Rather than delineating a list of practices that are important for ensuring that mathematics prepares students for a more democratic citizenship, the author has outlined in this article three tensions in teaching that she argues are important in developing an equity stance in mathematics education. This focus on a "stance" suggests that the kinds…

While some students have the opportunity to engage in the kinds of structured inquiry and real-world problem solving called for in the science education reform literature, many other students receive only a daily grind of note taking, end-of-chapter questions and sample test items from state assessments. The result is an engagement gap whereby…

In 1996, the National Research Council (NRC) published the "National Science Education Standards." Similarly in 2000, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published the "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics." These standards provided the nation with a framework for conceptualizing what and how mathematics and science…

In an increasingly technological economy, in order to participate, individuals have to be mathematically literate, which means they must have opportunities to learn mathematics. However, access to mathematics has not always been universal. Traditionally, mathematics classrooms have been places where only a small, select group of individuals, who…

Concern in the United States for adequate public school education in mathematics dates back at least to the response to Sputnik in 1957, but at that time focused on preparing a cadre of students for quantitatively demanding careers in science and engineering. More recently, however, there has been increasing appreciation of the value of broadly…

Teaching math to reflect values of democracy has to begin with some consideration of how democracy is conceptualized. A review of various theories of democracy conducted by Hagen (1992) provides everyone with a good starting point as it identifies three primary forms of democracy: competitive, participatory, and dialogue. In this essay, the author…

A number of studies have shown that spending time in nature produces cognitive benefits. What if a child's exposure to the out-of-doors is considered not just a beneficial extracurricular activity, but a fundamental building block to an elementary education in math and science? The Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School operates a 9:30 a.m.…

Among the materials used for teaching are texts: written descriptions and explanations of the mathematical ideas. This work of interpretation is essential to the life of mathematics; in its absence, mathematical knowledge is nothing but squiggles on paper. Up to now, explanatory math texts have been used almost exclusively in an uncritical way. In…

This article discusses a new preservice teacher mathematics course titled Elementary and Middle Grades Mathematics for Social Analysis (Math for Social Analysis). Math for Social Analysis is innovative within mathematics teacher education programs in its theoretical foundation, goals, and approach. The course rests on an assertion that integrating…

In this article, the author talks about a hands-on, community-supported project that he initiated with a group of middle school students on Zia Pueblo, in which students used measurement and numeracy skills to build benches for the school grounds. He talks about the theoretical framework of this project and the lessons he learned from this project.

In this article, the authors offer a more humanistic vision of educational community, one that is substantive in content yet flexible in its application to the diverse contexts in which American schooling occurs. In doing so, the authors turn specifically to the nonviolent philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and consider what a school…

Bullying among school children is a long-standing problem that detrimentally affects a substantial number of students. School officials have recognized the impact of bullying and have introduced various methods to manage the problem. To help ensure that these methods reduce bullying, it is critical that school personnel understand critical issues…

This article examines the relationship between dominant masculinities and school safety. The author shows how the social construction of masculinity impacts the safety of boys and girls in school--socially, emotionally, and physically. Drawing from research on early masculinities, incidences of bullying, hate crimes, and school shootings, the…

This article focuses on the ways in which social action can be read and reread through one White female teacher's experience. The author unpacks three analytical readings of a social action project that took place during the 2004-2005 academic school year in an urban elementary school with a predominately Latino/Latina student population located…

This article discusses how the author develops an approach that allows her students, who are part of the marginalized population, to learn the power of their own voices--not just their writing voices, but their oral voices as well. The author calls it "TWIST": Thoughts, Writing folder, Inquiring mind, Supplies, and Teamwork. It is where students…