Mathematics Detracking at "Franklin High"

• In Event: Celebrations and Challenges in Detracking Implementation Across the United States

Abstract

Our second participant is an associate professor who has studied mathematics detracking. She also enjoys several policy-related appointments. Racial Justice factors prominently in her research, which she explores in four interconnected areas: 1) critical examination of P-12 state legislation and educational policies that expand or hinder efforts to address the legacy and enduring impact of systemic racism across generations; 2) examination and elevation of practices that increase college readiness, access, and matriculations for first-generation students and historically marginalized communities; 3) building pathways that inspire and accelerate the development of the next generation of diverse, antiracist educational leaders; and 4) fostering the use of statistics (critical approaches to quantitative inquiry) to support social-justice research, leadership, and policy. This participant aims to bridge gaps between antiracist research, public policy, and P-20 practice. She is deeply committed to research, teaching, and service rooted in love, grounded in grace, and rich in respect for all communities, especially those that continue to be historically marginalized and underserved.
She will discuss work regarding a partnership between a highly diverse high school and higher education to initiate a collaborative process to detrack the mathematics program at the high school. She and her colleague conducted empathy interviews with the "Franklin High" administrative team and mathematics teachers. The four primary themes that emerged from the interviews concerned the school's student diversity, the focus on preparing students to enter the IB course sequence, how detracking must go beyond simply providing equal access, and the importance of the Franklin High staff having an equity-oriented growth mindset. These findings accentuate how successful detracking efforts require stakeholders to have an historical understanding of the racist policies and practices that have led to segregated schools and tracked classrooms.

Authors

• Lolita A. Tabron, University of Denver

• Richard Kitchen, University of Wyoming