Chapter 2: From Equity and Justice to Dignity and Reconciliation: Alterglobal Mathematics Education as a Social Movement Directing Curricula, Policies, and Assessment

One common approach is to compare research and practice within various countries with each other, identifying similarities and differences in the kinds of questions about justice and opportunity that occur within nation states. The comparison can lead to generalizable research themes and potentially replicable policy goals. The similarities and differences might occur at the level of individual learners, or in terms of social subgroups of the larger population: What sorts of cultural, ethnic, racial, gendered, and class categories are most relevant to learning experiences, opportunities, and potential life trajectories in each country, and why are they important to consider in terms of educational policy pertaining to mathematics education curriculum and pedagogical practices? How do geographic locations impact on the need for policy and professional recommendations depending on neighborhoods throughout urban centers, among rural, suburban, and urban educational institutions, and in combination with the social categories of difference? A common concern, for example, is the differences in school experiences between social groups, and the ways that particular pedagogies impact on minority populations, learners in poverty, learners with special needs, and learners who experience challenges to accessing various specific mathematics education opportunities. The similarities and differences might otherwise be understood in terms of broader, social processes, and the regulation or lack of oversight of popular culture: How are nation states considering the potential interaction and mutual support of various educational institutions for mathematics education, such as schools, family experiences, religious institutions, popular culture and entertainment, consumer experiences, interactions with governmental agencies? Are specific mathematical skill and concept needs being identified for participation in civic dialogue and democratic decision-making, economic trends and workplace readiness, leisure activities, or other purposes? Policy at national or local levels may be designed to harness the potential of internet, radio, television, or shopping for informal, nonschool, educational purpose, and to use interactions with government agencies as an opportunity to teach specific skills.