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This research focuses on ways in which balance scales mediate students’ relational understandings of the equal sign. Participants included 21 Kindergarten–Grade 2 students who took part in an early...

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.

This chapter focuses on a group of mathematics teacher educators across the state of Texas that utilized collaboration before and during a global pandemic in order to examine and apply equity issues in their own instruction and delivery of their mathematics methods courses. The authors will highlight and share how the use of collaboration that initiated with the focus on rethinking equity practices in methods courses morphed into a supportive environment that helped the group of mathematics teacher educators through a difficult transition in education due to COVID-19. The goal of the chapter is to urge educators to use collaboration as an impetus for professional development and establishing communities of practice.

Gender and race/ethnicity function as major axes of social stratification in the United States, and males and those from White backgrounds have historically occupied a position of advantage within the educational system. Although there has been progress towards decreasing inequality in recent decades, gender disparities and, to a much greater extent, racial/ethnic disparities remain in educational outcomes. This chapter reviews the empirical patterns and discusses the major theoretical explanations behind these patterns, focusing on K–16 education within the U.S. Additionally, some of the limitations of prior research are discussed. In closing, the authors also outline three key areas where more empirical sociological research is needed, and highlight recent research that provides compelling examples of where the field of sociology of education should be headed in order to better understand and disrupt educational inequality.

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.

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.