This mixed methods study explores high school seniors' math course-taking decisions and what changes school leaders can take to increase the percentages of students taking four years of math in high school. Through an analysis of district-level administrative data and a survey completed by seniors at a high performing, diverse high school in…

This study addresses the important yet underexplored question of whether the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, which emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving, as well as the computer-based assessments aligned with the Common Core, have facilitated or hindered learning for students with disabilities. By analyzing administrative…

Examining linked academic transcripts from urban community colleges and their feeder high schools, we identify math course-taking patterns that span sectors. We highlight stifled mobility and chronic repetition of math coursework in the transition to college, and we identify "math traps" from which students do not escape. Math mobility…

The Leading-to-Calculus Framework (LTCF) is a collection of math courses meant to prepare students for calculus. From its inception, however, scholars have marked out a number of problems with its approach, particularly for students of color: its content and activities are often too broad, its structure is too rigid, and it fails to regularly…

The goal of this study was to examine IXL usage among high school students in California and its relation to academic performance in math and ELA, as measured by the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment (SBA). At the high school level in California, the SBA is taken only by 11th- grade students each year. We analyzed students' math and ELA SBA…

Educators and researchers highlight the important role that math plays in providing opportunities for upward mobility in the United States (and globally). Many students from underrepresented communities, including Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and low-income students, often do not get the support they need to develop a positive math mindset, sense of…

The goal of this design-based research study was the creation and evaluation of a mini-unit intended to foster perceptually grounded understandings of the concept of slope in middle-school students. Central to this unit was an innovative device designed to create a productive pedagogical space between student intuition for steepness and formal…

The divide between those who do and those who do not excel in mathematics is patterned in problematic ways. Women and people of color are typically underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and other quantitative fields (ex. Finance) where mathematics plays gatekeeper. However, mathematics is not a subject these groups…

This article analyzes an episode of classroom mathematics activity mediated by graphing technology from 3 different theoretical perspectives. An important line of research in the learning sciences focuses on graphs as "inscriptions", foregrounding learners' interactions with and around the material properties of graphical displays.…

Decisions about who gets admitted to college, especially to selective institutions, are the result of a complex mix of policy and practice, and math expectations are part of that mix. Regardless of whether calculus is necessary for a student's college major, entrenched beliefs about calculus as a sign of rigor can play a significant role in…

Shifting classrooms towards places where students' ideas are at the centre of the discussions has been challenging for teachers to put into practice (Hiebert & Wearne, 2003). This study explores the attempts I made as a researcher-teacher to promote equitable student-driven whole class discussions in a racially and socioeconomically diverse…

In this paper the author investigates how the one-year math throughput rate of community college students varies according to the highest level of math completed in high school, with a particular focus on the implications of successfully completing Algebra 2 while in high school. Community college math throughput rates for students with different…

In the United States, the prevailing high school mathematics course sequence begins with a year of Algebra I, followed by a year of geometry and a year of Algebra II. Educators and others have raised concerns about the extent to which this sequence, which prioritizes the mastery of algebra, is appropriate for the longer-term education and career…

How is the president of the United States elected? Why is this the method used? Is this the best and most efficient way of electing the president of the United States? Questions such as these are well suited for a mathematics discussion that promotes numeracy, because, "notwithstanding the immense value of numeracy for education and vocation,…

This study assesses the reliability of two observation rubrics, one in math and the other in science, and documents how the rubric data were used to inform a teacher education program. Classroom observations are typically considered essential for assessing teaching practice, yet many popular observation frameworks, while comprehensive in aim, do…