The many colors of algebra: The impact of equity focused teaching upon student learning and engagement

• Students participated in a teaching experiment during a summer algebra class for students who had just completed 6th or 7th grade.
• Students were placed in heterogeneous groups and given responsibility for their own work.
• Most students responded with more engagement and achievement.
• Most students reported that they enjoyed math more due to the ability to collaborate and make their own decisions about how to deal with problems.

The number of students who leave U.S. schools mathematically underprepared has prompted widespread concern. Low achieving students, many of whom have been turned off mathematics, are often placed in low tracks and given remedial, skills-oriented work. This study examines a different approach wherein heterogeneous groups of students were given responsibility and agency and asked to engage in a range of mathematical practices collaboratively. The teaching intervention, which was introduced in the first paper, took place as part of a summer class on algebra, and it gave students the opportunity to participate with mathematics in changed ways. This paper will report evidence that the vast majority responded with increased engagement, achievement, and enjoyment. The students chose collaboration and agency as critical to their improved relationships with mathematics.