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A of Nashville high-schoolers exposed an alarming disconnect between Black girls and mathematics, one that might explain their lack of confidence in the subject 鈥� and why they don鈥檛 see how it can help them achieve their professional goals. 

More than 70% of Black female respondents in general math classes had 鈥渁 negative math identity鈥� compared to 14% of Black boys. And 86% of Black girls in general math did not see the connection between their desired careers and mastery of advanced mathematics 鈥� even when they wished to enter STEM fields. That is compared to 67% of Black boys. 

鈥淲hat students believe about math 鈥� and their ability to learn math, to be good at math 鈥� is really important, both in the moment and in the long term,鈥� said Ashli-Ann Douglas, a research associate at , a San-Francisco based national nonprofit. 鈥淎nd those beliefs are related to the quality of math instruction that they receive.鈥� 

Douglas was the lead researcher on the report when she was a graduate student at Vanderbilt University. The 251 students in her study 鈥� 83% were in the 11th grade and 17% had been retained at some point and were in 10th grade 鈥� participated in fall 2019. One child had skipped a grade and was a high school senior. 

More than 80% of respondents were Black: 78% lived in a home with an annual household income of less than $50,000 while more than a quarter lived in a home with a household income of less than $20,000.

Pamela Seda, president of the , which works to empower Black children by boosting their access and success in mathematics, said there are two stereotypes at work here: that Black people are not gifted in mathematics and that girls in general struggle with the subject. 

鈥淲hen you put those stereotypes together it compounds the negative effects,鈥� she said.

Shelly M. Jones, a mathematics education professor at Central Connecticut State University and member of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics board of directors, said math curriculum is often not culturally relevant. 

Jones, in teaching graduate students, highlights the work of trailblazer , an expert in ethnomathematics, the study of how math is used in different cultures. 

One of s papers examined the math behind African-American hairstyles. It was, Jones said, a transformative lesson: One of her Black female students told her 骋颈濒尘别谤鈥檚 work made her feel recognized in the topic for the first time.

鈥淏lack girls don’t see themselves in mathematics,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭he things that they like, they don鈥檛 see in math.鈥�

Douglas, the researcher, found that 99% of respondents considered basic math 鈥� number and operations skills 鈥� to be useful while only 58% said the same of higher level math, including algebra and statistics. The study, published earlier this month in the American Educational Research Journal, helps explain why the nation is missing out on the talents of many underserved students, she said.

鈥淭his is one of the ways we lose out on the genius of young people,鈥� Douglas said. 鈥淢ath is a gatekeeper in a lot of ways: When students do not have the math skills they need to access different careers, that is a barrier. And when they don鈥檛 have the beliefs about the utility of math, the value of math, they are less likely to persist and advocate for improved quality of instruction.鈥�

Douglas鈥檚 paper also revealed that 29% of Black boys said their teachers鈥� recognition or acknowledgment of their performance in class was an indicator of their math proficiency. 

None of the Black girls said they received such positive feedback. 

Black students also did not believe their teachers were adequately prepared to teach the subject, regardless of their credentials, the study notes. And Black girls were more likely to cite their own poor understanding of math as a sign that they were not good at the subject. 

Students鈥� personal testimony was powerfully revealing, researchers said. 

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 know how to teach in a way that people understand,鈥� said one student in a focus group. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 know how to teach right.鈥� 

The result was devastating.

鈥淚鈥檓 failing now,鈥� the student said. 鈥淚 never failed last year. I鈥檓 failing this year.鈥�

Researchers noted that several students described that same teacher as 鈥渘ice,鈥� indicating the issue was not about personality, but effectiveness. 

Douglas said her findings emphasize the need for more inclusive and equitable math teaching methods to help marginalized students 鈥� particularly Black girls. 

Even with the required credentials to work in the field, teachers need ongoing coaching to help them work with students and relay the importance of the subject in their lives, she said. 

She and others from her research team spent a few hours leading a districtwide training shortly after the study was conducted, providing hands-on lessons for educators in the summer of 2021. In addition, 10 educators, including teachers and their advisors, subsequently completed a semester-long coaching program led by Douglas and her team. 

Douglas鈥檚 report is part of a larger longitudinal study of math knowledge development that started when the students were in preschool: The children were recruited in 2006 from 57 pre-kindergarten classes at 20 public schools and four Head Start sites and were followed through high school. 

Kelley L. Durkin, research assistant professor in the department of teaching and learning at Vanderbilt, and Bethany Rittle-Johnson, a professor of psychology and human development at the university, oversaw the last phase of the project, which wrapped up in 2022.

Rittle-Johnson said she was surprised when some students said their math teachers refused to help them or shamed them for not paying attention. 

鈥淎ll the students in our focus groups valued their education, but they did not all receive the quality of math instruction and support that every student deserves,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nequitable access to resources for both students and teachers have serious consequences for students鈥� learning opportunities, and it is not fair nor just.鈥�

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Overdeck Foundation provide financial support to WestEd and 蜜桃影视.

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