We Are Family: Ways African American Families Engage in Mathematics
By Desha L. Williams and Cheryl D. Pappy
February 16, 2017
It is often stated that after elementary school, parents disengage with their students in their academic journey; for example, parents are not as visible in schools. This type of thinking is frequently heightened when the focus is on African American families. As African American mothers, we engaged in conversations with African American families to see whether a counter-narrative existed, because, we knew it existed in our own homes.
What we found was astonishing! Guess what? There is a counter-narrative for other families…WOW! It is our hope that sharing our findings will assist in changing some deficit thinking that exists regarding African American parents’ engagement with their children in learning
mathematics. We also want to provide a space for mathematics teachers to engage in ways to utilize this information to create a culturally relevant and responsive environment in both instruction and interactions with their students and with their students’ families.
In this workshop, we will explore ways to strengthen areas of partnership/understanding between mathematics classroom practices and African American parental engagement. We will dialogue about perceptions of “old school” mathematics versus “new school” mathematics and the importance of
developing stronger mathematical identities within African American families. Please join us as we offer suggestions which can be used to encourage engaging with mathematics as a “family affair.”
Be sure not to miss Desha and Cheryl's session at the 2017 NCTM Annual Meeting in San Antonio:
We Are Family: Ways African American Families Engage in Mathematics
April 6, 2017 | 9:30–10:30 a.m. in Grand Hyatt San Antonio, Texas Ballroom F
It has been documented that family engagement enhances student learning. We also know that different families engage with their mathematics students differently. Understanding how African American families engage with their student can provide a lens on how we can enhance our culturally responsive classrooms and thus increase equity and access.