{"id":395,"date":"2025-03-19T13:02:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T17:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/?p=395"},"modified":"2025-03-20T15:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T19:15:15","slug":"organizing-for-k-12-math-literacy-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/organizing-for-k-12-math-literacy-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Organizing for K-12 Math Literacy for All"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 2025<\/p>\n

Ben Moynihan, Executive Director of the Algebra Project, Inc.<\/p>\n

There are perennial questions that animate me and colleagues in the Algebra Project [1]: How well is the United States of America serving K-12 students in the teaching and learning of mathematics?\u00a0 What are the perspectives, data, and analyses needed to improve what to teach, how to teach, and how to assess learning? Who is the \u201cwe\u201d that should be involved in designing solutions? How can this \u201cwe\u201d contribute to conditions such that a national consensus might emerge affirming that all students and teachers are worthy of the resources and supports necessary for attaining mathematics proficiency?<\/p>\n

One place to ground an understanding of the status of K-12 mathematics education outcomes today is through publicly available Federal data. Specifically, the U.S. Dept. of Education\u2019s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Report which illuminates group-level trends in educational achievement. The 2022 NAEP report included 2019 data on 12th grade Mathematics Proficiency [2]. While not the only metric that should be considered, to me, these 12th grade NAEP results represent a key lag measure of how well the nation\u2019s public education systems are serving our young people after they\u2019ve moved through elementary, middle, and high school.\u00a0 By the 12th<\/sup> grade, the NAEP proficiency results provide an indication of whether the nation\u2019s young people either are or are not prepared to enter college or careers.<\/p>\n

In the 2019 NAEP Report, only 24% of U.S. 12th graders were proficient in mathematics; in a room of 100 12th graders, 76 are NOT proficient.<\/p>\n

These results are a daunting indictment of a lack of investment in the nation\u2019s students and teachers. Yet, 12th<\/sup> grade math proficiency data disaggregated among racial categories paints an even bleaker picture: only 8% of Black, 9% of Native American and Alaskan Native, 11% of Hispanic, 32% of white, and 50% of Asian American and Pacific Islander 12th graders attained NAEP Mathematics Proficiency in 2019. The complements of these figures emphasize the disproportionate impact for Black, Native American and Alaskan Native, and Hispanic students that are not proficient. Students that qualified for National School Lunch Program (NSLP) also performed at just 11% mathematics proficiency at 12th grade; low-income students also are not well-served in their K-12 mathematics preparation. A direct impact of this lack of math proficiency is that most youth in the U.S. are shut out of STEM majors and careers, which are among the fastest growing fields today [3].<\/p>\n

Here we are two years after this NAEP data was published and there have been relatively few articles in the press sparking (at best) muted public discourse about these math proficiency results.\u00a0 A challenge I see in engaging the issue is that even these grossly inequitable percentages lack context that might bring home their searing reality. Can we talk about how many students each of these NAEP percentages represent?<\/p>\n

Drawing on U.S. Dept. of Education\u2019s Institute for Education Sciences (IES) student enrollment data for the same period [4], the 76% of 12th<\/sup> graders that are not proficient in math translates to about 2.7 million students.\u00a0 The 92% of Black 12th<\/sup> grade students not proficient in math represent more than 450,000 students, while the 68% of white 12th grade students not proficient amount to about 1.2 million students. It is undeniable that the lack of math proficiency disproportionately impacts Black, Native American, and Hispanic communities at unacceptable levels. At the same time, numerically the lack of mathematics proficiency impacts all communities throughout the nation, with more than three times as many white students as Black students not proficient in 2019. A national discussion is needed to first understand this issue better, and then to inspire the engagement of multiple perspectives and voices in designing and championing solutions that improve math literacy.<\/p>\n

Bob Moses, the late founder and President of the Algebra Project, employed the last four decades of his life to advance a national call to action. He exhorted us to understand that in an Information Age undergirded by technology designed through mathematics, math literacy is the key to full participation in society, alongside reading and writing literacies [5].\u00a0 He inspired demonstration proofs in public schools across the nation, affirming that all children can learn elementary and advanced mathematics [6] \u2013 particularly by teaching and learning with students previously performing in the lowest quartile on state standardized exams, whether in urban, rural, or Appalachian communities [7].<\/p>\n

Having taught secondary mathematics in New York City before and in Tanzania after organizing with Black Mississippians for the right to vote in the early 1960s, Moses noted that shifting awareness in the nation is not something that one organization, let alone one person, can achieve [8]. Collaborations and coalitions must be cultivated. How might we work together to create the conditions from which a consensus can emerge? How can we increase awareness, build advocacy, and promote programs and interventions that fly in formation towards universal mathematics literacy?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an upcoming opportunity for a fruitful dialogue focused on the teaching and learning of mathematics that I\u2019d like to highlight here, though certainly many more approaches are available and are needed.<\/p>\n

The Simons-Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute\u2019s (SLMath) Critical Issues in Mathematics Education (CIME) workshop series is organized by SLMath\u2019s Education Advisory Committee (EAC) [9]. Each year CIME workshops explore issues related to improving the teaching, learning, and assessment of mathematics education in elementary, secondary, higher education, and informal settings.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s CIME conference seeks to rekindle the spirit of Bob Moses\u2019 earlier challenge, inviting research mathematicians, mathematics educators, teachers, students, and community members to collaboratively focus attention on the broader societal implications of K-12 math. The 2025 conference theme, K-12 Math Literacy for 21st<\/sup> Century Citizenship [10], is designed to catalyze a national dialogue, drawing together a diverse group of stakeholders who might not otherwise share the same space. By blending in-person and virtual participation, the conference aims to lower barriers to entry and ensure voices from all corners of the country can contribute to this effort. We hope to create an environment where different perspectives can converge and hopefully begin to form a collective vision of how math literacy might serve as a tool for full participation in 21st<\/sup> century society and for disrupting entrenched patterns of exclusion and inclusion.<\/p>\n

The CIME 2025 workshop sessions will provide opportunities for participants to explore three guiding questions developed by the CIME 2025 Planning Committee [11]:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What would a framework to describe mathematical literacy for citizenship now and in the future include?<\/li>\n
  2. How can we ensure that an approach to mathematical literacy for citizenship disrupts existing patterns of inclusion and exclusion?<\/li>\n
  3. What are the arenas in which we work and what are the goals and actions for what we do in those arenas?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Can we imagine a future where math education is not an isolated pursuit but a collective effort that equips all students \u2013 regardless of their background \u2013 with the skills and confidence needed to engage fully in the educational and economic arrangements of a democratic society?<\/p>\n

    As we grow the circle of engagement on this issue, the ripple effects will extend far beyond classrooms. A mathematically literate populace would mean more informed decision-making, a greater ability to navigate complex societal issues, and an empowered generation capable of shaping their and the nation\u2019s future. This is not merely about improving test scores or graduation rates; it is about equipping citizens with the tools to participate fully in society, to challenge inequities, and to create meaningful change.<\/p>\n

    Please join this discussion. The CIME 2025 Workshop is free with registration, and you can attend in Berkeley, California, or online virtually.<\/p>\n

    The path forward demands that we embrace the challenge Bob Moses laid before us and continue to ask hard questions: What are the conditions we need to create for waves of change to emerge? How do we ensure that those who have historically been excluded from the conversation are included? And, ultimately, how do we collectively move from a state of crisis to one of opportunity? As we reflect on these questions let us commit to operating in an organizing mode, building not just effective programs and curricula, but also growing self-sustaining coalitions imbued with the power of shared purpose and collective action in pursuit of mathematics literacy for all children in America.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    [1] The Algebra Project, Inc., https:\/\/algebra.org\/<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [2] National Assessment of Educational Progress: Mathematics, National Achievement-Level Results, Grade 12 as of 2019, https:\/\/www.nationsreportcard.gov\/mathematics\/nation\/achievement\/?grade=12<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [3] Future of Jobs Report 2025: These are the fastest growing and declining jobs, by David Elliott, World Economic Forum, 1\/9\/2025, retrieved 3\/12\/2025, https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2025\/01\/future-of-jobs-report-2025-the-fastest-growing-and-declining-jobs\/<\/a><\/p>\n

    [4] National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Enrollment in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools by level, grade, and race\/ethnicity: Selected years fall 2012 through fall 2022, https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/programs\/digest\/d23\/tables\/dt23_203.65.asp<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [5] Algebra: The New Civil Right, transcript of Bob Moses\u2019 address to the Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement Intervention Programs Conference II (SUMMAC II), November 1993, in The Algebra Initiative Colloquium, Volume 2, Group Working Papers, https:\/\/eric.ed.gov\/?id=ED385437<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [6] The Algebra Project: Overview of Research & Evaluation 1991-2013, https:\/\/algebra.org\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ResearchOverview-PERG1991-2013.pdf<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [7] R&D: The Development of Student Cohorts for the Enhancement of Mathematical Literacy in Under Served Populations, Final Public Outcomes Report for National Science Foundation award #DRL-0822175 (submitted 11\/30\/2014), https:\/\/algebra.org\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/HighSchoolCohortsFinalReport-AP2014.pdf<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [8] Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project, Robert P Moses and Charles E Cobb, Jr., 2001, Boston: Beacon Press, https:\/\/www.beacon.org\/Radical-Equations-P283.aspx<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [9] Critical Issues in Mathematics Education workshop series, organized by the Education Advisory Committee of the Simons-Laufer Mathematical Science Institute, https:\/\/www.slmath.org\/critical-issues-in-mathematics-education<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [10] K-12 Math Literacy for 21st<\/sup> Century Citizenship, SLMath 2025 CIME Workshop Overview, https:\/\/www.slmath.org\/workshops\/1147#overview_workshop<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n

    [11] K-12 Math Literacy for 21st<\/sup> Century Citizenship, SLMath 2025 CIME Workshop Overview, https:\/\/www.slmath.org\/workshops\/1147#overview_workshop<\/a>, retrieved 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    March 2025 Ben Moynihan, Executive Director of the Algebra Project, Inc. There are perennial questions that animate me and colleagues in the Algebra Project [1]: How well is the United States of America serving K-12 students in the teaching and learning of mathematics?\u00a0 What are the perspectives, data, and analysesRead More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-tkloefkorn","post-395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":401,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395\/revisions\/401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/teachingandlearning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}