Racialized Learning Environments in Mathematics Education

In racialized learning environments, minoritized learners experience exclusionary classroom environments with differential opportunities to learn rigorous mathematics. Understanding how teachers’ beliefs influence their work with minoritized learners is a key component of fostering inclusive mathematics classrooms to promote equity and student success. Our research team examines the interconnectedness between mathematics teachers’ racialized beliefs (e.g., Black learners often struggle in mathematics courses) and the how and what of mathematics teaching. Using both qualitative and quantitative analyses, we describe learners’ experiences within racialized mathematics learning environments and how teachers foster inclusive classroom environments. We also developed the first large-scale teacher survey to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs and practices with explicit attention to race, the National Survey of High School Math Teachers.