Conversely, poorer schools are much less likely to adopt a universal algebra-teaching policy for eighth graders. Almost half of the wealthiest schools taught algebra to all eighth graders, compared with about a third of the poorest schools.
Mathematics teachers in high-poverty schools tended to have weaker professional preparation. They do so without first earning a traditional teaching degree at a university and instead completing an alternative certification program on the job, often without supervised student teaching. They were much more likely to have a career. And they were less likely to have a graduate degree or qualification in mathematics.
The study found that one-third of math teachers in high-poverty schools reported spending more than half of their class time teaching topics below grade level, as well as managing student behavior and disciplining students. . Lecture-style instruction, as opposed to classroom discussions, was much more common in the poorest schools compared to the wealthiest schools. When researchers at Rand University examined schools along racial and ethnic lines, they also found that black and Hispanic students received “suboptimal” instruction compared to white students. We found similar inconsistencies in the pattern. However, these disparities are due more to income than race, suggesting that poverty may be a bigger factor than prejudice.
Many communities are trying to get more eighth graders into algebra classes, but doing so can worsen the situation for unprepared students. Commenting on the RAND analysis during a Nov. 5 webinar, AIR’s Goldhaber said, “Just giving them an 8th grade algebra course is not a silver bullet.” Either the content is too difficult and students fail, or the course is “algebra” in name but doesn’t actually cover the content. And if your college didn’t prepare you for the advanced math classes you take after algebra, you’re unlikely to benefit from taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade.
And for many low-income middle schools, it’s not economically practical to offer an Algebra 1 course when only a handful of students are advanced enough to take it. Teachers must be hired for even a small number of students, and those resources could be spent more effectively on other things that benefit more students. This leaves the most senior students in low-income schools at a particular disadvantage. “It’s a difficult problem for schools to tackle on their own,” Goldhaber said.
Improving the quality of mathematics teachers in the poorest schools is an important first step. Some researchers have proposed paying talented math teachers more to work in high-poverty schools, but that would also require renegotiating union contracts in many cities. Dew. And even with financial incentives, there is a shortage of math teachers.
For students, AIR’s Goldhaber argues that elementary school is the time to intervene in math to ensure more low-income students acquire basic math skills. “You should do it before you start middle school,” Goldhaber said. “For many students, middle school is too late.”
This article about 8th grade math was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Proof Points and other Hechinger newsletters.
