Mathematics Education and Diversity

Considerations of diversity in mathematics education usually arise in discussions that focus on disparities in the collective participation, persistence, and achievement between White males and Asian American students, on the one hand, and African Americans, Latina/o/s, Native Americans, females, [Page 1452]and poor students, on the other. A number of conventional explanations have been offered for these differential outcomes. However, as concerns about education for students from diverse background-shave increased and new directions in research and policy have emerged, alternative explanations and interventions have been suggested in order to rectify these disparities. This entry discusses the interrelated nature of these diversity concerns in mathematics education.