Brooklyn, NY - Over 500 educators and students from around the nation gathered over the course of the weekend, April 27-29, 2007 to discuss the ties between math education and social justice at the Creating Balance in an Unjust World conference—the first educator event of its kind. Participants from 28 states with student groups from cities including Oakland, Chicago, Baltimore, Albuquerque and Providenceconvened at the Long Island University campus to attend 28 workshops, two panels, and a keynote address with Bob Moses, founder of The Algebra Project—a program that prepares underserved youth with high-level math skills.

Vanguard High School student Levon Kirkpatrick participated in the conference and highlighted the necessity of mathematical literacy and the connection to real world contexts, "It allows you to know that math isn't stuff you do with just a piece of paper and a pencil. It has to do with life. I'm not asking my teacher 'Why do I have to know this?'"

Educators had the opportunity to share best practices to engage students and improve student learning. Bill Weimers, a Math Coach in East Harlem and the South Bronx reflected, "I came to discover strategies to support the state's math standards that tap in to students' everyday lives, and I left rich with resources and a more sophisticated mindset." Catherine A. Roberts Ph.D., math professor at the College of Holy Cross, Worcester, MA explained, "The conference really connected the dots for me. I am energized like never before."

Participants explored questions such as: How has math literacy been a gatekeeper to educational and personal success? How can issues of social justice be integrated into math curriculum as a means of enriching, and not sacrificing, mathematical content? How do issues of race and class affect the teaching and learning of mathematics? The need for mathematical literacy and the current lack of equity in math education framed participants' attention to these foci. According the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress 58% of Black 8 th graders and 48% of Latino 8th graders scored "below basic" in contrast to 20% of their White counterparts, and 49% of 8th graders eligible for free lunch scored "below basic" compared to 21% of 8 th graders not receiving free lunch. [1]

Upon hearing of the conference, conservatives balked at the term "social justice" and questioned whether educators should bring current events, history, and politics into the math classroom, but of course this integrated approach to academic instruction is held in the highest regard in any elite school. Higher-order thinking requires individuals to apply their knowledge, in this case mathematics, to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the world. "Educators are hungry for opportunities to give students the tools to critically analyze their world and transform the material conditions of their lives, and they enjoyed these opportunities at the conference" observed Bree Picower, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at NYU's Department of Teaching and Learning. As the increased use of standardized testing dictates instruction that mostly engages lower-order thinking, educators and students are eager to learn of strategies that make connections between classroom learning and real-world concerns. Every participant interviewed expressed enthusiastic interest for the conference to become an annual event.

[1] Nations Report Card