Andrew Brantlinger, Northwestern University

Standards-based reforms in mathematics education place issues of equity front and center. Indeed, curriculum and instruction that is aligned with national standards appear to lead to more equitable outcomes for students (NCTM, 2000; Schoenfeld, 2002). However, many scholars argue that the reform movement does not go far enough in terms of equity (Apple, 1992; Gutierrez, 2002; Gutstein, 2003). These scholars argue for the importance of "critical mathematics," that is, the infusion of political themes and goals into the standards-based mathematics curriculum. Proponents of critical mathematics claim that such an approach has the potential to be more equitable than standards-based instruction because, for example, it allows students to use mathematics to develop their understandings of personally relevant sociopolitical matters (e.g. racial profiling, gentrification) and what they can do to change them for the better.