Kari Kokka | University of Nevada, Las Vegas (original) (raw)
Papers by Kari Kokka
School Science and Mathematics, 2024
This 2-year qualitative case study focuses on one emergent mathematics teacher leader, Mr. Miller... more This 2-year qualitative case study focuses on one emergent mathematics
teacher leader, Mr. Miller, and his conceptualization of Social Justice Mathematics (SJM). SJM is a justice-oriented pedagogical approach where students simultaneously learn dominant mathematics and explore social injustices to take action toward justice. Using Rodriguez's (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1998, 35, 589–622) sociotransformative constructivism framework, findings illuminate how dialogic conversation, authentic activity, and metacognition supported Mr. Miller's reflexivity about his positionality, which he described as “upper middle class, highly educated parents, white, male,” in relationship to his students' positionality. He taught in a public charter high school in an urban city in the Northeast United States, where approximately 60% of students identified as Black, 30% white, 10% mixed race, 1% Asian American, 1% Latine, and less than 1% Indigenous, with 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The article discusses of the importance of reflexivity for teachers and teacher leaders of all backgrounds, and especially when educators of dominant backgrounds work with students of historically marginalized backgrounds. The article calls for further research with more experienced mathematics teacher leaders of various backgrounds and contexts to further investigate justice-centered mathematics teacher leadership.
Journal of mathematics teacher education, Jun 19, 2024
Education sciences, Mar 13, 2024
The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, Jun 1, 2023
Gutiérrez, R., Myers, M., & Kokka, K. (2023). The stories we tell: Why unpacking narrativ... more Gutiérrez, R., Myers, M., & Kokka, K. (2023). The stories we tell: Why unpacking narratives of mathematics is important for teacher conocimiento. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 70, 101025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2022.101025 Abstract This article articulates how mathematics (e.g., what they are, how they can be used, who they are by and for, who is able to do and understand them) are a social construct, just like racial or gender identities are social constructs. The authors describe how Political Conocimiento in Teaching Mathematics–a relational knowing that involves the entanglement of mathematics, pedagogies, students, and politics–can be used as a lens to reveal narratives about mathematics re(told) through stories (e.g., “Mathematics is culture-free, objective, and universal”). Drawing on their work with teachers, the authors offer an example scenario/activity and a teacher discussion that unpacks where mathematical stories are being told, from a dominant perspective, as well as how focusing on healthier narratives can help teachers work toward liberatory futures. Implications for teaching, teacher education, and future research are described.
Education Sciences
Although the field of mathematics education has made gains in centering the need for justice-orie... more Although the field of mathematics education has made gains in centering the need for justice-oriented approaches and antiracist teaching practices in teacher education, much of this work remains in its infancy. Moreover, research focused on this area highlights teacher candidates’ knowledge and dispositions and often ignores the role of the mathematics teacher educators facilitating the process. We contend that mathematics teacher educators must pay more attention to how intersectional identities, contexts, Mirror Tests, and principles of Rehumanizing Mathematics manifest in teacher education to better understand how teacher candidates develop political knowledge in teaching mathematics. To this end, we introduce a framework of considerations, which we call a compass, that identifies four dimensions (or strands) and offers guiding questions for mathematics teacher educators to consider. We offer examples from a multi-site research study to illuminate each dimension and build the cas...
Equity & Excellence in Education, 2023
Many teacher activists engage in justice-oriented work within and outside their classrooms, yet ... more Many teacher activists engage in justice-oriented work within and outside
their classrooms, yet the work of mathematics teacher activists has been
understudied. In this qualitative interview study, I investigated ten women of
Color mathematics teacher activists’ actualization of their organizing work,
which includes the creation of and participation in grassroots collectives,
podcasts, and online communities that aim to disrupt dominant conceptualizations
of mathematical knowledge. Building on theories of teacher activism
and healing-centered engagement, I share findings of participants’
healing-centered educator activism. From the findings, I theorize a healing-centered
educator activism in mathematics framework, which entails centering
relationships and community wellness (of humans and the earth) for
collective healing, examining and dismantling systems of oppression, broadening
conceptualizations of mathematical knowledge, and fostering healthy
relationships with dominant mathematics. I discuss constraints and considerations
for engaging in healing-centered educator activism as a teacher of
mathematics.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2015
Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students' mas... more Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students' mastery of mathematics. Here we utilize the Opportunity-Propensity framework to investigate student characteristics, teacher characteristics, and teacher instructional practices that may be associated with students' gains in flexibility in algebra. Teacher and student data were collected from 8th and 9th grade Algebra I teachers in Massachusetts as part of a larger study on the impact of a researcher-developed year-long supplementary curriculum that focused on improving students' flexibility. We explore student demographics, teacher background characteristics and teacher instructional practices as predictors of student gains in flexibility. We further investigate instructional practices associated with flexibility gains through an analysis of teacher questioning in the classroom for teachers whose students achieved the greatest gains in flexibility and those whose students achieved the least gains. Our results indicate that prior knowledge is a reliable predictor of flexibility gains and that gender is an important student background characteristic associated with the development of flexibility. In addition, although high and low gain teachers did not differ in their implementation fidelity, high flexibility gain teachers asked more open-ended questions that prompted students to verbalize the main ideas of the lesson.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 2022
Caring for student affect when teaching social justice mathematics (SJM) is important because dis... more Caring for student affect when teaching social justice mathematics (SJM) is important because discussions of social inequities may elicit emotional responses from students. This article extends previous conceptualizations of SJM, which typically encompass dual goals of teaching dominant and critical mathematics, by theorizing a third set of goals—affective pedagogical goals. Dominant, critical, and affective pedagogical goals are described within a framework of Three Dimensions of SJM. Two illustrative cases, one in a Title I public middle school and the other in an elite independent school, are presented to explore how affective pedagogical goals may be mediated by context. Affordances and tensions of affective pedagogical goals are discussed.
The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity's (SCALE) mission is to improve instruct... more The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity's (SCALE) mission is to improve instruction and learning through the design and development of innovative, educative, state-of-the-art performance assessments and by building the capacity of schools to use these assessments in thoughtful ways, to promote student, teacher, and organizational learning.
Social Justice Mathematics, or SJM, is a mathematics-specific form of Social Justice Pedagogy (Fr... more Social Justice Mathematics, or SJM, is a mathematics-specific form of Social Justice Pedagogy (Frankenstein, 1983; Gutiérrez, 2002), that aims to teach mathematics content while developing conscientização (Freire, 1970), or sociopolitical consciousness (Gutstein, 2006). Research on SJM has generally focused on teachers’ implementation of SJM, finding that teachers struggle to meet the dual goals of teaching mathematics content while developing students’ sociopolitical consciousness (e.g. Bartell, 2013; Gregson, 2013). The literature that explores students’ experiences with SJM yields conflicting findings, where some studies indicate student resistance (Brantlinger, 2007, 2014; Frankenstein, 1990) and other studies indicate students feeling empowered by SJM (Gutstein, 2006; Yang, 2009). In addition, students’ reactions to Social Justice Pedagogy (of any subject area) appear to differ substantially depending on students’ level of privilege and/or marginalization (e.g. Camagnian, 2009;...
The Journal of Educational Foundations, 2021
Relationships, such as the advisee/advisor relationship, in academia are typically taught to be u... more Relationships, such as the advisee/advisor relationship, in academia are typically taught to be used as a resource (a commodity) for the advancement of one's career. Problematizing the advising relationship draws attention to the inherent hierarchies and violence an advisor may perpetuate. In this article, we explore our resistance and healing from EuroAmerican epistemologies in hopes of building a present and future that honors our wholeness and wellness. We examine our relationship, through an autoethnographic duet, drawing on Maya cosmology and inviting our Tree relatives to guide us in understanding how we might be well together.
The Urban Review, 2020
Increasingly, teachers are using consciousness raising pedagogies such as culturally relevant, re... more Increasingly, teachers are using consciousness raising pedagogies such as culturally relevant, responsive, sustaining, and social justice pedagogies. However, little attention has been paid to teachers engaging in this work with students of privileged backgrounds (e.g., white, affluent students) and in mathematics. The present study addresses this gap by examining critical consciousness development with social justice pedagogy focusing on 10 students in one-sixth grade mathematics class in an independent social justice-oriented K-8 school in a large, urban city in the Bay Area, California. Analysis of student interviews, student work, and field note data indicate that eight of the 10 focus students gained critical mathematics consciousness, conceptualized as improving sociopolitical understanding, developing critical civic empathy, and taking action.
Race Ethnicity and Education, 2020
The ratio of Asian American teachers to Asian American students is the most disproportionate of a... more The ratio of Asian American teachers to Asian American students is
the most disproportionate of all racial groups, where Asian American
students are least likely to have an Asian American teacher. In addition,
little research focuses on the experiences of Asian American
teachers, particularly in connection with issues of racism. Using
AsianCrit, internalized racism, and stereotype management, this
study investigates how Asian American male mathematics teachers
conceptualize their racial/ethnic and mathematics teacher identities
given the prevalence of the Model Minority Myth. Using photovoice
interviews, findings indicate that participants experienced internalized
racism and engaged in stereotype management by distancing
themselves from other Asian Americans, discussing their own difficulties
in mathematics, and actively reaching out to form relationships
with Black and Latinx students. We recommend supports for
Asian American teachers and all teachers of color to build critical
consciousness to reduce internalized racism and empower themselves
and their students.
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, 2016
Healing-Informed Social Justice Mathematics: Promoting Students’ Sociopolitical Consciousness and Well-Being in Mathematics Class, 2019
Using an ecological approach to trauma-informed care and radical healing, this case study explore... more Using an ecological approach to trauma-informed care and radical healing, this case study explores how one Title I public middle school mathematics classroom offered students opportunities to engage in healing practices through the use of Social Justice Mathematics. Findings indicate that students identified their emotions, engaged in structural analyses of local social issues, and expressed plans to take action. This study suggests the possibility of using a Healing-Informed Social Justice Mathematics approach to support development of students' sociopolitical consciousness, mathematics learning, and well-being.
Teacher activism is developing throughout the country with an expanding research base, but little... more Teacher activism is developing throughout the country with an expanding research base, but little research addresses teacher activism specifically in STEM fields. Using critical race feminism, intersectionality, and TribalCrit this qualitative study focuses on four STEM teacher activists, who founded a social justice STEM organization, to explore how they became involved in grassroots organizing and how they conceptualize STEM teacher activism (STA). Findings indicate that personal experiences of marginalization sparked their engagement in teacher activism and that participants have a strong understanding of structural oppression. STA becomes a vehicle for their own healing as well as a means toward addressing the inequities they witness and experience in their communities. Participants define STA as attending to community health and ancestral knowledge to humanize STEM education for their communities.
Participants are long-term math and science teachers at an urban public school. Eleven of the 16 ... more Participants are long-term math and science teachers at an urban public school. Eleven of the 16 participants are teachers of color. Participants enjoy instructional autonomy and student interactions. Lack of administrative attention to school discipline threatens longevity. Teachers' familiarity with the community improves retention. a b s t r a c t This study investigates reasons behind long-term urban teachers' longevity and job satisfaction. The study site is an under-resourced urban public school in the United States with high retention of long-term math and science teachers, many of whom are teachers of color. Findings suggest types of administrative support (e.g. for disciplinary issues) important and types of administrative support unimportant (e.g. instructional guidance) to longevity. Intrinsic social emotional rewards gained from interactions with students are influential to participants' satisfaction and retention. In addition, familiarity with the community may improve retention. Trends by teachers' race and suggestions for urban teacher retention are discussed.
Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students’ mas... more Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students’ mastery of
mathematics. Here we utilize the Opportunity-Propensity framework to investigate student characteristics,
teacher characteristics, and teacher instructional practices that may be associated with students’
gains in flexibility in algebra. Teacher and student data were collected from 8th and 9th grade Algebra I
teachers in Massachusetts as part of a larger study on the impact of a researcher-developed year-long
supplementary curriculum that focused on improving students’ flexibility. We explore student demographics,
teacher background characteristics and teacher instructional practices as predictors of student
gains in flexibility. We further investigate instructional practices associated with flexibility gains through
an analysis of teacher questioning in the classroom for teachers whose students achieved the greatest
gains in flexibility and those whose students achieved the least gains. Our results indicate that prior knowledge
is a reliable predictor of flexibility gains and that gender is an important student background
characteristic associated with the development of flexibility. In addition, although high and low gain teachers
did not differ in their implementation fidelity, high flexibility gain teachers asked more open-ended
questions that prompted students to verbalize the main ideas of the lesson.
Social justice mathematics educators explicitly aim to develop students’ sociopolitical conscious... more Social justice mathematics educators explicitly aim to develop students’ sociopolitical consciousness in addition to teaching mathematics content (Gutiérrez 2013; Gutstein 2006). Sociopolitical consciousness refers to Paulo Freire’s (1970) concept of conscientização, or learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions (35). In this paper, I provide a definition of Social Justice Mathematics. I explore three dilemmas that arise with SJM instruction and suggest ways in which collaboration among students, educators, and researchers may address these dilemmas.
School Science and Mathematics, 2024
This 2-year qualitative case study focuses on one emergent mathematics teacher leader, Mr. Miller... more This 2-year qualitative case study focuses on one emergent mathematics
teacher leader, Mr. Miller, and his conceptualization of Social Justice Mathematics (SJM). SJM is a justice-oriented pedagogical approach where students simultaneously learn dominant mathematics and explore social injustices to take action toward justice. Using Rodriguez's (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1998, 35, 589–622) sociotransformative constructivism framework, findings illuminate how dialogic conversation, authentic activity, and metacognition supported Mr. Miller's reflexivity about his positionality, which he described as “upper middle class, highly educated parents, white, male,” in relationship to his students' positionality. He taught in a public charter high school in an urban city in the Northeast United States, where approximately 60% of students identified as Black, 30% white, 10% mixed race, 1% Asian American, 1% Latine, and less than 1% Indigenous, with 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The article discusses of the importance of reflexivity for teachers and teacher leaders of all backgrounds, and especially when educators of dominant backgrounds work with students of historically marginalized backgrounds. The article calls for further research with more experienced mathematics teacher leaders of various backgrounds and contexts to further investigate justice-centered mathematics teacher leadership.
Journal of mathematics teacher education, Jun 19, 2024
Education sciences, Mar 13, 2024
The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, Jun 1, 2023
Gutiérrez, R., Myers, M., & Kokka, K. (2023). The stories we tell: Why unpacking narrativ... more Gutiérrez, R., Myers, M., & Kokka, K. (2023). The stories we tell: Why unpacking narratives of mathematics is important for teacher conocimiento. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 70, 101025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2022.101025 Abstract This article articulates how mathematics (e.g., what they are, how they can be used, who they are by and for, who is able to do and understand them) are a social construct, just like racial or gender identities are social constructs. The authors describe how Political Conocimiento in Teaching Mathematics–a relational knowing that involves the entanglement of mathematics, pedagogies, students, and politics–can be used as a lens to reveal narratives about mathematics re(told) through stories (e.g., “Mathematics is culture-free, objective, and universal”). Drawing on their work with teachers, the authors offer an example scenario/activity and a teacher discussion that unpacks where mathematical stories are being told, from a dominant perspective, as well as how focusing on healthier narratives can help teachers work toward liberatory futures. Implications for teaching, teacher education, and future research are described.
Education Sciences
Although the field of mathematics education has made gains in centering the need for justice-orie... more Although the field of mathematics education has made gains in centering the need for justice-oriented approaches and antiracist teaching practices in teacher education, much of this work remains in its infancy. Moreover, research focused on this area highlights teacher candidates’ knowledge and dispositions and often ignores the role of the mathematics teacher educators facilitating the process. We contend that mathematics teacher educators must pay more attention to how intersectional identities, contexts, Mirror Tests, and principles of Rehumanizing Mathematics manifest in teacher education to better understand how teacher candidates develop political knowledge in teaching mathematics. To this end, we introduce a framework of considerations, which we call a compass, that identifies four dimensions (or strands) and offers guiding questions for mathematics teacher educators to consider. We offer examples from a multi-site research study to illuminate each dimension and build the cas...
Equity & Excellence in Education, 2023
Many teacher activists engage in justice-oriented work within and outside their classrooms, yet ... more Many teacher activists engage in justice-oriented work within and outside
their classrooms, yet the work of mathematics teacher activists has been
understudied. In this qualitative interview study, I investigated ten women of
Color mathematics teacher activists’ actualization of their organizing work,
which includes the creation of and participation in grassroots collectives,
podcasts, and online communities that aim to disrupt dominant conceptualizations
of mathematical knowledge. Building on theories of teacher activism
and healing-centered engagement, I share findings of participants’
healing-centered educator activism. From the findings, I theorize a healing-centered
educator activism in mathematics framework, which entails centering
relationships and community wellness (of humans and the earth) for
collective healing, examining and dismantling systems of oppression, broadening
conceptualizations of mathematical knowledge, and fostering healthy
relationships with dominant mathematics. I discuss constraints and considerations
for engaging in healing-centered educator activism as a teacher of
mathematics.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2015
Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students' mas... more Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students' mastery of mathematics. Here we utilize the Opportunity-Propensity framework to investigate student characteristics, teacher characteristics, and teacher instructional practices that may be associated with students' gains in flexibility in algebra. Teacher and student data were collected from 8th and 9th grade Algebra I teachers in Massachusetts as part of a larger study on the impact of a researcher-developed year-long supplementary curriculum that focused on improving students' flexibility. We explore student demographics, teacher background characteristics and teacher instructional practices as predictors of student gains in flexibility. We further investigate instructional practices associated with flexibility gains through an analysis of teacher questioning in the classroom for teachers whose students achieved the greatest gains in flexibility and those whose students achieved the least gains. Our results indicate that prior knowledge is a reliable predictor of flexibility gains and that gender is an important student background characteristic associated with the development of flexibility. In addition, although high and low gain teachers did not differ in their implementation fidelity, high flexibility gain teachers asked more open-ended questions that prompted students to verbalize the main ideas of the lesson.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 2022
Caring for student affect when teaching social justice mathematics (SJM) is important because dis... more Caring for student affect when teaching social justice mathematics (SJM) is important because discussions of social inequities may elicit emotional responses from students. This article extends previous conceptualizations of SJM, which typically encompass dual goals of teaching dominant and critical mathematics, by theorizing a third set of goals—affective pedagogical goals. Dominant, critical, and affective pedagogical goals are described within a framework of Three Dimensions of SJM. Two illustrative cases, one in a Title I public middle school and the other in an elite independent school, are presented to explore how affective pedagogical goals may be mediated by context. Affordances and tensions of affective pedagogical goals are discussed.
The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity's (SCALE) mission is to improve instruct... more The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity's (SCALE) mission is to improve instruction and learning through the design and development of innovative, educative, state-of-the-art performance assessments and by building the capacity of schools to use these assessments in thoughtful ways, to promote student, teacher, and organizational learning.
Social Justice Mathematics, or SJM, is a mathematics-specific form of Social Justice Pedagogy (Fr... more Social Justice Mathematics, or SJM, is a mathematics-specific form of Social Justice Pedagogy (Frankenstein, 1983; Gutiérrez, 2002), that aims to teach mathematics content while developing conscientização (Freire, 1970), or sociopolitical consciousness (Gutstein, 2006). Research on SJM has generally focused on teachers’ implementation of SJM, finding that teachers struggle to meet the dual goals of teaching mathematics content while developing students’ sociopolitical consciousness (e.g. Bartell, 2013; Gregson, 2013). The literature that explores students’ experiences with SJM yields conflicting findings, where some studies indicate student resistance (Brantlinger, 2007, 2014; Frankenstein, 1990) and other studies indicate students feeling empowered by SJM (Gutstein, 2006; Yang, 2009). In addition, students’ reactions to Social Justice Pedagogy (of any subject area) appear to differ substantially depending on students’ level of privilege and/or marginalization (e.g. Camagnian, 2009;...
The Journal of Educational Foundations, 2021
Relationships, such as the advisee/advisor relationship, in academia are typically taught to be u... more Relationships, such as the advisee/advisor relationship, in academia are typically taught to be used as a resource (a commodity) for the advancement of one's career. Problematizing the advising relationship draws attention to the inherent hierarchies and violence an advisor may perpetuate. In this article, we explore our resistance and healing from EuroAmerican epistemologies in hopes of building a present and future that honors our wholeness and wellness. We examine our relationship, through an autoethnographic duet, drawing on Maya cosmology and inviting our Tree relatives to guide us in understanding how we might be well together.
The Urban Review, 2020
Increasingly, teachers are using consciousness raising pedagogies such as culturally relevant, re... more Increasingly, teachers are using consciousness raising pedagogies such as culturally relevant, responsive, sustaining, and social justice pedagogies. However, little attention has been paid to teachers engaging in this work with students of privileged backgrounds (e.g., white, affluent students) and in mathematics. The present study addresses this gap by examining critical consciousness development with social justice pedagogy focusing on 10 students in one-sixth grade mathematics class in an independent social justice-oriented K-8 school in a large, urban city in the Bay Area, California. Analysis of student interviews, student work, and field note data indicate that eight of the 10 focus students gained critical mathematics consciousness, conceptualized as improving sociopolitical understanding, developing critical civic empathy, and taking action.
Race Ethnicity and Education, 2020
The ratio of Asian American teachers to Asian American students is the most disproportionate of a... more The ratio of Asian American teachers to Asian American students is
the most disproportionate of all racial groups, where Asian American
students are least likely to have an Asian American teacher. In addition,
little research focuses on the experiences of Asian American
teachers, particularly in connection with issues of racism. Using
AsianCrit, internalized racism, and stereotype management, this
study investigates how Asian American male mathematics teachers
conceptualize their racial/ethnic and mathematics teacher identities
given the prevalence of the Model Minority Myth. Using photovoice
interviews, findings indicate that participants experienced internalized
racism and engaged in stereotype management by distancing
themselves from other Asian Americans, discussing their own difficulties
in mathematics, and actively reaching out to form relationships
with Black and Latinx students. We recommend supports for
Asian American teachers and all teachers of color to build critical
consciousness to reduce internalized racism and empower themselves
and their students.
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, 2016
Healing-Informed Social Justice Mathematics: Promoting Students’ Sociopolitical Consciousness and Well-Being in Mathematics Class, 2019
Using an ecological approach to trauma-informed care and radical healing, this case study explore... more Using an ecological approach to trauma-informed care and radical healing, this case study explores how one Title I public middle school mathematics classroom offered students opportunities to engage in healing practices through the use of Social Justice Mathematics. Findings indicate that students identified their emotions, engaged in structural analyses of local social issues, and expressed plans to take action. This study suggests the possibility of using a Healing-Informed Social Justice Mathematics approach to support development of students' sociopolitical consciousness, mathematics learning, and well-being.
Teacher activism is developing throughout the country with an expanding research base, but little... more Teacher activism is developing throughout the country with an expanding research base, but little research addresses teacher activism specifically in STEM fields. Using critical race feminism, intersectionality, and TribalCrit this qualitative study focuses on four STEM teacher activists, who founded a social justice STEM organization, to explore how they became involved in grassroots organizing and how they conceptualize STEM teacher activism (STA). Findings indicate that personal experiences of marginalization sparked their engagement in teacher activism and that participants have a strong understanding of structural oppression. STA becomes a vehicle for their own healing as well as a means toward addressing the inequities they witness and experience in their communities. Participants define STA as attending to community health and ancestral knowledge to humanize STEM education for their communities.
Participants are long-term math and science teachers at an urban public school. Eleven of the 16 ... more Participants are long-term math and science teachers at an urban public school. Eleven of the 16 participants are teachers of color. Participants enjoy instructional autonomy and student interactions. Lack of administrative attention to school discipline threatens longevity. Teachers' familiarity with the community improves retention. a b s t r a c t This study investigates reasons behind long-term urban teachers' longevity and job satisfaction. The study site is an under-resourced urban public school in the United States with high retention of long-term math and science teachers, many of whom are teachers of color. Findings suggest types of administrative support (e.g. for disciplinary issues) important and types of administrative support unimportant (e.g. instructional guidance) to longevity. Intrinsic social emotional rewards gained from interactions with students are influential to participants' satisfaction and retention. In addition, familiarity with the community may improve retention. Trends by teachers' race and suggestions for urban teacher retention are discussed.
Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students’ mas... more Flexibility in problem solving has been widely recognized as an important skill for students’ mastery of
mathematics. Here we utilize the Opportunity-Propensity framework to investigate student characteristics,
teacher characteristics, and teacher instructional practices that may be associated with students’
gains in flexibility in algebra. Teacher and student data were collected from 8th and 9th grade Algebra I
teachers in Massachusetts as part of a larger study on the impact of a researcher-developed year-long
supplementary curriculum that focused on improving students’ flexibility. We explore student demographics,
teacher background characteristics and teacher instructional practices as predictors of student
gains in flexibility. We further investigate instructional practices associated with flexibility gains through
an analysis of teacher questioning in the classroom for teachers whose students achieved the greatest
gains in flexibility and those whose students achieved the least gains. Our results indicate that prior knowledge
is a reliable predictor of flexibility gains and that gender is an important student background
characteristic associated with the development of flexibility. In addition, although high and low gain teachers
did not differ in their implementation fidelity, high flexibility gain teachers asked more open-ended
questions that prompted students to verbalize the main ideas of the lesson.
Social justice mathematics educators explicitly aim to develop students’ sociopolitical conscious... more Social justice mathematics educators explicitly aim to develop students’ sociopolitical consciousness in addition to teaching mathematics content (Gutiérrez 2013; Gutstein 2006). Sociopolitical consciousness refers to Paulo Freire’s (1970) concept of conscientização, or learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions (35). In this paper, I provide a definition of Social Justice Mathematics. I explore three dilemmas that arise with SJM instruction and suggest ways in which collaboration among students, educators, and researchers may address these dilemmas.