If you’re the first person in your family to attend college, meeting challenging academic requirements and navigating college applications can feel daunting.
I know the feeling well. As a first-generation Latino student, I didn’t think college was for people like me. At Alum Rock Middle School in San Jose, our mission is to help prepare students for college and open their eyes to future opportunities. For the past 12 years, I’ve worked to show our students that a college education is within their reach. California has one of the highest percentages of first-generation college students or students whose parents never completed a four-year college degree. According to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, more than 46.5% of all California college students are first-generation. However, although first-generation students are well-represented in two-year technical colleges, they are underrepresented at four-year institutions and in the STEM disciplines. A 2024 research study by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues found that first-generation students enrolled in STEM fields at significantly lower rates than their continuing-generation peers.
Furthermore, a 2020 report by the Public Policy Institute of California confirmed that low-income, Latino and Black students in California are less than 50% likely to obtain a college degree than their peers. In April 2024, the California Assembly Committee on Higher Education unanimously passed Assembly Bill 2953 to improve access for first-generation students in California. While this is a step in the right direction, there’s more we need to do to ensure students are prepared for college and careers.
Problem-based math instruction provides a pathway
Students need a solid academic foundation, including math, to access higher education opportunities. Yet the National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2020, 72% of first-generation students had taken no college preparatory courses in high school, compared to 43% of students whose parents had completed at least some college.
We know that before our kids can tackle advanced high-school math classes, they must master foundational math concepts in middle school. In 2018, Alum Rock adopted Illustrative Math curriculum, a program that teaches math through real-world applications. IM supports our belief that all students can succeed.
We have also invested in practices that go beyond helping students better understand numbers. These include prioritizing family engagement, promoting the relevance of math in everyday life, and providing resources that help eliminate barriers to success.
Building a community is part of the equation
Many students at our school are English Language Learners. Some come from families that are low-income and have experienced homelessness. Ensuring these students have the same access to math education as their peers is essential.
Traditionally, “building a community” hasn’t been considered a core element of the math curriculum. Instead, educators have been asked to focus on teaching and practicing specific math skills in isolation. However, math is not a universal language. For many students from underrepresented groups, numbers and symbols are often embedded in unfamiliar vocabulary and narratives. Engaging these students in math includes bridging those language and cultural gaps in the classroom and at home.
Many families are hesitant to ask teachers what their children are working on or where they need help, fearing the teachers won’t understand or be able to help them. The AccessIM feature in the IM curriculum helps overcome these barriers by breaking down language and knowledge obstacles and encouraging family involvement. It allows families to view lessons in English and other languages and provides examples of problems families can solve together.
Making math relevant
The right tools and resources help bring authentic math problems to life. Teachers need the freedom to use storytelling to demonstrate how math reflects issues that scientists, artists or historians might face. Our teachers have enjoyed putting their creative twists into lessons and classroom discussions.
Whenever I walk into a class, I ask students what they’re working on and why it matters. For instance, sixth-graders might be exploring concepts like distribution and frequency. A typical problem could involve determining the three most popular summer sports based on survey responses. Rather than come up with correct answers individually, our students work together to create tables and bar graphs based on the data and discuss their observations with their classmates.
We also encourage our teachers to give students examples of real-world scenarios in which they might apply the skills they’re learning. When students recognize math’s critical role in their everyday lives, they become more engaged and willing to tackle more complicated problems.
A survey by the Center for First-Generation Student Success found that 43% of first-generation students felt they didn’t fit in, compared to 27% of their peers with college-educated parents. If we want to equip first-generation students with the math skills needed for college, we must refute the idea that formulas and algorithms exist outside of students’ lived experiences. Instead, we must embrace the mindset that a collaborative, inclusive approach is more valuable than simply arriving at the correct answer.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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