Deciphering Baseline Rates in Developmental Mathematics Education Through the Lenses of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (original) (raw)

Improving Developmental and College-Level Mathematics: Prominent Reforms and the Need to Address Equity

2020

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that the traditional system of college mathematics remediation that relies on high-stakes placement tests and prerequisite, multi-level course sequences is associated with lowered chances of students completing developmental requirements and increased rates of student attrition. This recognition has led to nationwide reform efforts that strive to alter the structure and curricula of remedial math courses. However, these broad-based reforms have been insufficient in eliminating inequities in developmental placement and completion between students of color and other underserved students and their more advantaged peers. Informed by relevant research literature, this paper argues that the majority of reforms to developmental math education seek to remedy general barriers to student progress but are not typically designed to address equity gaps and, perhaps unsurprisingly, do little to reduce them. We examine issues of concern present...

The Impact of Developmental Mathematics Courses and Age, Gender, and Race and Ethnicity on Persistence and Academic Performance in Virginia Community Colleges

Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2014

The majority of community college students today are academically unprepared for college (Bailey, 2009; Cohen & Brawer, 2008). To meet the needs of these underprepared students, colleges offer developmental education to bring the academic level of the student up to the collegiate level (Johnson & Kuennen, 2004; Virginia Community College System [VCCS], 2009). Offering developmental education to underprepared students is one of the key tasks which have largely fallen to community colleges (Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 2008; Provasnik & Planty, 2008). Developmental education courses were offered in 98% of all two-year colleges in 2000 and 42% of community college first-year students enrolled in at least one developmental course with 35% of students enrolled in developmental mathematics (Parsad, Lewis, & Greene, 2003). Individual institutions and organizations at the state and national level have realized the success of developmental students is critical in reaching national, state, and institutional goals on student success (Oklahoma State

Black Women's and Girls' Persistence in the P–20 Mathematics Pipeline: Two Decades of Children, Youth, and Adult Education Research

Like other women and girls of color in the U.S. education system, Black 1 women and girls negotiate and integrate multiple marginalized identities in mathematics. As such, this integrative review used critical race theory (CRT) and Black feminism as interpretive frames to explore factors that contribute to Black women's and girls' persistence in the mathematics pipeline and the role these factors play in shaping their academic outcomes. A synthesis of 62 research studies reveals that structural disruptions, community influences, and resilience strategies significantly influence Black women's and girls' persistence in mathematics, and that combined, these factors can culminate into a more robust mathematics identity for Black women and girls. A robust mathematics identity, in turn, is an aspect of self-actualization that is needed for persistence, engagement, and sustained success in the pursuit of a mathematics doctoral degree. New questions, paradigms, and ways of examining the experiences of Black women and girls in mathematics to advance further knowledge that will inform policy are identified and discussed as a future research agenda.

Addressing Equity and Diversity Issues around Expansion, Displacement, and Growth in Mathematics Education

International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2019

Emb acing he heme of hi ea mee ing, e eek a a comm ni o con ide he ole of expansion, displacement, and growth in mathematics education in the privileging of some and marginalizing of others. Following on the topics discussed at the Working Group between 2009-2018, this year the focus is on balancing the need to reflect and collect around issues of equity and diversity in mathematics education and orienting toward action. Each session is designed to address the needs of (or to create opportunities for) attendees interested in equity, generating and brainstorming new subtopics, potential projects, and/or working to establish standalone working groups dedicated to furthering research on equity. The purpose being to encourage a mo e a a f om big-en e i hinking and o a d mo e od c i e o king collec i e .

Embedded Remediation Is Not Necessarily a Pathway for Equitable Access to Quantitative Literacy and College Algebra: Results from a Pilot Study

Numeracy

Courses in developmental and introductory mathematics are changing. Because nearly all students need mathematics coursework to graduate from a postsecondary institution, yet institutions consistently struggle to ensure that students of all demographics succeed in credit-bearing mathematics courses, student success in such courses may be viewed as an issue of social justice. In particular, there is a need for institutions to provide pathways through college-level mathematics courses that meet the needs of students with a wide array of incoming mathematical knowledge and skills. In light of questions about pedagogy, pass rates, and effects on degree completion time, some institutions have moved away from requiring students to enroll in non-creditbearing developmental mathematics courses. At Michigan State University, college-level courses in both Quantitative Literacy and College Algebra now directly enroll students who previously would have placed into Intermediate Algebra. Accompanying this shift in access are changes in course structure and content; during the 2017-2018 academic year, some course sections included an extra class meeting to help students bridge gaps in their requisite skills. While the corequisite model is an intuitive approach to supporting student learning, essentially increasing time on task and identifying needed requisite skills "just in time," these quantitative analyses show little evidence for these course sections improving students' course grades. In this context, the role and type of corequisite, supplemental instruction that best supports learning for a diverse group of students in introductory undergraduate mathematics courses remains in question. We discuss potential reasons for these results in light of existing reports on corequisite models and situate the results in the context of what social justice and equity might look like for corequisite models of introductory mathematics coursework.

The Equity Cost of Inter-Sector Math Misalignment: Racial and Gender Disparities in Community College Student Outcomes

The Journal of Higher Education, 2020

Professor of Education and Engineering Introduction. About 40 percent of students begin their college careers at a community college. 1 As open-access, affordable institutions, community colleges are especially important entry points to higher education for low-income, first-generation and/or racially minoritized students. 2 For example, Black students and Latina/o/x students are more likely to enroll in a two-year college than a four-year college. 3 Many students attend their local community college, with the median distance from home to campus for community college students being just eight miles. 4

The Equity Cost of Inter-Sector Math Misalignment: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Community College Student Outcomes. Research Brief III

2020

Professor of Education and Engineering Introduction. About 40 percent of students begin their college careers at a community college. 1 As open-access, affordable institutions, community colleges are especially important entry points to higher education for low-income, first-generation and/or racially minoritized students. 2 For example, Black students and Latina/o/x students are more likely to enroll in a two-year college than a four-year college. 3 Many students attend their local community college, with the median distance from home to campus for community college students being just eight miles. 4