The Call: The Importance of Research on African American Issues in Mathematics and Science Education.

Abstract

Today, it has become fashionable to discuss closing the achievement We know that an achievement gap exists. The question is, what can be done to close it? In 2005, approximately 50 years after the first Brown vs. Board of Education court case, we issue the official call for others to join us in researching the mathematics and science education of African American students. It is our aim to encourage researchers, who have a sincere interest in the mathematics and science education of African American students, to sjoin us researching the various educational issues of African American students. There are several pertinent issues that need to be addressed regarding African American students' achievement in mathematics and science. The following discussion suggests various topics that should be included in the process of attempting to close the achievement gap. The topics addressed regarding African American student achievement in mathematics and science are: 1) historical awareness of the education of African Americans, 2) teacher expectations and beliefs, 3) cultural awareness, 4) testing, 5) equity in the classroom, 6) and career selections. In order for a people to plan for their future, they must know their history. The first issue that could be addressed related to African American students' education involves historical implications of their education in the United States before and after desegregation. Before desegregation, separate but had been the in the United States. However, on May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court in, Brown vs. Board of Education recognized that white dominance was being perpetuated in virtually every important facet of life when separation of students by race occurred (Bell, 1983). This court case rescinded the separate but equal policy and impacted every aspect of the daily life of African Americans and whites, not just public education. This court case affected or played a role in the development of the current education system in the United States. Therefore, awareness of the catalyst for change in the public education system is an important factor in African American students' education. It is essential that they know their past in order to prepare for the future. Once one has gained knowledge from their past, they should use this knowledge as motivation to strive for academic excellence. Because education takes place predominantly in a classroom, a second major factor in African American students' achieving academic success, relates to the expectations of the teacher. Most students need teachers who believe they can achieve. If this is not the case, any method implemented in the classroom, such as multiculturalism, technology, or cooperative learning, will have minimal affect if the belief system does not coincide with these approaches (Hilliard, 1989). The third issue one could consider is, what methods should be used to improve African American student achievement. There are several approaches that could be implemented in the classroom. The aforementioned paragraph mentions technology, cooperative learning, and multiculturalism. The first two approaches could be utilized along with culture. Culture should be included in the mathematics classroom because it improves students' academic achievement (Banks, 1989), helps move classrooms towards an equitable learning environment (NCTM, 1989, 2000), helps students have positive beliefs about mathematics (Masingila & King, 1997), and integrates mathematics with other disciplines (Zaslavsky, 1989, 1998). After considering what should be taught in the classroom, the fourth issue relates to testing. The National Assessment of Education Progress reports state that from 1973-1996 African American students made substantially greater gains than white students on traditional mathematical concepts and skills, which narrowed the gap; however, white students scored higher than African American students at all grade levels (Strutchens and Silver, 2000). …