In recent national comparisons, we have seen the narrowing of the performance gap between girls and boys in school mathematics. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the performance gap between minority and majority students in school mathematics.

Certainly, the differences in student performance in mathematics by ethnicity have been well documented. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress continue to reveal that over the past twenty years the gap between majority and minority achievement in high-level mathematics has not changed significantly.

The lack of improvement in minority students’ mathematics knowledge, skills, and problem-solving abilities creates future economic, social, and political disadvantages for these students. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor show a stronger correlation between average hourly wages and mathematics ability than between such earnings and reading comprehension. Furthermore, the Department of Labor reports that the ten fastest growing occupations in the United States are in areas that depend on competence in mathematics, science, and technology. Why, then, do academic differences between majority and minority students persist?

Several factors may contribute to the disparity. One may be that schools or teachers have different goals for minority students in mathematics classrooms. In rural, urban, and suburban settings, minority students are frequently relegated to “minimum proficiency” curricula, where the emphasis is on developing skills that hardly move students beyond “the basics.” Meanwhile, majority students are likely to encounter curricula that reach well beyond "the basics," stressing problem solving, making connections, and showing multiple representations of important mathematical ideas and relationships.

Another factor that may perpetuate the gap between majority and minority students in mathematics performance is the difference in opportunities available for learning high-quality mathematics. There are data showing that approximately 26 percent of all public school students in grades 7 through 12 are enrolled in mathematics classes taught by teachers without even a minor in mathematics or mathematics education. In urban high schools, mathematics students have only a 50 percent chance of having a qualified mathematics teacher. Moreover, for schools with a high percentage of minority students, only 42 percent have mathematics teachers who majored in mathematics, compared to 70 percent of schools having a low percentage of minority students.

A key factor contributing to the performance gap between minority and majority students is tracking—a remnant of the “new math” era (the late 1960s and early 1970s), when separating students into different curricular tracks on the basis of their ability was a common practice. Although research indicates that tracking does not benefit students in mathematics, the thinking associated with it—that learning mathematics is an innate ability rather than one that is developed—remains with some mathematics teachers. Unfortunately, this belief can lead teachers to feel less responsible for their students’ mathematics performance and undermine student achievement.

An important element that will help eliminate the disparities in mathematics education is the Equity Principle articulated in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM) (2000). This principle establishes that all students can be successful in mathematics and should be held to high expectations. Strategies for implementing the Equity Principle are carefully described in PSSM. Any changes designed to eliminate the performance gap between minority and majority students must embrace the Equity Principle.

We can help minority students reach their potential by addressing the following questions: What am I doing to guarantee that all my students are taking the best mathematics my school has to offer? How am I using information about my students to serve them better? Will I accept my students' failures as my own?

If we are to leave no student behind, we must become more proactive for the rights of every child. We must advocate improvements for every school in every district in which we serve. We must provide challenging mathematics opportunities for students, and work hard to help them achieve the goals we have set. We must provide ongoing professional development in mathematics teaching and learning for all pre-K through 12 teachers while insisting that all new hires possess a high level of competence in mathematics education. In other words, we must agree to set higher standards for our students, and to accept higher standards for ourselves.