Culturally relevant pedagogy: secondary mathematics in an urban classroom

Research and test scores have shown that African-American, Latino, Native American, and other minority students are underachieving in secondary mathematics. This is concerning not only to school personnel – who are under pressure to have students perform well on standardized tests – but also to the future of the country. When teachers adopt a culturally relevant pedagogy, diverse students will have a better opportunity to learn and retain mathematical content. When academic content is taught in a culturally relevant way, students are able to retain the information, improve their performance in school, and become more informed participants in society. Through literary analysis, I have determined how culturally relevant teaching can be applied in an urban, Algebra I classroom. I have also provided examples of how mathematical tasks can better reflect the cultures and environment of urban students