Mathematics, Teacher Preparation for Diversity

Teacher preparation for diversity is a relatively new aspect of teacher education, emerging in the 1970s as a response to demographic and social changes in the United States. A catalyst for this trend is the growing “mismatch” between the U.S. teaching force (approximately 85% White) and the school student population (more than 40% of color, and increasing). By 2035, ethnic minorities are predicted to make up a majority of the school student population. Thus, federal and state departments of education; accreditation programs; and national teaching, research, and education organizations (including the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) have all called for teacher education programs to attend to issues of diversity and equity, with the goal of ensuring quality and effective instruction for all students. Some teacher education programs emphasize diversity as their primary agenda, infusing it throughout all of their activities. The extent to which other teacher preparation programs address diversity ranges from the inclusion of a single course that focuses on diversity or multicultural [Page 1449]issues in general, courses that address content and diversity simultaneously (e.g., “mathematics and multicultural education”), and/or field or school-based experiences that incorporate diversity issues.

For certain groups of students (e.g., language and ethnic minorities and girls and women), their inclusion in mainstream educational activities in the United States is the result of activism, legislation, and legal activity over time. Diversity, thus, not only encompasses ethnic diversity but also includes issues related to gender, social class, language, and special education. For example, in the United States it is estimated that more than 80% of teachers have at least some students who receive special education services in their classrooms. Approximately 20% of school-aged students speak another language in addition to English.

Regardless of the backgrounds of the students or teachers, mathematics lends itself to examining issues of diversity. In any school setting, it is appropriate to consider mathematics as a discipline like any other: a body of knowledge rooted in cultural contexts that draws from the work and ideas of men and women from around the world of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Traditionally, mathematics has often been represented in schools as a static body of knowledge. Students may be unaware of the richness and diversity of the discipline and how it has developed, both throughout history and in contemporary times.

In this entry, mathematics teacher preparation for diversity is discussed using three overlapping themes: student diversity; content and curriculum; and instruction and assessment. Within each, the focus is on teacher preparation for cultural and ethnic diversity, with implications for other populations of diverse learners.