Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap in the United States Through Culturally Responsive/Relevant and Social Justice Pedagogical Practices in Mathematics Education
Abstract
Due to the lingering effects of the United States' centuries-long state-sanctioned oppression and segregation of African Americans, African Americans and other minorities have consistently underperformed academically compared to white students, also known as the “racial academic achievement gap.” Research suggests that culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), a relatively new theory in education, has been known to increase participation, engagement, and academic achievement in classrooms, especially in mathematics classrooms. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize connections between CRP and the racial academic achievement gap to discover whether utilizing CRP in the classroom on a nationwide basis is a viable reform to close the racial academic achievement gap, especially in mathematics. This literature review explores the root causes of the racial academic achievement gap, the intricacies of student identity in mathematics classrooms, and the multidimensionality of CRP. Employing CRP in classrooms nationwide is a great starting point reform for closing the gap yet does not fully address and tackle this pressing national educational problem.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Sandra Trotman
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-5-2023 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2023 4:00 PM
Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap in the United States Through Culturally Responsive/Relevant and Social Justice Pedagogical Practices in Mathematics Education
Alvin Sherman Library
Due to the lingering effects of the United States' centuries-long state-sanctioned oppression and segregation of African Americans, African Americans and other minorities have consistently underperformed academically compared to white students, also known as the “racial academic achievement gap.” Research suggests that culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), a relatively new theory in education, has been known to increase participation, engagement, and academic achievement in classrooms, especially in mathematics classrooms. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize connections between CRP and the racial academic achievement gap to discover whether utilizing CRP in the classroom on a nationwide basis is a viable reform to close the racial academic achievement gap, especially in mathematics. This literature review explores the root causes of the racial academic achievement gap, the intricacies of student identity in mathematics classrooms, and the multidimensionality of CRP. Employing CRP in classrooms nationwide is a great starting point reform for closing the gap yet does not fully address and tackle this pressing national educational problem.
