics.
• Teach rigorous mathematics, understanding that rigor is characterized as thorough, exhaustive, and
interdisciplinary.
• Use mistakes as opportunities for learning.
• Recognize mistakes as miscommunicated knowledge.
• Allow for engagement in productive struggle.
4
• Teach students of color about the career and nancial opportunities in math and STEM elds.
• Encourage them to disrupt the disproportionate push-out of people of color in those elds.
• Invite leaders and innovators of color working in STEAM elds to meet your students.
• Intentionally include mathematicians of color.
• Expose students to mathematicians of color, particularly women of color and queer mathematicans of color, both
through historical examples and by inviting community guest speakers.
• Teach students of color about their mathematical legacy and ancestral connection and mastery of math.
• Honor and acknowledge the mathematical knowledge of students of color, even if it shows up unconventionally.
• Give rightful credit to the discovery of math concepts by mathematicians of color. Reclaim concepts attributed to
white mathematicians that should be attributed to mathematicians of color.
• Rely on teamwork and collaboration as much as possible.
• Teach mathematics through project-based learning and other engaging approaches.
• Provide multiple opportunities for students to learn from and teach each other.
10
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
Teachers, in order to shift your practice toward antiracist math education, it is necessary
to critically examine the ways in which white supremacy culture permeates your own
math classrooms. These exercises are designed as a year-long process of reection
and planning in order to identify the ways in which your practice may perpetuate white
supremacy culture, and create a plan for dismantling it using antiracist approaches.
Critical Praxis:
Shifting toward Antiracist Math Education
THIS CONNECTS TO
CSTP 6: DEVELOPING
AS A PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATION
6.1 ~ 6.2 ~ 6.3
Each month, you will complete a set of exercises as outlined in the calendar.
You will complete a ve-step cycle as follows:
1. Engage with the ways that white supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms.
2.
Reflect on your current classroom practices to identify the ways in which
they perpetuate white supremacy culture.
3. Plan to dismantle white supremacy culture by creating a goal that
incorporates specic antiracist practices
4. Act with accountability by carrying out the plan.
5.
Reflect on the ways in which your practices align with antiracist math education.
The terms used in the engagement section are ideas presented in the dismantlingRacism workbook (2016) notebook,
grounded on the work of Jones and Okun (2001). It is important to read this article rst to fully understand some of the
terms and how white supremacy culture shows up in organizations. We contextualize these ideas into the math class-
room to visibilize how white supremacy culture plays out in these spaces.
11
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
CALENDAR
PROCESS
END OF
SCHOOL YEAR
BEFORE THE
SCHOOL YEAR
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
What are my expectations for the year?
Who are my students?
What am I teaching?
How am I authentically including Black, Latinx, and multilingual students?
How did I learn math?
How do I teach math?
How do I track what students know?
How do I engage students in learning?
How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
What are my expectations for next year?
How can I facilitate deeper understanding?
Engage
Reect
Plan
Act (with Accountability)
Reect
1
2
3
4
5
12
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
Expectations are not met.
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Instead...
This is a classic example of either/or thinking. If parents don’t show the characteristics of what I think a good parent
is, then that parent is bad. If students don’t show the characteristics of what I think is a good student, then that
student is bad. This thinking creates meritocracy in the classroom: Students have to pull themselves up by their
bootstraps, and if they fail it is their fault. It does not give room for the systemic reasons students fail, which often
lie in problematic expectations.
Provide students with opportunities to give feedback
to teachers about the classroom and instruction.
• Identify expectations, unpack why you have them,
and reframe if necessary.
• Professional Development: As a department, identify
expectations both within and across classrooms,
and interrogate them for ways in which they uphold
white supremacy culture and other dominant ways
of being. (Re)align them with antiracist, social
justice, transformative justice, and restorative justice
practices.
Before the School Year
What are my expectations for the year?
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
13
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
Before the School Year : What are my expectations for the year? Expectations are not met. (continued)
What are my first thoughts
when a student does not meet
my expectations?
What are my first thoughts
when a parent does not meet
my expectations?
How can I reframe my thinking
and judgement and incorporate
more unbiased information to
the situation?
How does structural racism
impact the families and
community connected to my
school?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
14
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
Before the School Year : What are my expectations for the year? Expectations are not met. (continued)
15
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
September
Who are my students?
“[A critical centering on dynamic community languages, valued practices, and knowledges] means that educa-
tors don't see students’ languages (e.g., Navajo, African-American Language, Spanish, ‘standard’ English),
literacies (e.g., Hip Hop, poetry, social media, street art) or ways of being (e.g., spiritual beliefs,
ways of relating to adults and elders) as somehow marginal or to simply be added to the existing curricu-
lum. Rather, these facets of students' selves and communities must be centered meaningfully in classroom
learning, across units and projects.”
(Paris and Alim, in conversation with Larry Ferlazzo)
Students are Tracked
(Into Courses/Pathways and Within the Classroom)
Language Acquisition is Equated with Mathematical Prociency
16
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Students are tracked (into courses/pathways and within the classroom).
Instead...
Too often students are tracked based on the notion that adults know what the right thing is for them, which does
not allow room for student agency, reinforcing paternalism and powerhoarding. Following the same vein, leadership
decides which teacher is right for which course without allowing input from the teachers, students, or parents.
Provide students with opportunities to give feedback
to teachers about the classroom and instruction.
• Verbal Example: Fist to ve, How well do you
understand what we talked about today? Fist to ve,
How well did I teach this today?
•
Classroom Activity: Exit tickets or surveys that
ask students to identify how well teachers taught,
what helped them learn, what got in the way of their
learning, etc.
• Professional Development: Conduct regular surveys
and disaggregate data on teacher practices.
Consider how students are tracked even within your
own classroom.
• Professional Development: Identify ways of tracking
inside the classroom (seating charts, pairings/
groupings, etc), and conduct walkthroughs to assess
the extent to which tracking is occurring—and offer
alternatives.
• Professional Development: Learn the ways that
tracking can have a negative impact on student
identity and mathematical achievement.
Incorporate a more robust course selection process
that allows for multiple perspectives, including
student, parent, current and previous teachers,
advisors, and others who might also have relevant
information.
• Professional Development: Challenge the notion that
if a student did not pass one course they will not be
“successful” in the next course. See math is taught
in a linear fashion and skills are taught sequentially,
without consideration of prerequisite knowledge
• Administrators and Leaders: Create a process to
ensure that you are intentional about meeting the
criteria of Senate Bill 359 (Chapter 508, Statutes
of 2015), known as the California Mathematics
Placement Act of 2015.
September
Who are my students?
Students are tracked.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
17
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
September : Who are my students? Students are tracked. (continued)
How do I group my students for
collaborations and small-group
work (ability, homogenous or
heterogenous according to
)?
Who is not present in the
gifted and honors courses?
How do stakeholders (e.g.,
students, parents, teachers,
and counselors) come together
to share what they think
the placement should be for
intervention/honors/AP courses?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
18
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
September : Who are my students? Students are tracked. (continued)
19
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Language acquisition is equated with mathematical prociency.
Instead...
A common misconception is that students who are negotiating language are unable to communicate their math-
ematical knowledge. This reinforces quantity over quality when teachers reduce math teaching to things that are
more easily measurable, like literal math. This not only denies opportunities for more engagement with more rig-
orous math, but it also creates a dynamic of paternalism where teachers are deciding for students what math they
should interact with, without true consideration of the student’s experience. The idea that mathematics instruction
has to happen separately from language reinforces either/or thinking rather than considering how they interact with
and build upon each other.
Treat mathematics as a language that everyone is
learning while authentically centering students
home languages.
• Classroom Strategies: Color-coding ideas, learning
vocabulary in student languages, visual and
kinesthetic learning, representations of learning
without words.
• Classroom Activity: Multilingual Frayer Models for
denitions or concepts.
• Professional Development: As a department,
engage with language acquisition professional
development that is contextualized in mathematical
understanding.
September
Who are my students?
Language acquisition is equated
with mathematical prociency.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
20
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
September : Who are my students? Language acquisition is equated with mathematical prociency . (continued)
How do I work with students who
are navigating language?
In what ways do I communicate
mathematics noverbally?
In what ways do I honor
students’ native tongues and
incorporate them into my
classroom?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
21
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
September : Who are my students? Language acquisition is equated with mathematical prociency . (continued)
22
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
October
What am I teaching?
“In fact, the Common Core State Standards are a move away from the ‘equity principle,’ one of six key com-
ponents of previous standards (NCTM, 2000) and a departure from the equity position statement (NCTM, 2008)
that suggested teachers need to connect mathematics with students' cultural roots and history. Equity has
been the focus of more NCTM presidents’ messages and any other topic (Gojak, 2012), yet there is no mention
of equity in the Common Core State Standards, and accommodations for ‘English/Language learners’ are in an
appendix, something only the tenacious teacher would find.”
(Gutierrez 2017)
State Standards Guide Learning in the Classroom
Procedural Fluency is Preferred over Conceptual Knowledge
23
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
State standards guide learning in the classroom.
Instead...
While in public schools, our professional responsibility is to teach with the standards in mind, it is also our duty as
antiracist educators to unpack how the standards uphold white supremacy culture. A hyperfocus on standards
requires teachers to function under a system of urgency to “cover” all the material that will be on the test and not
focus on actual learning. This perpetuates the myth of coverage: The more we teach our students, the more that a
student is going to understand; the blame is on the student for not understanding versus the quality of the teach-
ing. The teaching becomes like a banking system instead of an interaction. In addition, there is constant tension
between those promoting CCSS as the best way to learn and those who are rejecting it (often because they did not
learn math this way)—both views uphold only one right way to do math. They limit the myriad ways of teaching and
learning mathematics in other cultures and countries.
Frame mathematics learning within the context
of students' lives, and link them to the standards
(see “Real-World Math” is valued over math in the
real world and Procedural uency is preferred over
conceptual knowledge).
October
What am I teaching?
State standards guide learning in the classroom.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
24
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
October : What am I teaching? State standards guide learning in the classroom. (continued)
How do I manage the conflicting
demands of the time I have
to teach all the grade-level
standards and knowing my
students need time to learn
math at a deeper level?
How do I negotiate what
learning should happen in
the classroom?
What is the danger of teaching
standards based instruction?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
25
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
October : What am I teaching? State standards guide learning in the classroom. (continued)
26
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Procedural fluency is preferred over conceptual knowledge.
Instead...
Though many educators value conceptual knowledge, we often assess and test skills rather than concepts, solidi-
fying the notion that skills are more important. Too often this occurs because math teachers prepare students for
what is more easily measurable, reinforcing both quantity over quality and sense of urgency. Also, many teachers
prefer to teach procedural uency so students engage with more complex problem solving because they believe
that they have to do the basic, or computation, skills before they can apply the mathematics. But that idea also
reinforces objectivity by requiring linear processing, which is oftentimes not necessary. This is related to sequential
thinking, without interrogating the need for that particular sequence of learning. In addition, many teachers are
more comfortable teaching skills-based work, and if they do that more often, they are reinforcing their own right to
comfort.
Begin with conceptual knowledge, and build the skills
along the way.
• Verbal Example: At the end of the unit, we are going to
have a carnival celebration where we determine whether
the games are fair or not using probability. Let’s think
about some games that we play. Are you likely to win?
• Classroom Activity: Let the standards guide
whether you are teaching procedural or conceptual
knowledge according to the aspect of rigor
embedded in it.
• Professional Development: As an educator, consider
whether you know mathematics deeply: Is your own
lack of conceptual knowledge the reason why you
are uncomfortable teaching conceptual knowledge?
• Professional Development: As a department, select
one topic or unit and unpack all the math in that
topic. What are the underlying concepts? What skills
are needed? How does this connect to other topics?
October
What am I teaching?
Procedural fluency is preferred
over conceptual knowledge.
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
27
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
October : What am I teaching? Procedural uency is preferred over conceptual knowledge. (continued)
Do I value my students gaining
conceptual knowledge over pro-
cedural fluency? Is it of equal
importance to me? How about the
ability to apply their learning
to new situations—do I value
that ability?
How do the values in the ques-
tion show up in the classroom?
What do they look like, sound
like, feel like, etc?
What is the relationship
between procedural fluency
and conceptual understanding?
What does the research say
about this?
What shifts do I need to
make in my planning to fully
incorporate conceptual
knowledge into the lessons?
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
3. PLAN
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
28
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
October : What am I teaching? Procedural uency is preferred over conceptual knowledge. (continued)
29
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
November
How am I authentically including
Black, Latinx, and multilingual students?
“By continuing to privilege data analysis and probability over other kinds of spatial patterning, even if
that data analysis concerns itself with issues such as climate change, we run the risk of limiting new ways
of doing mathematics and our relationships to the practice.”
(Gutierrez 2017)
“Good” Math Teaching is Considered an Antidote for
Mathematical Inequity for Black, Latinx, Multilingual Students
Supercial Curriculum Changes are Offered to Address
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Practice
30
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
“Good” math teaching is considered an antidote for
mathematical inequity for Black, Latinx, multilingual students.
Instead...
This reinforces either/or thinking by reinforcing stereotypes about the type of mathematical education that certain
groups of students receive. It allows the defensiveness of Western mathematics to prevail, without addressing
underlying causes of why certain groups of students are “underperforming,” a characterization that should also be
interrogated. It also presupposes that “good” math teaching is about a Eurocentric type of mathematics, devoid of
cultural ways of being.
Learn about authentic and cultural ways of teaching
and learning that represent the students in your
classroom.
• Professional Development: As a department,
study ethnomathematics and incorporate into all
classrooms.
November
How am I authentically including
Black, Latinx, and multilingual students?
“Good” math teaching is considered
an antidote for mathematical inequity
for Black, Latinx, multilingual students.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
31
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
November : How am I authentically including Black, Latinx, and multilingual students? “Good” math teaching is
considered an antidote for mathematical inequity for Black, Latinx, multilingual students. (continued)
What do I consider is good math
teaching?
What have I learned about the
system I work in and how it
affects the academic success
of students of color?
Who considers “good math
teaching” is an antidote for
math inequity?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
32
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
November : How am I authentically including Black, Latinx, and multilingual students? “Good” math teaching is
considered an antidote for mathematical inequity for Black, Latinx, multilingual students. (continued)
33
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Supercial curriculum changes are offered to address culturally relevant pedagogy and practice.
Instead...
Instead of delving into the deep and critical work of culturally relevant pedagogy and practice, math teachers often
reinforce the right to comfort by making supercial changes—such as converting the names in word problems to
more ethnic sounding names. Even for teachers who engage with more rigorous practices often limit the incor-
poration of culture to easier math topics like data, highlighting inequity between groups of people without deeper
analysis, often telling only one story about people, which can be dangerous.
Incorporate true culturally relevant pedagogy,
practice, and curriculum.
• Verbal Example: What are some of your family
traditions that you are proud of? Would you be okay if we
brought some of those into the classroom?
• Classroom Activity: Use Ankara fabric to teach
mathematical concepts such as tessellations,
fractions, area, percentages, etc.
• Professional Development: Get training on culturally
relevant pedagogy specic to math content, as well
as teaching math content.
November
How am I authentically including
Black, Latinx, and multilingual students?
Supercial curriculum changes are offered to
address culturally relevant pedagogy and practice.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
34
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
November : How am I authentically including Black, Latinx, and multilingual students? Supercial curriculum
changes are offered to address culturally relevant pedagogy and practice. (continued)
What is my understanding of
culturally relevant pedagogy?
What steps am I taking to
incorporate culturally relevant
pedagogy deeper into my
classroom and instruction?
What does it mean to be an
antiracist math educator
with culturally relevant
pedagogy?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
35
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
November : How am I authentically including Black, Latinx, and multilingual students? Supercial curriculum
changes are offered to address culturally relevant pedagogy and practice. (continued)
36
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
December
How did I learn math?
“Elsewhere, I have argued that the practice of school mathematics in the US regulates the child by priv-
ileging: algebra/calculus over geometry/topology/spatial reasoning; rule following over rule breaking;
Western mathematics (culture free) over ethnomathematics (recognizing that even academic mathematicians are
a culture); the ‘standard algorithm’ over invented or international algorithms; abstraction over context
(‘just pretend this is real world’); mind over body; logic over intuition; and encouraging students to
“critique the reasoning of others” over appreciating their reasoning (Gutiérrez, in preparation). Not only
can these repeated practices over a lifetime serve to dehumanize students and teachers in classrooms, the
narrative about mathematics being a pure discipline, reflective of the natural world around us, universal,
with an almost unilaterally positive relationship to society’s advancement, leaves many humans unable to
challenge this narrative to consider other ways of doing mathematics.”
(Gutierrez 2017)
Teachers Enculturated in the USA
Teach Mathematics the Way They Learned It
“I Do, We Do, You Do” is the Format of Class
37
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
December
How did I learn math?
Teachers enculturated in the USA
teach mathematics the way they learned it.
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Teachers enculturated in the USA teach mathematics the way they learned it.
Instead...
This reinforces the idea that there is only one right way to do math. The history of mathematics, its colonization, and
what is deemed as “acceptable” knowledge is rich and complex, therefore, the way that mathematics is taught in
the United States needs to be interrogated because it currently centers Western, Eurocentric ways of processing
and knowing information. When students are required to learn in this way, they either have to unlearn their learned
native traditions to meet teacher expectations, or they are deprived of learning math in their ancestral history. For
teachers, teaching the way they learned also reinforces the right to comfort for teachers because to conform is easi-
er than to challenge themselves to teach math differently.
Incorporate the history of mathematics into lessons.
• Verbal Example: Why do you think we call it
Pythagorean’s theorem, when it was used before he was
even born? What should we call it instead?
• Classroom Activity: Learn about different bases and
numerical ideas: Base 2, binary and connections to
computer programming, how the Yoruba of Nigeria
used base 20, and how the Mayans conceptualized
the number 0 before the rst recording of it.
• Professional Development: Learn the history of
mathematics. Take a course, go to a conference,
read historically and culturally accurate books,
and use the resources in this workbook. Focus on
different approaches to learning concepts.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
38
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
December : How did I learn math? Teachers enculturated in the USA
teach mathematics the way they learned it. (continued)
How were you taught math when
growing up? Was the focus
procedural, application, or
conceptual?
Who were you taught was
responsible for the development
of the field of mathematics?
How do you mostly teach
mathematics? Is the focus
mostly procedural, application,
or conceptual?
How have you developed your
understanding of the content
standards and the best
approaches to teaching them?
In what ways can you
continue to develop your own
understanding of mathematics,
now and in the future?
What teaching practices were
helpful in your own learning
experience?
What teaching practices were
harmful in your own learning
experience?
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
3. PLAN
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
39
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
December : How did I learn math? Teachers enculturated in the USA
teach mathematics the way they learned it. (continued)
40
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
December
How did I learn math?
“I do, we do, you do” is the format of class.
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
“I do, we do, you do” is the format of class.
Instead...
This structure of direct instruction doesn’t always allow for the full range of ways of thinking—reinforcing objectivity
and the idea that there is only one right way—because it potentially dismisses students’ own ways of processing,
and it also sties creativity. It also reinforces paternalism because the way that teachers model becomes the
standard for student learning.
Solicit student ways of thinking and processing.
• Verbal Example: How might you all go about this? What
do you notice?
• Classroom Activity: Incorporate explorations,
where students interact with mathematics in a
way that allows them to “discover” or experience
mathematics.
• Professional Development: Interrogate the ways that
you were taught, and break the cycles of teaching
that way by learning different ways to approach
the concepts. In addition, learn how to develop
project-based learning, experiential learning, and
explorational learning.
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
41
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
3. PLAN
How often do I use this format
in class?
In what ways do I allow my
students to show their way of
thinking, even if it is differ-
ent from how I am thinking?
What resources can or do I use
to incorporate the suggest-
ed instructional strategies,
according to aspects of rigor
embedded in the standard I am
teaching?
When is this a useful format?
When is it not? Why?
What does this strategy imply
about the students’ abilities?
December : How did I learn math? “I do, we do, you do” is the format of class. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
42
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
December : How did I learn math? “I do, we do, you do” is the format of class. (continued)
43
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
January
How do I teach math?
Math is Taught in a Linear Fashion and Skills are Taught Sequentially
Without True Understanding of Prerequisite Knowledge
Rigor is Expressed Only in Diculty
44
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
January
How do I teach math?
Math is taught in a linear fashion and
skills are taught sequentially without true
understanding of prerequisite knowledge.
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Math is taught in a linear fashion and skills are taught sequentially
without true understanding of prerequisite knowledge.
Instead...
While some mathematical skills and concepts build off each other, the forced construct of linear teaching
reinforces objectivity. A prime example is how matrices is considered a precalculus standard, even though the
only math skill needed as a prerequisite is arithmetic. This is highly detrimental to students because they are
systematically deprived of knowledge they could access due to false constructs. Math teachers have internalized
the sequences that have been predetermined by standards and textbooks, rather than sequencing learning based
on (pre)requisite knowledge. In general, teachers teach math like a ladder rather than a web.
NOTE:
This is particularly harmful to students in the era of COVID-19 and distance learning. While it is concerning that
students may have “gaps in knowledge,” the idea that they cannot access grade-level material presupposes and
reinforces that the cumulative way that math is taught in the United States is the only right way of teaching
and learning. While some things do in fact build upon each other, sometimes it is also a false construct of
knowledge. It is important that teachers don’t fall into this trap of linear teaching.
Reorganize your classroom teaching around concepts,
and teach them more like a web rather than discrete
sets of knowledge.
• Verbal Example: How does this connect to what you’ve
learned in the past? How can you use that knowledge
today?
•
Classroom Activity: Learning webs that connect
content.
• Professional Development: As a department,
consider vertical alignment of high school courses
outside the traditional courses. Currently, Common
Core State Standards allows for this, though schools
do not often do it.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
45
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
January : How do I teach math? Math is taught in a linear fashion and skills are taught sequentially
without true understanding of prerequisite knowledge. (continued)
How deep is my understanding
of mathematics content across
grade levels, and how are
standards connected?
How do I distinguish between
prerequisite knowledge for
mastery and “prerequisite”
defined in terms of traditional
sequences?
What resources did I use to
critically analyze my content?
How do I decide what content is
on the summative assessments?
How do I plan backward with
the key content?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
3. PLAN
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
46
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
January : How do I teach math? Math is taught in a linear fashion and skills are taught sequentially
without true understanding of prerequisite knowledge. (continued)
47
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
January
How do I teach math?
Rigor is expressed only in difculty.
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Rigor is expressed only in difculty.
Instead...
Too often in math, we limit the denition of rigor to diculty, rather than its full complexity including thoroughness;
exhaustiveness; interdisciplinary; and balancing conceptual understanding, procedural skills and uency, and ap-
plication. This allows math teachers to shy away from complex problems and tasks and instead streamline teach-
ing like we are spoon-feeding, in fear that students can’t do the work—and reinforcing right to comfort and quantity
over quality. This discomfort with emotion and feelings (quantity over quality) leads to the sentiment “Math makes
people feel stupid and it hurts to feel stupid,” and rather than addressing the implications behind that statement,
we instead “dumb down” curriculum so that students “get it.” This is highly problematic because it assumes that
students can’t rather than giving them the opportunity to engage with rigorous mathematics.
Start with more complex math problems and scaffold
as necessary.
• Verbal Example: If we wanted to build a rocket,
what are all the things we might need to know before
we get started? Along the way, we decided that we
want the rocket to reach the moon. What do we need
to consider now?
•
Classroom Activity: When solving equations, start
with the most complex problem, generate ideas for
how to solve it, and use the simpler equations as
examples to support those ideas.
• Professional Development: As a department, engage
with different ways to scaffold starting with the most
complex task.
• Also, see Math is taught in a linear fashion and skills
are taught sequentially without true understanding
of prerequisite knowledge.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
48
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
What is my understanding of
rigor in mathematics?
How do I ensure a balance in
my instruction between other
aspects of rigor and Common
Core three aspects of rigor
(conceptual understanding,
procedural skills and fluency,
and application)?
When is rigor a catchall for
equity?
January : How do I teach math? Rigor is expressed only in diculty. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
49
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
January : How do I teach math? Rigor is expressed only in diculty. (continued)
50
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
February
How do I track what students know?
Grading Practices are Focused on Lack of Knowledge
Students are Required to “Show Their Work”
51
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Grading practices are focused on lack of knowledge.
Instead...
Grades are traditionally indicative of what students can’t do rather than what they can do, reinforcing perfectionism.
In addition, math teachers also focus grades on what is more easily measurable, rather than the knowledge that we
want students to have, reinforcing quantity over quality and often evaluating procedural or skills-based knowledge
rather than conceptual knowledge.
Consider what grades really mean to you, and
articulate a plan that is consistent with those values.
• Professional Development: As a department,
consider how you would proceed with teaching if no
letter grades were to be given. Review alternative
ways of grading (standards based, mastery based,
A/B no pass, etc.).
Emphasize formative assessment.
• Professional Development: As a department, review
current assessment and grading practices to
determine what values are reinforced for the purpose
of making grades more purposeful.
• Professional Development: Develop formative
assessments that highlight student knowledge
rather than decit knowledge. Consider bringing in
experts to help design this.
February
How do I track what students know?
Grading practices are focused on lack of knowledge.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
52
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
February : How do I track what students know? Grading practices are focused on lack of knowledge. (continued)
How do my grading policies
reflect what I value in my
instruction?
Do my grading policies reflect
what students know and are able
to do, or what they haven’t
demonstrated?
Why do I grade how I grade?
Is it mathematically fair to
grade students on a traditional
scale (e.g., 69.5% or below is
not passing)?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
53
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
February : How do I track what students know? Grading practices are focused on lack of knowledge. (continued)
54
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Students are required to “show their work.”
Instead...
Math teachers ask students to show work so that teachers know what students are thinking, but that centers the
teacher’s need to understand rather than student learning. It becomes a crutch for teachers seeking to understand
what students are thinking and less of a tool for students in learning how to process. Thus, requiring students to
show their work reinforces worship of the written word as well as paternalism.
Ask other questions that will demonstrate learning
when it is not clear to you how students know the
answer.
• Verbal Example: If you were working with a fellow
mathematician who was absent this day, what might
you tell them to help them learn it?
• Classroom Activity: Number talks, where students
have to engage with mental mathematics not limited
to computations.
• Professional Development: As a department, solve
complex problems without writing and share with
each other about that process.
Offer a variety of ways to demonstrate thinking and
knowledge.
• Verbal Example: Show your thinking with words,
pictures, symbols.
• Classroom Activity: Have students create TikTok
videos, silent lms, or cartoons about mathematical
concepts or procedures.
• Professional Development: Practice with math
colleagues how to answer mathematical problems
without using words or numbers.
February
How do I track what students know?
Students are required to “show their work.”
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
55
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
February : How do I track what students know? Students are required to “show their work.” (continued)
When asking students to show
their work, what are the
reasons for this?
What are the myriad ways
students can demonstrate their
knowledge or understanding?
What type of “work” is valued?
What type of “work” is not
valued?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
56
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
February : How do I track what students know? Students are required to “show their work.” (continued)
57
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
March
How do I engage students in learning?
“Real-World Math” is Valued Over Math in The Real World
Independent Practice is Valued Over Teamwork or Collaboration
58
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
“Real-world math” is valued over math in the real world.
Instead...
Often the emphasis is placed on learning math in the “real world,” as if our classrooms are not a part of the real
world. This reinforces notions of either/or thinking because math is only seen as useful when it is in a particular
context. However, this can result in using mathematics to uphold capitalist and imperialist ways of being and un-
derstandings of the world.
Consider the daily ways that students interact with
mathematics in their communities, and use those to
provide context for mathematical problems.
• Verbal Example: If I’m walking forward, how might I
represent that with numbers or symbols? What if I’m
walking backwards?
• Classroom Activity: Use transit systems to teach
concepts like positive and negative numbers, or the
coordinate plane.
• Professional Development: Review all the ways
that word problems and context show up in the
curriculum. Limit or eliminate references to money,
especially when transactional.
Learn about, engage with, and incorporate
ethnomathematics.
• Verbal Example: Reflect on your day so far. What math
have you already used today?
• Classroom Activity: Community walks to engage
with slope.
• Professional Development: Study more about
ethnomathematics and how to authentically
incorporate ethnomathematics or living mathematx
(Gutierrez 2017) into the curriculum.
March
How do I engage students in learning?
“Real-world math” is valued over math in the real world.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
59
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
March : How do I engage students in learning? “Real-world math” is valued over math in the real world. (continued)
How can I study the
community in which I teach
and incorporate issues that
affect my students into my
instruction?
What strengths and values can
I highlight from the community
in which I teach?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
60
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
March : How do I engage students in learning? “Real-world math” is valued over math in the real world. (continued)
61
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Independent practice is valued over teamwork or collaboration.
Instead...
While there is some value in students being able to complete work independently, when this is the only or most
common avenue for learning or practicing, it reinforces individualism and the notion that I’m the only one. This does
not give value to collectivism and community understanding, and fosters conditions for competition and individual
success, which perpetuates the idea that if a student is failing it is because they are not trying hard enough or that
they don’t care.
Co-construct knowledge in the classroom.
• Verbal Example: Let’s get into partners and do a think-
pair-share. We will incorporate everyone’s ideas and try
to synthesize them.
• Classroom Activity: Have students create
mathematical denitions in their own words in
groups, and bring the groups together to co-
construct mathematical denitions as a class.
• Professional Development: As a department, learn
about collaborative group structures and practice
mathematics using these structures.
Incorporate collective activities including, but not
limited to, group work.
• Classroom Activity: Give each student a number and
have them group with other students and explain
how they grouped themselves. Then, have the entire
class regroup in a different way to highlight a new
set of characteristics.
• Professional Development: As a department,
research and practice group-worthy tasks, as well as
ways of interacting collectively with each other.
March
How do I engage students in learning?
Independent practice is valued over
teamwork or collaboration.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
62
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
How is learning mostly arranged
in your classroom? Is it indi-
vidual practice, whole-group
instruction, collaborative
work, exploration? Why or how
do you choose these approaches
for practice?
What other strategies and
structures can you use in the
classroom?
How do you frame how learning
happens in the classroom?
March : How do I engage students in learning? Independent practice is valued
over teamwork or collaboration. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
63
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
March : How do I engage students in learning? Independent practice is valued
over teamwork or collaboration. (continued)
64
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
April
How can I facilitate deeper understanding?
The Focus is on Getting the “Right” Answer
Addressing Mistakes
65
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
The focus is on getting the “right” answer.
Instead...
The concept of mathematics being purely objective is unequivocally false, and teaching it is even much less so. Up-
holding the idea that there are always right and wrong answers perpetuate objectivity as well as fear of open conflict.
Choose problems that have complex, competing, or
multiple answers.
• Verbal Example: Come up with at least two answers
that might solve this problem.
• Classroom Activity: Challenge standardized test
questions by getting the “right” answer, but justify
other answers by unpacking the assumptions that
are made in the problem.
•
Classroom Activity: Deconstructed Multiple Choice
- given a set of multiple choice answers, students
discuss why these answers may have been included
(can also be used to highlight common mistakes).
• Professional Development: Study the purpose of
math education, and re-envision it. Schooling as we
know it began during the industrial revolution, when
precision and accuracy were highly valued. What are
the myriad ways we can conceptualize mathematics
in today’s world and beyond?
Engage with true problem solving.
• Verbal Example: What are some strategies we can use
to engage with this problem?
• Classroom Activity: Using a set of data, analyze it in
multiple ways to draw different conclusions.
• Professional Development: Study the art of problem
solving by engaging in rich, complex mathematical
problems. Consider whether your own content
knowledge is sucient to allow you to problem solve
through math without the strategies you typically
use.
April
How can I facilitate deeper understanding?
The focus is on getting the “right” answer.
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
66
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
3. PLAN
In your own schooling, what was
the purpose of doing math?
What is your purpose for teach-
ing mathematics to students?
Do you value precision
and speed in mathematics
achievement? Where do you
think that belief comes from?
When would efficiency be
harmful for students?
How do you engage with
competing, conflicting, or
multiple answers to problems?
What is the value of exploring
math concepts as opposed to
seeking the “right” answer?
April : How can I facilitate deeper understanding? The focus is on getting the “right” answer. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
67
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
April : How can I facilitate deeper understanding? The focus is on getting the “right” answer. (continued)
68
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Addressing mistakes.
Instead...
Though math teachers often tout the phrase “mistakes are expected, respected, inspected, and corrected,” their
practices don’t always align. Teachers often treat mistakes as problems by equating them with wrongness, rather
than treating them opportunities for learning—which reinforces the ideas of perfectionism (that students shouldn’t
make mistakes) and paternalism (teachers or other experts can and should correct mistakes).
Identify what is right about the thinking, and highlight
the mistake in what is factually or procedurally
accepted.
• Verbal Example: You recognized that you had to
combine the constants 27 and 9, could you explain your
thinking?
•
Classroom Activity: Error Analysis worksheets that
highlight what is the right idea behind the mistake.
• Professional Development: Learn to distinguish
between a mistake and a misunderstanding. A
mistake typically happens when knowledge is
secure, and a misunderstanding or misconception
occurs when knowledge is not yet solidied or
solidied incorrectly.
• Professional Development: In teams, craft questions
that you practice on colleagues so they can be
rened to better identify ideas.
April
How can I facilitate deeper understanding?
Addressing mistakes.
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
69
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
3. PLAN
What is my reaction when a
student makes a mistake in
my class?
How do I try to show the
student how to get to the
correct answer?
What do I look for to see
what my student understands
and where my student needs
guidance?
How can I use student mistakes
as an opportunity for learning?
What do I believe about
the purpose of mistakes in
mathematics?
April : How can I facilitate deeper understanding? Addressing mistakes. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
70
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
April : How can I facilitate deeper understanding? Addressing mistakes. (continued)
71
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
May
How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Teachers are Teachers and Students are Learners
Participation Structures Reinforce Dominant Ways of Being
72
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Teachers are teachers and students are learners.
Instead...
Unique to mathematics is the idea that new learning comes from the teacher. Even when learning is connected
to previous knowledge and experiences, the idea is often that teachers provide the learning and are in charge of
disseminating new information. This reinforces the ideas of paternalism and powerhoarding. When students bring a
different approach to doing math, teachers often get defensive and see it as a challenge to the power structures in
the classroom.
Learn from students.
• Verbal Example: I thought that we were supposed to
add right here, but I can’t gure it out? Can you help
me out?
•
Classroom Activity: Flipped learning, where students
teach concepts to other students.
• Professional Development: Learn to shift your
position to a facilitator, rather than a knowledge
giver, by having someone observe your classroom
specically to identify the way that power is
distributed.
Using thoughtful questioning to solicit mathematical
thoughts rather than telling.
• Verbal Example: What would a mathematician who is
confused ask about this question?
• Classroom Activity: After students demonstrate
knowledge of a topic, have them play a game
where they have to explain their topic to a fellow
mathematician and a skeptic. Develop their own
reective questioning/explaining in all three roles.
• Professional Development: Do a lesson plan review,
and write out all the possible questions that can
be asked based on the plan. Then, look at only the
questions and evaluate whether they are good,
thought-provoking questions. Determine whether
better questions should be asked, or if the lesson
should be planned differently.
May
How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Teachers are teachers and students are learners.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
73
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
Do I see myself as the holder
of authority in my classroom?
In what ways can this power
imbalance affect students’
ability to learn math?
How do I or can I share the
classroom’s authority and
autonomy with students?
What would it look like to
include more student voice
and student choice in the
classroom?
May : How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Teachers are teachers and students are learners. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
74
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
May : How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Teachers are teachers and students are learners. (continued)
75
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
May
How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Participation structures reinforce
dominant ways of being.
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
Participation structures reinforce dominant ways of being.
Instead...
Classrooms are often microcosms of the world around us and reinforce dominant (or white) ways of being. For ex-
ample, small groups of students receive the teacher’s attention throughout instruction and a few students are typi-
cally called on to participate in class discussions, reinforcing notions of perfectionism. The patterns of students who
fall into those categories often mirror societal norms. Another common participation structure is pairing students
as helper and helpee. This reinforces paternalism and other power structures that identify students as either being
good or bad at math (also either/or thinking). Also, requiring students to raise their hand before speaking can rein-
force paternalism and powerhoarding, in addition to breaking the process of thinking, learning, and communicating.
Create multiple ways of participating that honor
myriad ways of thinking and being.
• Verbal Example: For this section, feel free to work
alone, in pairs, trios, or quads (let them choose).
• Classroom Activity: Community circles or storytelling
circles, incorporating dance, music, song, call and
response, and other cultural ways of communicating.
• Professional Development: As a department, practice
math using different participation structures, and
employ them in the classroom as appropriate. Imple-
ment the “5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive
Mathematics Discussions,” where teachers learn
how to select students for sharing their answers ac-
cording to different methods and solution pathways,
instead of randomly calling on students.
What am I currently doing in my classroom?
How can I incorporate antiracist practices into my classroom?
76
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
3. PLAN
My goal(s) for this academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
Which student(s) do I typically
call on to participate in class
discussions?
How can I ensure that all
my students get the same
opportunities to collaborate
in classroom discussions?
Which student(s) do I assign
as the classroom helper?
Why do I make these choices?
May : How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Participation structures reinforce dominant ways of being. (continued)
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
77
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
How will I carry out my plan?
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
May : How do I dismantle power structures in the classroom?
Participation structures reinforce dominant ways of being. (continued)
78
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
Expectations are not met.
Instead...
This is a classic example of either/or thinking. If parents don’t show the characteristics of what I think a good parent
is, then that parent is bad. If students don’t show the characteristics of what I think is a good student, then that
student is bad. This thinking creates meritocracy in the classroom: Students have to pull themselves up by their
bootstraps and if they fail it is their fault. It does not give room for the systemic reasons students fail, which often
lie in problematic expectation.
Provide students with opportunities to give feedback
to teachers about the classroom and instruction.
• Identify expectations, unpack why you have them,
and reframe if necessary.
• Professional Development: As a department, identify
expectations both within and across classrooms,
and interrogate them for ways in which they uphold
white supremacy culture and other dominant ways
of being. (Re)align them with antiracist, social
justice, transformative justice, and restorative justice
practices.
End of the School Year
What are my expectations for next year?
1. ENGAGE
White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when...
What did I do in my classroom?
How can I incorporate more antiracist practices into my classroom?
79
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
2. REFLECT
My goal(s) for next academic
school year is (are)...
The antiracist characteristics
I want to work on this year
are… (refer to Characteristics
of Antiracist Math Educators)
...because...
3. PLAN
End of the School Year : What are my expectations for next year? Expectations are not met. (continued)
Looking back at my questions
from the beginning of the year,
how have my beliefs shifted
about students and parents who
don’t meet expectations? What
beliefs do I still hold? What
areas of growth do I need to
consider for next year?
How have I grown in my ability
to reframe my thinking and
judgment, and incorporate more
unbiased information when some-
thing does not meet my expecta-
tions? Do I unpack whether my
expectation is appropriate?
How has structural racism im-
pacted the families and commu-
nity connected to my school?
In what ways have I
incorporated antiracist
practices into my classroom?
Did I critically engage in antiracist work?
QUESTIONS FOR
CONSIDERATION
REFLECTION NOTES
What helped or hindered me in
carrying out my plan?
In what ways can I continue
this work next month, even as
I shift my antiracist praxis
to a new focus?
How did engaging in antiracist
work help my students succeed?
How will I carry out my plan?
80
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
5. REFLECT
4. ACT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
These are the steps I will
take to enact my plan:
1.
2.
3.
will
hold me accountable for this
plan in the following ways:
End of the School Year : What are my expectations for next year? Expectations are not met. (continued)
81
STRIDE 1 : Dismantling Racism in Mathematics InstructionA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction
“Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy,” California Department of Education, January 16, 2020,
https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ee/culturallysustainingped.asp.
D’Ambrosio, Ubiratan. “What is ethnomathematics, and how can it help children in
schools?” Teaching Children Mathematics, vol 7, issue 6 (February 2001) 308.
“dismantlingRacism 2016 Workbook,” dismantlingRacism.org, 2016, https://resourcegen-
eration.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2016-dRworks-workbook.pdf.
Ferlazzo, Larry. “Author Interview: ‘Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies’,” Education Week
(blog), July 6, 2017, https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlaz-
zo/2017/07/author_interview_culturally_sustaining_pedagogies.html.
Gutierrez, Rochelle. “Political Conocimiento for Teaching Mathematics: Why Teachers
Need It and How to Develop It.” In Building Support for Scholarly Practices in Mathematics
Methods, edited by Signe E. Kastberg, et al., 11-38. North Carolina: Information Age Pub-
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A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction

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Completed 15 February 2021

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