Advocacy corner: Foregrounding equity and access for all students in the midst of DEI uncertainty

By W. Gary Martin, MTEP 2.0 principal investigator

It seems like only yesterday that my university was gearing up its attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of what appeared to be a national reckoning about practices in many facets of society that promote injustice. However, over the last four years, backlash did not take long to develop, with many states, including my own, forbidding attention to DEI in public education and higher education. My university’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity was disbanded, causing programs to end and personnel to be reassigned. Faculty were directed to remove references to DEI from our syllabi, although teacher educators are allowed to continue to meet accreditation standards, which has given us at least a little breathing room. In an environment that is increasingly hostile to the MTEP aim of increasing participation in program improvement "while foregrounding issues of equity and access both in the objectives and practices of the programs," how do we carry on?

The following tips are adapted from a blog post on LinkedIn aimed at the business world, but many of the sentiments also apply to us as mathematics teacher educators.

1. Focus on the experiences of your future teachers. Many of them experience or at least observe inequities in our educational system. For example, they may see that students from historically marginalized groups may not receive the support they need to be successful. Encouraging our future teachers to be open about the impact of microaggressions and other discriminatory behavior from their personal experience may help them acknowledge the importance of confronting such inequities rather than having the discourse around the issues become embroiled in divisive posturing.
   
2. Push back on false narratives surrounding DEI. Teachers must seek to provide each and every student they teach the differing supports needed to accomplish great things in mathematics, not give students who may be labeled as having lesser ability or lower motivation an "easy way out" by lowering standards.
   
3. Be clear about your intentions in addressing sensitive issues. A well-prepared teacher is keenly aware of the challenges they will face and has thought through how they might address those challenges. We are professionally obligated to help our future teachers confront what may be difficult issues, such as implicit bias and structural inequities, that could impede their future success as teachers.
   
4. Consider avoiding language that may not be clearly understood by your future teachers or others. Terms such as "diversity," "equity," and "inclusion" may be perceived as empty codewords or, even worse, bear politically-misleading connotations. Our commitment is not to specific vocabulary, but to the ideals that vocabulary represents. It may be worthwhile to take the extra time to talk about "ensuring the success of all students," "promoting fairness in our practices," or "helping students to feel a part of our classroom" rather than relying on the familiar terminology. In any case, we must clearly define the terms we use to ensure that our future teachers are not distracted by misinterpretations.
   
5. Commit to DEI as a long-term practice, not as a trendy one. DEI isn’t about being on a bandwagon or jumping off of it when things get difficult. It is about a commitment to promoting inclusion and excellence in mathematics education. Note that NCTM first took an overt stand for equity in the Professional Teaching Standards in its "All Students" statement in 1991. (See following excerpt.) Our growth in understanding what equity in education means has been reflected in every set of standards released since then. Over nearly 35 years, the focus of our profession has not wavered.
   
6. Embed attention to DEI in all aspects of your work. Returning to the MTEP aim, committing to DEI means "foregrounding issues of equity and access both in the objectives and practices of the program." Programs cannot promote equitable teaching while tolerating ill-treatment of students (or faculty) of color, LGBTQ+ students and faculty, disabled students and faculty, first-generation students, international students, veteran students, and/or other students and faculty who face systemic oppression.
   
7. Do not run away from discussions of racism, sexism, or other challenging topics. As the blog states, "one of the main reasons that DEI is receiving so much backlash is because it is often erroneously associated solely with dealing with racial issues and helping Black employees [students]…Race continues to be one of the most taboo topics in workplaces, with leaders hoping to completely avoid the issue or to have only surface mentions of it." Ignoring difficult issues will not make them go away.
   
8. Finally, push back against any and all dubious legal challenges. The laws are designed to not just proscribe certain actions but to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation so that we "think twice" before taking on issues that could potentially spark a reaction. Study the laws and policies and know for yourself where the boundaries actually are, not where their perpetrators imply they are.

• students who have been denied access in any way to educational opportunities as well as those who have not;
  
• students who are African American, Hispanic, American Indian, and other minorities as well as those who are considered to be a part of the majority;
  
• students who are female as well as those who are male; and
  
• students who have not been successful in school and in mathematics as well as those who have been successful.