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Black students have been excluded from high-quality mathematics for generations 鈥� with dire outcomes academically and professionally, a California-based math equity group found. 

Just Equation’s recent report, “,” notes that while these students make up 15% of the nation鈥檚 public school population, they accounted for only 6% of those enrolled in AP math classes in the 2021-22 school year.聽

That exclusion has consequences that go far beyond school, the group contends.

鈥淔rom understanding election systems and social determinants of health to making sure you have the digital skills to be marketable in today’s workforce, quality math education prepares you to fully engage in society,鈥� said Andrea McChristian, Just Equations鈥� national policy director.

Her report notes that while Black adults accounted for 12% of the country鈥檚 overall working population in 2021, they made up just 9% of the nation’s STEM workforce. 

Benjamin Moynihan, executive director of , one of the groups Just Equations recognizes for helping Black students succeed in the subject, said the report should spark greater focus on the topic. 

鈥淐alculated Barriers shows us that our current crisis in mathematics education has been a choice that the nation has made,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to make new choices. Let us have a national discussion in which we collectively determine how to make the right decisions this time.鈥�

Just Equations notes Black students are often kept from taking calculus in high school 鈥� still considered a gold standard course by many top-tier colleges 鈥� because they don鈥檛 have access to eighth grade algebra, a course linked to advanced math choices later on.

鈥淲hen students have the opportunity to take Algebra I in middle school, assuming they are sufficiently prepared for it, their success in the course can open doors to strengthened analytical and reasoning skills, advanced math in high school, and college and career pathways,鈥� the report notes

But many schools don’t offer the course at the middle school level. 

Just Equations cites the New York Equity Coalition鈥檚 finding that 27% of New York state schools that serve seventh and eighth graders did not offer Algebra I in the eighth grade during the 2024鈥�25 school year. New York鈥檚 Black and Hispanic students were more likely to be enrolled in these schools than their white and Asian peers, according to the coalition.

Black children also face challenges accessing Algebra II, Just Equations found. Just 80% of schools with high enrollments of Black and Hispanic students offered the course compared to 85% of schools with low enrollment of these students. 

The disparity continued as students aged 鈥� and coursework became more rigorous. In the 2021鈥�22 school year, 62% of schools with high Black and Hispanic enrollment offered advanced mathematics compared to 71% of schools with low Black and Hispanic enrollment, the report notes. 

As of 2019, white high school graduates completed calculus at three times the rate of Black graduates 鈥� and Asian graduates at more than seven times the rate. 

As a result of these and other factors tied to racial discrimination, Black students face added challenges in college: Those in the California State University system, for example, were more likely to start their math sequence with calculus prerequisite courses, rather than with calculus.

鈥淟ong calculus prerequisite sequences may also carry a heavy financial burden for Black students, who are more likely to take on student loans than students from other racial and ethnic groups, and more likely to default on their loans,鈥� the report notes. 

Lya Snell, a director at the at the University of Texas at Austin, another of the groups Just Equations credits for making positive change in this area, said that when Black students are sidelined, the world forsakes more than individual talent. 

鈥淲e lose new ideas, perspectives and solutions that could benefit everyone,鈥� Snell said. 鈥淲e lose potential. Every student deserves the opportunity to see themselves as capable of succeeding in these fields. Investing in and believing in Black learners strengthens innovation, creates a more inclusive workforce and helps ensure that the future of STEM reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.鈥�

Black students鈥� and professionals鈥� ideas have changed industries, improved healthcare, solved complex problems and inspired the next generation, she said, citing , a leader in the development of COVID-19 vaccines; , whose 鈥渃omputational brilliance at NASA led to the success of several early space flights;鈥� and , an influential surgeon who pioneered methods for storing blood plasma. 

Barriers to higher math achievement for Black students were not always the case, the Just Equations report found.

鈥淢any Black students attending segregated schools had the support of Black educators who believed in their brilliance and ability,鈥� the report notes. 鈥淭his same level of support, however, did not extend to Black students鈥� educational experience after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, which led to school desegregation. Following desegregation, about 38,000 Black teachers and administrators across 17 states lost their jobs.鈥�

After integration, Black students in desegregated high schools were often steered away from Algebra I and into non鈥揷ollege track, lower-level courses, including general math and consumer math. 

鈥淎lgebra I thus emerged as one of the first math gatekeepers for Black students following Brown v. Board of Education,鈥� the report found.

Just Equations recommends redesigning high school mathematics to dismantle roadblocks to advanced courses, ending college admissions policies that perpetuate inequity and investing in culturally responsive instruction. 

In addition to The Algebra Project and the Dana Center, McChristian cited as another organization working hard to ensure Black children have access to high-quality math instruction.

鈥淚t’s an all-hands-on-deck effort, both inside the system and outside the system, to change math education and opportunities for Black students,鈥� she said.

Disclosure: The Gates Foundation provides financial support to Just Equations and to 91涩漫.

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