The Relationship between Ninth Graders' Perceptions of Teacher Equity and Their Math Identity: Differences by Student Race and School Racial Composition.

Using data on ninth graders, math teachers, and schools from the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we investigate the following questions: (1) How do ninth graders' perceptions of their math teachers as equitable relate to their math identity at the intersection of adolescents' race and gender? and (2) Do differences in the percentage of students at the school who share the adolescent's race moderate (i.e., differentiate) the salience of perceptions of math teachers for adolescents' math identities? Our results suggest that adolescents who perceive their math teachers as equitable typically have higher levels of math identity regardless of their race or gender. Adolescents' perceptions of their math teachers as equitable are most salient for adolescents' math identity in racially diverse schools, where racial differences and stereotypes may be more visible. Findings also indicate the seeming resistance of Black youth to racist stereotypes, whose math identity remains high regardless of their perceptions of their teachers.

Disrupting Anti-Blackness with Young Learners in STEM: Strategies for Elementary Science and Mathematics Teacher Education.

If we envision a future for Black young learners where their full humanity is honoured and educators facilitate rigorous science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning experiences that are justice-focused, we must disrupt systemic racism now. In this article we discuss how anti-Blackness is pervasive in science and mathematics education, especially for young learners. We also address why teacher educators must disrupt anti-Black racism in our work with elementary teacher candidates and in our research. We argue that to do this work and disrupt anti-Blackness, elementary teacher educators and teacher candidates need political clarity (Beauboeuf-LaFontant, 1999). Political clarity is the understanding of how structural and school inequalities work to (re)produce differential learning experiences for minoritized learners. We offer suggestions for how teacher educators can further develop their teacher candidates' political clarity. Drawing upon our prior research, course assignments, and experiences as Black women educators and teacher educators, we share examples of how an individual's political clarity can be developed within science and mathematics methods courses. In doing so, we build upon prior research in STEM teacher education on how teachers come to see teaching as a political act and engage in the hard work of equity-focused STEM teaching.

Pour envisager un avenir propice à respecter l'humanité à part entière des jeunes apprenants noirs et où les éducateurs mettent en valeur des expériences d'apprentissage rigoureuses et axées sur la justice en sciences, technologie, ingénierie et mathématiques (STIM), nous devons dès maintenant briser le cycle du racisme systémique. C'est pourquoi nous traitons de l'omniprésence d'une logique anti-noire dans l'enseignement des sciences et des mathématiques, qui touche particulièrement les jeunes apprenants. Dans notre travail avec les candidats à l'enseignement au primaire et notre recherche, nous tentons aussi de déterminer pourquoi les formateurs d'enseignants doivent s'attaquer au racisme anti-noir. Nous soutenons que pour accomplir ce travail et contrer la logique anti-noire, les formateurs d'enseignants destinés au primaire et les candidats à l'enseignement ont besoin de clarté politique (Beauboeuf-LaFontant, 1999). La clarté politique est définie comme étant la compréhension de la façon dont les inégalités structurelles et scolaires fonctionnent pour (re) produire des écarts en ce qui concerne les expériences d'apprentissage des apprenants issus de minorités. Nous offrons des suggestions quant aux moyens que peuvent prendre les formateurs d'enseignants pour développer davantage la clarté politique de leurs candidats à l'enseignement. Puisant à même nos recherches antérieures, des travaux réalisés dans le cadre de cours et nos expériences en tant que femmes noires éducatrices et formatrices d'enseignants, nous partageons des exemples qui démontrent que la clarté politique d'un individu peut être développée dans les cours de sciences et de méthodes mathématiques. Ce faisant, nous nous appuyons sur des recherches antérieures dans le domaine de la formation des enseignants en STIM sur la façon dont les enseignants en viennent à considérer l'enseignement comme un acte politique et à s'engager dans le travail inlassable d'un enseignement des STIM fondé sur l'équité.

Is school Racial/Ethnic Composition Associated With Content Coverage in Algebra?

This brief utilizes data from the U.S. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study of 2011 (TIMSS) to investigate the extent to which teacher reports of content coverage in eighth grade algebra classes vary according to school racial/ethnic composition. The analytic sample is comprised of eighth grade algebra classrooms in 111 schools across the country, with 9 schools that are predominantly Black, 20 schools that are predominantly Latinx, and 82 schools that are not predominantly minority. Results of regression analyses reveal that, net of school, teacher, and student characteristics, the time that teachers report spending on algebra and more advanced content in eighth grade algebra classes is significantly lower in schools that are predominantly Black compared to those that are not predominantly minority. Implications for future research are discussed.

Inquiry-Based Instruction in Science and Mathematics in Middle School Classrooms: Examining Its Association With Students' Attitudes by Gender and Race/Ethnicity.

Utilizing a nationally representative sample of middle school students, this article focuses on whether students who report experiencing more inquiry-based instruction in science and mathematics classrooms have more positive attitudes toward these subjects. Results of multilevel, multivariate regression analyses revealed that, net of the inclusion of control variables for student, teacher, and school characteristics, a higher frequency of inquiry-based instruction is significantly associated with greater interest, perceptions of utility, and self-efficacy for science and mathematics. Furthermore, although there is some evidence indicating that compared with female students, male students' perceptions of science utility are higher in relation to more inquiry-based instruction, overall, the weight of evidence clearly leans toward the conclusion that the attitudes of students from different gender and racial/ethnic backgrounds are similarly associated with greater exposure to inquiry-based instruction in both their science and mathematics classrooms.

Who Gets In? Examining Inequality in Eighth-Grade Algebra.

Using data from a large urban district, this study investigated whether racial inequality in access to eighth-grade algebra is a reproduction of differences in prior opportunities to learn (as evidenced by grades, test scores, and level of prior mathematics course) or whether patterns reflect an increase in inequality such that racial differences in access remain when controlling for academic background. We considered how this varies by the racial composition of the school; further, we examined differences in access between both Black and Hispanic students and their White peers as well as differences between Black and Hispanic students. The results point to patterns of reproduction of inequality in racially integrated schools, with some evidence of increasing inequality in predominantly Hispanic schools.

Gendered Expectations: Examining How Peers Shape Female Students' Intent to Pursue STEM Fields.

Building on prior psychological and sociological research on the power of local environments to shape gendered outcomes in STEM fields, this study focuses on the critical stage of adolescence to explore the potential negative impact of exposure to exclusionary messages from peers within girls' science classrooms, as well as the positive potential impact of inclusionary messages. Specifically, utilizing longitudinal data from a diverse sample of adolescent youth, analyses examine how the presence of biased male peers, as well as confident female peers, shape girls' subsequent intentions to pursue different STEM fields, focusing specifically on intentions to pursue the male-dominated fields of computer science and engineering, as well as more gender equitable fields. Results reveal that exposure to a higher percentage of 8th grade male peers in the classroom who endorsed explicit gender/STEM stereotypes significantly and negatively predicted girls' later intentions to pursue a computer science/engineering (CS/E) major. Yet results also reveal that exposure to a higher percentage of confident female peers in the science classroom positively predicted such intentions. These results were specific to CS/E majors, suggesting that peers are an important source of messages regarding whether or not girls should pursue non-traditional STEM fields. This study calls attention to the importance of examining both positive and negative sources of influence within the local contexts where young people live and learn. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

Do Inquiring Minds Have Positive Attitudes? The Science Education of Preservice Elementary Teachers.

Due to their potential impact on students' cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, the negative attitudes towards science held by many elementary teachers are a critical issue that needs to be addressed. This study focuses on the science education of pre-service elementary teachers with the goal of improving their attitudes before they begin their professional lives as classroom teachers. Specifically, this study builds on a small body of research to examine whether exposure to inquiry-based science content courses that actively involve students in the collaborative process of learning and discovery can promote a positive change in attitudes towards science across several different dimensions. To examine this issue, surveys and administrative data were collected from over 200 students enrolled in the Hands on Science (HoS) program for pre-service teachers at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as more than 200 students in a comparison group enrolled in traditional lecture-style classes. Quantitative analyses reveal that after participating in HoS courses, pre-service teachers significantly increased their scores on scales measuring confidence, enjoyment, anxiety, and perceptions of relevance, while those in the comparison group experienced a decline in favorable attitudes to science. These patterns offer empirical support for the attitudinal benefits of inquiry-based instruction and have implications for the future learning opportunities available to students at all education levels.