The Stories We Tell: Math, Race, Bias, and Opportunity

The Stories We Tell: Math, Race, Bias, & Opportunity positions educators as professional decision-makers whose every day choices are deeply consequential. After exploring topics ranging from the early identification of talent, the use of demographic characteristics to make academic decisions, and the problematic casting of a 'gap' in mathematical performance as about the students themselves, the book explores how professional decision making, and a more precise use of data, can impact mathematical performance outcomes. With gentle precision, the book analyzes the patterns of practice in place as educators sort children according to perceived needs. Through case studies, the authors reconfigure the mathematics achievement gap as being about opportunity provided or denied at both the classroom and systemic levels. The book has implications for school personnel as well as others curious about how opportunity impacts outcomes and how data is (or is not) used to make decisions about children. Educators who challenge themselves to engage with the possibility of bias, and then face the stories we tell ourselves about the race/talent development/student merit relationship, will have the opportunity to write a powerful and equitable story going forward.

Author: Valerie N. Faulkner, Patricia L. Marshall, Lee V. Stiff
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 08/29/2019
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.54lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.37d
ISBN: 9781475841633


Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2020

About the Author
Dr. Valerie N. Faulkner is a Teaching Associate Professor in Elementary Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at NC State University. Her current work focuses on K-2 mathematics education and issues of access and equity within schools. Dr. Patricia L. Marshall is a Professor of Multicultural Studies in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at NC State University. She is interested in the impact of elements of culture including race, class, language on the teaching-learning process and teachers' acquisition of cross-cultural competency. Dr. Lee V. Stiff is Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the College of Education at NC State University. He is interested in affecting change that promotes the mathematics education of all students by effectively using data to better align existing resources to address issues of equity, student access to high-quality math courses, and course placement disparities.