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SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM: AN EVALUATION OF ONE ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP AN INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM

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SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM: AN EVALUATION OF ONE ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP AN INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM

Author: David Clarke, Will Morony & Barry Schmitt

Publication Year: 1993

Abstract

The Junior Secondary Mathematics Resource Schools Project was established with a central purpose: "To
enhance and improve the mathematical capability of all students". Its realisation was dependent on the
collective expertise and enthusiasm of the project coordinators on the six Project schools, their associated
"key~teachers" and other staff, and the coordination and support available to the Project as a whole. The
research design or the evaluation of the 1.S.M.R.S.P. acknowledged the existence of distinct communities of
interest with respect to the Project. This paper reports those aspects of the study most likely to be of interest
to the research community: that is, the study design and the student and teacher outcomes that can be
associated with the implementation of this innovative curriculum and the associated teacher professional
development. At this stage it appears that Project teachers are reporting a growing satisfaction with their
participation in the Project and a growing awareness, understanding, and endorsement of the Project's goals.
Student outcomes suggest that the emerging inclusive curriculum is succeeding in both cognitive and affective areas at least as well as other more conventional curricular practices.

Type: research paper

DA VID CLARKE, WILL MORONY, & BARRY SCHMITT
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