About the Institute:

Our why: Many students, especially Black, Indigenous, and Latine students, are not afforded spaces where they are trusted as mathematical thinkers and have agency over their own math learning. We aim to joyfully disrupt that! The Building Joy and Justice in Mathematics institute will provide educators with an opportunity to examine inclusive, culturally responsive practices in math teaching. With the support of facilitators and colleagues, educators will sharpen the skills and knowledge to modify existing curriculum or create mathematics lessons centering humanization, play, critical thinking and students’ lived experience.

What: This course will cover research and theories from Gholdy Muhammad, Francis Su, Rochelle Gutiérrez and others. We begin with an in-person kickoff workshop at Portland State University, followed by self-paced asynchronous learning to go deeper with the materials and ideas. Participants then create a final project that incorporates what they have learned in the institute, what they have learned about their students, and their grade level mathematics curriculum, scope and sequence. We will conclude the course by sharing our final projects and celebrating the completion of this journey together.

Who: Joy and Justice is open to classroom teachers, instructional coaches, interventionists, ELD specialists, and instructional assistants. Anyone who works with students on math is welcome to join! Preference is given for teachers from schools with higher percentages of students not yet meeting proficiency on the Oregon State Assessment in mathematics.

When: In 2026, the kickoff workshop was on September 19, and the course will run through December 5. We have run Joy and Justice every year since 2021!