On almost every measure of mathematical achievement and persistence, African American students lag behind their peers. Because mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for information technology majors and careers, African Americans are also disproportionately shut out of these areas. In order to better understand the societal, community, school, and intra-personal forces that affect their under-representation, Contra Costa College and Dr. Danny Martin have been awarded a three-year ethnographic and observational study that will focus on mathematics socialization and mathematics identity among a diverse group of African Americans.
The participants in this study will be African American parents, community members, students and teachers of students selected from communities in two northern California cities-Richmond and San Pablo. Both cities are located within 50 miles of Silicon Valley and have significant African American populations. The two cities also have school systems that are representative of many urban districts. The project will also focus on selected programs, services, staff, and students at Contra Costa College, an institution that has had a high rate of success in transferring minority students to four-year colleges and universities in mathematics, computer science, and engineering.
