Oregon: A Pathway to Math Equity Micro-Course

Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the party is always right.

George Orwell, he/his/him

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 CSTP as a framework, we see white supremacy culture in the mathematics classroom can show up when:

- The focus is on getting the "right" answer
- Students are tracked (into courses/pathways and within the classroom)
- Expectations are not met
- Addressing mistakes
- Teachers are teachers and students are learners
- "Good" math teaching is considered an antidote to mathematical inequity for Black, Latinx and multilingual students
- Rigor is expressed only in difficulty
- Students are required to "show their work"
- Grading practices are focused on lack of knowledge
- Language acquisition is equated with mathematical proficiency

Suggestions for antiracist math educators:

- Adapt homework policies to fit the needs of students of color
- Intentionally integrate physical movement in math classes
- Identify and challenge the ways that math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist, and racist views
- Expose students to examples of people who have used math as resistance, provide learning opportunities that use math as resistance

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Oregon: A Pathway to Math Equity Micro-Course

Educators will know how to "dismantle racism in mathematics instruction"