August Webinar Panel: Race, Equity and Mathematics Education
Recorded August 11, 2020 at 3:00PM EDT
Description: This panel discussion will address where we are and where we need to go in the mathematics education of African American K12 students. We will move beyond a discussion of the achievement gap and instead focus on how best to promote African American student success, curiosity and engagement in mathematics.
Participants should be prepared to explore:
- Instructional practices that impede and those that promote African American mathematics learners
- Mathematics Identity Development of African American students
- The racialized experiences of African American learners in mathematics
- Culture in the mathematics classroom
* If you plan to attend this webinar, please read the resource The Racialization of Mathematics Education prior to attendance.
Joi A. Spencer is a Professor and Interim Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. She began her career as a middle school mathematics teacher in East Palo Alto, CA. Joi’s scholarly work examines the mathematics learning experiences and opportunities of African American students. Her work is deeply embedded within the context of classrooms, and centered on the needs of Black mathematics learners. Dr. Spencer runs the STEAM Summer Academy which provides rich, out of the box mathematics and STEM learning for youth throughout the city of San Diego.
Panelists:
Tornette Franklin is an African American middle school mathematics teacher at Our Lady Of Grace Catholic School (El Cajon, CA), whose entire teaching experience has come from being the only African American teacher employed on faculties, teaching a group of only a few African American students in the classroom. For 16 years, inclusivity and a welcoming of all cultures has been a hallmark in her classroom. She is committed to fostering a love of mathematics and a self- acceptance from students that they can not only learn, but love math.
Amy Bergeron is a middle school math teacher at the Grace School at Meeting Street in Providence, RI. A 16 year veteran of teaching, Amy works in a unique, highly diverse school that serves 53% youth of color and 42% youth with severe and profound special needs. She has a Masters in Special Education. In her current position, Amy teaches math to linguistically and racially diverse youth using a full-inclusion model. She frequently mentors new teachers and supervises student teachers.
Tichina Ward-Pratt is a math and computer science teacher at Horace Mann UCLA Community School in South LA and has worked there for 3 years. She is a Math for America Fellow and founder of Leadership Education and Algebraic Development (LEAD). She believes in providing meaningful and culturally relevant mathematics curriculum to middle and high school students that challenges them to be critical thinkers. As a student in the UCLA Teacher Education Program her Master’s inquiry focused on trauma, conflict, and group collaboration. Her goal is to challenge Black and Brown students to see mathematics as their own tool to understand and change the world around them.
Dr. Dorothy Y. White is a professor of mathematics education in the Mary Frances Early College of Education at the University of Georgia. Her research, teaching, and service interconnect and support empowering all students for success in mathematics by purposefully promoting collaborative relationships among mathematics teachers and researchers. Dr. White’s research centers on three lines of inquiry: access, equity, and culture in mathematics education; teachers’ professional learning communities; and the professional development of mathematics teachers, educators, and doctoral students. Dr. White has a vibrant research program and is a productive scholar who is active in presenting, publishing, and consulting both nationally and internationally.