Chapter 11: Algebra and Literacy: A Social Justice Pairing

Algebra often takes center stage as a civil rights issue (Moses & Cobb Jr., 2001), but universal access to algebra, alone, proves insufficient for achieving equitable outcomes (Stein, Kaufman, Sherman, & Hillen, 2011). Equity, both inside and outside of the classroom, requires not only that students have access to high-quality instruction to excel in algebra and beyond, but also that students learn how to use mathematics to critically examine and challenge social injustice (Gutstein, 2003). The widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) may provide guidance for establishing high expectations for all students, but the standards alone are insufficient for informing equitable teaching practices (NCTM, 2014). Simultaneously balancing a focus on CCSS-M and social justice, presents significant challenges, and little is known about effective mathematics teaching practices for social justice at the secondary level (Gregson, 2013). In this chapter, we (a high school teacher and a mathematics education doctoral student) describe our collaborative efforts to design and enact a lesson that extends CCSS-M to teaching mathematics for social justice (TMfSJ) in a meaningful way.