Narrowing the Racial Achievement Gap in Math
Q. What's
being done to help encourage more black and Latino students to excel in
"gatekeeper" math and science classes, like algebra and biology? Don't they
need extra help to gain the confidence and skills to take higher-level,
college-prep math and science and aim their career sights higher?
There's lots to be proud of, although of course there's a long,
long way to go before students of all races are on an equal footing when it
comes to math literacy.
Findings by the Comprehensive Partnerships for Mathematics and
Science Achievement, a project of the National Science Foundation, revealed
that in many urban school districts, only a small fraction of black high-school
students complete algebra, and only about one-sixth as many minority graduates as
white graduates pass physics, biology or chemistry.
But things are getting better. Consider these success stories:
-- Several years ago, the Providence,
R.I., schools began requiring
that all students take higher-level mathematics as part of the College Board's
Equity 2000 initiative. Result: 97% of Latino and African-American students
there take algebra, compared
with only 37% of black students
and 27% of Hispanic students in
1991. (Article, "Achievement Gap Widening, Study Reports," Education Week, Dec. 4, 1996)
-- California math teacher Jaime Escalante became famous as the
movie, "Stand and Deliver," chronicled his success in teaching Advanced
Placement calculus to inner-city Los Angeles teens in a high school known for
its drugs, gangs and dropout rate. His method: no-nonsense, tough teaching. So many
of his students passed the rigorous A.P. exams for college credit that
Escalante was investigated for cheating - and, of course, exonerated.
Unfortunately, he has now retired, but teachers nationwide take strength from
his amazing success.
-- Individual effort by master teachers appears to be the key in
several low-income, minority high schools with high math achievement, where
it's cool to be smart - something that's rare in many inner-city schools. Take
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in the District of Columbia: 94% black .
. . too few textbooks, calculators and computers . . . too many substitute
teachers and underqualified staff . . . a profound lack of fundamental skills
in high school students because of less-than-adequate grade school math
preparation. But enter teacher John Mahoney, a 29-year teaching veteran, who
came from the prestigious Sidwell Friends School and took a major cut in pay
because he wanted to make a difference for kids who really, really needed it.
And have they ever: they're passing the Advanced Placement statistics test and
achieving in upper-level science as never before, because of his encouragement.
In an article in USA Today on Aug.
10, 2005, Mahoney said his methods are simple: small classes, a handbell to
keep order instead of yelling and getting mad, a lack of coddling, and most of
all a patient willingness to explain things over and over and over. Mahoney
also has instilled pride with a display in the school lobby about the work of
Benjamin Banneker, the black mathematician and scientist who helped survey D.C.,
and gave the school its name, plus articles in math journals, and tireless
efforts in obtaining grants for extras. Yes, he's making less money than at the
prestigious college-prep school . . . but he says he's happier because he's
making a bigger difference.
Homework: One
of the most exciting projects in the country focusing on raising math
achievement among children of color and those in poverty is The Algebra
Project, featuring civil rights activist Robert Moses. Read more about it on www.algebra.org
Copyright 2006 • Susan
Darst Williams, www.DailySusan.com, is a writer, wife and mother of four who lives at the base
of Mount Laundry, Neb.
