Designing for Equity by Thinking in and about Mathematics

为期五年的有针对性的伙伴关系和实施项目，通过思考和思考数学（DEBT-M）设计公平，是一个数学实践社区，致力于缩小匹兹堡边缘化中学数学学生的机会差距。DEBT-M的核心合作伙伴是教育发展中心（EDC），匹兹堡公立学校（PPS），匹兹堡大学（UPITT）和卡内基梅隆大学（CMU）。该项目小组正在调查如何通过一个有重点的专业发展计划来解决机会差距，该计划将教师，数学家和数学教育工作者作为平等的合作伙伴。 这项工作的背景是PPS的6-12年级的数学课程，该年级约有4000名学生，其中四分之一以上的学生正在努力学习，数学学习者人数不足。 目标受众是这些学生的教师，以及核心合作伙伴机构的IHE教师。初级STEM领域涉及围绕高中代数的数学。IHE合作伙伴的目标包括与匹兹堡的教师建立紧密的联盟，并参与整个合作伙伴关系的新经验的开发和实施。DEBT-M的第一年是连续两个为期两年的沉浸式夏季专业发展周期，并进行密集的学年跟进。在每一年中，四个后续活动支持教师在课堂上改变实践和促进数学实干家的社区：座谈会，每月研讨会，双周学习小组，并访问所有合作伙伴参加学校。关于对数学和数学学习的思考，项目小组侧重于数学是什么以及经验如何塑造教师的观点。教师还关注数学教育如何塑造学习者身份。DEBT-M提供了经验和机会，以构建他们推测的关键观点，倾向和专业知识，从而使所有合作伙伴能够共同确定解决实践的哪些方面以及如何解决这些问题。每年夏天的最后一周都专注于这种合作，专业的努力。合作伙伴和参与者一起利用他们的暑期工作和学习，使有关实施课堂实践的课程与挣扎的学生的决定，支持，研究，并在整个学年与研究小组，研讨会，公平研究员等分析DEBT-M包括外部评估和基于设计的内部研究组成部分。内部研究调查，测试和完善了一套关于学区如何大规模地改变教学，以体现严格的学科方法，并显着减少非裔美国人和低SES学生的数学机会差距，这些学生随着时间的推移被系统地边缘化。混合方法的方法是用来回答研究问题，与各种数据的分析，包括学生调查的身份和连接到老师; PD和课堂录像;教师的思维习惯评估;区文物;家长和孩子的焦点小组的录音;和教师和学校和地区领导人的年度访谈。外部评价旨在评估专业发展的质量，其对教师教学实践的影响，以及其对学生成绩的影响。教师从一个城市学区招聘，重点是高中及其附属中学。DEBT-M项目的产品预计将包括新的专业发展材料，这些材料将数学内容与数学实践和所有学生参与实践的明确治疗相结合，明确侧重于与边缘化学生合作。该项目团队汇集了有助于诊断影响数学专业发展和学生学习努力的高中环境方面的工具。

The five-year Targeted Partnership and Implementation project, Designing for Equity By Thinking in and about Mathematics (DEBT-M), is a community of mathematical practice devoted to closing the opportunity gap for marginalized secondary mathematics students in Pittsburgh. Core Partners in DEBT-M are the Education Development Center (EDC) as the lead, and the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS), the University of Pittsburgh (UPITT), and the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The project team is investigating how the opportunity gap can be addressed through a focused program of professional development that involves teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics educators as equal partners. The context for this work is the mathematics program in grades 6-12 in PPS with around 4000 students in this grade band, more than one quarter of whom are struggling, underrepresented mathematics learners. The target audience is the teachers of these students, as well as the IHE faculty in Core Partner institutions. The primary STEM field involves mathematics that surrounds high school algebra. Goals for the IHE partners include close alliances with the teachers in Pittsburgh and participation in the development and implementation of new experiences for the whole partnership.DEBT-M's inaugural year is followed by two consecutive two-year cycles of immersive summer professional development with intensive school-year follow-up. During each year, four follow-up activities support teachers in shifting practice in the classroom and furthering the community of doers of mathematics: colloquia, monthly seminars, bi-weekly study groups, and visits by all partners to participating schools. Regarding thinking about mathematics and mathematics learning, the project team focuses on what mathematics is and how experiences have shaped teachers' perspectives. Teachers also focus on how mathematics education has shaped learner identities. DEBT-M provides experiences and opportunities to construct what they conjecture are critical perspectives, dispositions, and expertise that in turn enable all partners to collectively determine what aspects of practice to address and how to address them. The last week of each summer is focused exclusively on this collaborative, professional effort. Partners and participants together draw on their summer work and learning to make decisions about implementing classroom practices in courses with struggling students', decisions that are supported, studied, and analyzed throughout the school year with the study groups, seminars, equity fellows, etc. DEBT-M includes both an external evaluation and a design-based, internal research component. The internal research study investigates, tests, and refines a set of conjectures about how school districts can, at scale, both transform teaching to embody a rigorous disciplinary approach and significantly reduce mathematics opportunity gaps that exist for African-American and low-SES students who have been systemically marginalized over time. A mixed-methods approach is used to answer the research questions, with analyses of a variety of data, including student surveys of identity and connection to teacher; PD and classroom video; teacher habits of mind assessments; district artifacts; recordings of parent-and-child focus groups; and annual interviews with teachers and school- and district-leaders. The external evaluation is designed to assess the quality of the professional development, its impact on teachers' instructional practices, and its impact on student achievement. Teachers are recruited from the one urban school district (PPS), with a focus on high schools and their feeder middle schools. Products of the DEBT-M project are expected to include new professional development materials that integrate mathematical content with explicit treatment of both the practice of mathematics and the practice of engagement for all students with a clear focus on working with marginalized students. The project team brings together instruments that assist in the diagnosis of aspects of high school settings that impact on mathematics professional development and student learning efforts.