Success Made Probable: Creating Equitable Mathematical Experiences Through Project-Based Learning

Abstract

In this article, the authors describe a 16-hour project-based learning statistics unit designed for and implemented with elementary-aged, African American children. The unit was designed to provide the children with mathematical learning experiences that allowed them to make personal sense of mathematics or to use mathematics to critique and analyze issues within their communities or in the wider society. The authors worked with thirteen, elementary-aged, African American girls to address an authentic, school-based problem; four dimensions of equity—power, access, identity, and achievement—was used as a lens to examine the quality of the project and the impact of the mathematical experiences on the students.