Increase Enrollment of Underrepresented Students in Advanced Mathematics Classes: A School Improvement Plan

Providing minority students with the opportunity to engage in advanced mathematics courses affords them access to more engaging learning opportunities, increased motivational beliefs towards mathematics, and potentially higher future earnings dependent on the career they pursue. Examining the present enrollment statistics in math courses at the research site, the need to transform the enrollment in advanced math courses to represent the school population demographics is revealed. In response, a school improvement plan was developed using research-based initiatives. This plan includes teaching a mixture of advanced and non-advanced math courses, teachers advising non-AP and non-IB students to enroll in advanced math courses, and school-wide formal meetings held annually about the IB and AP programs. Lastly, students will be provided with a trained teacher mentor to support them in not feeling isolated while taking these advanced math courses