This article was written and Published by Janine Bowen — October 15th, 2024

Jessica Hunt, a professor of special education and mathematics education in NC State’s College of Education, is aiming to counter disparities in STEM learning through her work on a new, grant-funded project entitled “Building and Testing a Framework for Liberatory and Conceptual Mathematics Learning with Black Disabled Students.” The project will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Virginia and University of California-Santa Cruz, and is funded by $4,342,845 from the National Science Foundation, of which the College of Education will receive $1,040,523.

The project will establish and sustain a partnership with a cohort of Black disabled high school students to center their voices, knowledge and experiences in the development of a theoretical coaching framework that addresses challenges while advancing conceptual mathematics learning and high school mathematics instructional practices.

“Black disabled students are often excluded from conversations about high-quality mathematics instruction as well as conversations about equitable math instruction. As such, they may not be provided as many opportunities as other students to engage in mathematics with teachers who implement practices that would be considered ‘high-quality or equitable,’” Hunt said. “This project takes a transformative approach to work in authentic partnership with Black disabled students to develop a theoretical coaching framework to directly empower educators and teachers in systems that can invoke systemic change.”

The theoretical coaching framework will be constructed based upon existing theories that aim to “affirm and cultivate disabled students as complex, intersectional and brilliant beings,” Hunt said. The framework will be developed in conjunction with Black disabled students to counter deficit-orientations through examination of their personalities, creativity, resourcefulness, and unique perspectives and ways of knowing and being within mathematics learning contexts.

“These students bring a wealth of mathematics knowledge and insights from their experiences in being Black and disabled. However, dysfunction occurs when schools fail to make mathematics curriculum, pedagogy and relationships meaningful to these students,” Hunt and her collaborators said in their grant proposal.

Over the course of the four-year project, the cohort of students working with researchers will have opportunities to convene to share their experiences while mathematics teachers will engage in professional development to support working with students as well as piloting and developing the coaching model.