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IMPACTful Thoughts: A Call to Action (Equity)

By Karen Gaines posted 08-10-2021 12:33:17

  

Co-written by members of the AMATYC Equity Committee - (This was originally posted as a library entry)

 

Urgent calls to reimagine education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have turned into calls for revolutionary change with the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the police killings of unarmed black people. It is time for our field to take concrete action to improve outcomes for black students. Many structures and practices lead to overall lower mathematics attainment for black students and other underrepresented racially minoritized students (e.g., Latinx, Southeast Asian, Native American) in mathematics. These include unequal opportunities or inadequate preparation prior to enrolling in college, ineffective placement processes that erroneously place students into developmental mathematics, or mathematics classrooms that reinforce whiteness as normative in mathematics, creating barriers to racialized student engagement, learning, and attainment in mathematics. 

 

We know these words may be off putting to readers who may hold the belief that our discipline is neutral and universally accessible or who avoid taking responsibility for our students’ failures. However, there is no ignoring the fact that racial inequities are a persistent reality in our field. If we continue to ignore this and take no action, nothing will change.    

 

No matter where you are on your equity journey, whether you’re new to these ideas or have been pursuing equity goals for years, there is something for you in this month’s IMPACT Live!  hosted by AMATYC’s Equity Committee. Micah Miller (Borough of Manhattan Community College) and AJ Stachelek (Hostos Community College) host IMPACT in Action discussions focusing on equity practices before the term starts, during the start and span of the term, and ending with a discussion on how to finish strong by focusing on equity in assessment practices. Our IMPACT Plus segment includes a contribution by Lucy Michal (El Paso Community College) who explains her research on how our mindset coupled with knowledge of mathematics leads to equitable classrooms. Helen Burn (Highline College) shares research on equity practices for underrepresented racially minoritized students in the STEM math pathway. 

Are you onboard? Join us this month and build on commitments to fight for and create educational equity.

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