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Mathematics Education: What is the Point?

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Book cover Mapping Equity and Quality in Mathematics Education

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Abstract

Students routinely complete their school mathematical careers never realizing the significance of mathematics in understanding important social, political, and economic issues facing our communities and our world. This is a form of societal negligence that many educators, and others, recognize must change. To pursue agendas of quality and equity in mathematics education will require rethinking both traditional and reform-based disciplinary representations of “common sense.” Specifically, mathematics education must revisit education’s very roots, working to balance emphases on mathematics content, pedagogy, and purpose. This chapter describes current research efforts and challenges in the Mathematics Education in the Public Interest (MEPI) project. We contextualize our efforts in broader research-based frameworks for improving mathematics education in pursuit of quality and equity agendas, while also communicating our own understandings of quality and equity.

The research described in this paper is part of the Mathematics Education in the Public Interest project, funded by the National Science Foundation, award number DUE-0837467. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation Mathematics Education.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Radford University, 24142, P.O. Box 6942, Radford, VA, USA

    Laura J. Jacobsen

Authors
  1. Laura J. Jacobsen
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  2. Jean Mistele
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Correspondence to Laura J. Jacobsen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Curtin University of Technology, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Bill Atweh

  2. University of the Witwatersrand, Witwatersrand, 2050, South Africa

    Mellony Graven

  3. College of Arts and Science, University, Miami, 45056, USA

    Walter Secada

  4. Dept. Education, Learning &, Philosophy, Aalborg University, Fibigerstraede 10, Aalborg, 9220, Denmark

    Paola Valero

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Jacobsen, L.J., Mistele, J. (2010). Mathematics Education: What is the Point?. In: Atweh, B., Graven, M., Secada, W., Valero, P. (eds) Mapping Equity and Quality in Mathematics Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9803-0_40

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