The Reintroduction of Young Black Males to Advanced Mathematics

Research studies that seek to understand why young Black males are underachieving academically in public education are minimal. Public education does not provide adequate instruction that supports young Black males (YBMs) in advanced mathematics classes. The underachievement gap among YBMs continues to increase in spite of many educational reforms designed to support underrepresented and marginalized students such as YBMs. The purpose of my dissertation in practice (DIP) is to investigate approaches to nurturing Black male students to excel in advanced mathematics to prepare them for STEM careers. My research inquiry examined challenges that impacted young Black male learners’ lack of participation and success in advanced mathematics and showed that incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy into math instruction can mitigate these barriers (Ladson-Billings, 1998, 2020; Moses & Cobbs, 2002). My theory of improvement focused on increasing students’ success in advanced math, so I incorporated elements of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and The Algebra Project strategy (Moses & Cobbs, 2002) to teach advanced math to young Black students. I also wanted my students to explore and understand the historical context of math to help young Black students develop their math identities. My research findings showed that when young Black men are given the opportunity to explore the cultural and historical context of math and co-teach an advanced math lesson with their peers, they were able to strengthen their unique math identities