A Descriptive Look at Algebra Instruction in Six Urban Districts

• In Event: Research Around Issues of Equity and in Equity-Sensitive Settings

Abstract

Algebra is considered a gatekeeper course to higher mathematics and a linchpin in the push toward equity in school mathematics. The last three decades of mathematics reform have conceived of algebra instruction as more than simply teaching procedural fluency, privileging conceptual understanding and skill efficiency in tandem. Yet large-scale investigations of instructional practice in algebra classrooms are rare, leaving open the question of whether these reforms have infiltrated algebra teaching practices at scale. Using data from the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project, I investigate how algebra instruction across a large sample of lessons compares to the reformers’ vision. I further explore variability across district and school contexts, as well as across classroom demographic characteristics.

Author

• Erica Litke, Harvard University