Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers, Second Edition
Contents

Acknowledgments – ix
Preface – xi
Introduction – 1

PART ONE: VIEWING MATH BROADLY

Teaching Math Across the Curriculum, by Bob Peterson – 9
Teaching Suggestions: Disparities in Wealth Cartoon – 13
Activity Box: No-TV Week Math – 14
Driving While Black or Brown: A Math Project About Racial Profiling, by Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 16

Historical, Cultural, and Social Implications of Mathematics, by S. E. Anderson – 19

“I Thought This U.S. Place Was Supposed to Be About Freedom,” by Maura Varley Gutiérrez – 21

Rethinking Mathematics and Its Intersection with Race: Interview with Danny Martin, by Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 26

Reading the World with Math, by Marilyn Frankenstein – 30
Teaching Suggestions: The War in Iraq, The Boondocks Cartoon – 31
Activity Box: Using Math to Take a Critical Look at How the Unemployment Rate Is Determined, by Marilyn Frankenstein – 34
The War in Iraq: How Much Does It Cost? by Bob Peterson – 40

Race, Retrenchment, and the Reform of School Mathematics, by William F. Tate – 42
Environmental Hazards: Is Environmental Racism Real? by Larry Miller – 52

Adventures of a Beginning Teacher with Social Justice Mathematics, by Liz Trexler – 54

PART TWO: INFUSING SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO MATH CLASSES

“Home Buying While Brown or Black,” by Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 61
Teaching Suggestions: Corporate Control of U.S. Media Line Graph – 63
Teaching Suggestions: “And How Do You Spend Your Wages?” Cartoon – 65

Living Algebra, Living Wage, by Jana Dean – 67
Teaching Suggestions: The Dependent Variable – 71
Teaching Suggestions: The Y-Intercept – 72
“I Can’t Survive on $8.25”—Using Math to Investigate Minimum Wage, CEO Pay, and More, by Eric (Rico) Gutstein. – 75

Sweatshop Accounting, by Larry Steele – 78
Activity Box: How Do You Live on 31 Cents an Hour? – 82
Teaching Suggestions: The Global Capitalist Economy Cartoon – 84
Globalization, Labor, and the Environment: A Linear Programming Unit, by Indigo Esmonde and Jessica Quindel – 87
Poverty and World Wealth: Recognizing Inequality, by Susan Hersh and Bob Peterson – 89
Unequal Distribution of U.S. Wealth: Recognizing Inequality, Part Two, by Michael Langyel – 93

Chicanos Have Math in Their Blood, by Luis Ortiz-Franco – 95
Activity Box: The Hidden Grain in Meat, by Stephanie Kempf – 99

Whose Community Is This?: Understanding the Mathematics of Neighborhood Displacement, By Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 101

Understanding Large Numbers, by Bob Peterson – 110
Activity Box: How Many Willis Towers Tall Is $135 Billion? by Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 114

When Equal Isn’t Fair, By Julia M. Aguirre and Maria del Rosario Zavala – 115

Racism and Stop and Frisk, By Kathryn Himmelstein – 122

“With Math, It’s Like You Have More Defense,” by Erin E. Turner and Beatriz T. Font Strawhun – 129
Designing a Wheelchair Ramp: Putting the Pythagorean Theorem to Use, by Adam Renner – 136

“That Smell Is from the Sugar Cane Fire!” By Raquel Milani and Michela Tuchapesk da Silva – 138

What’s a Good School? By Michelle Allman and Almanzia Opeyo – 141

Radical Equations: A Review of the Book by Bob Moses and Charles E. Cobb Jr., by David Levine – 147

Teaching Percent Change + Social Justice = Opportunity for Deep Mathematical Discussion, By Flannery Denny – 154

The Square Root of a Fair Share, by Jana Dean – 161

The Geometry of Inequality, by Andrew Brantlinger – 169
South Central Los Angeles: Ratios, Density, and Geometry in Urban Areas, by Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 173

Plotting Inequality, Building Resistance, by Adam Renner, Bridget Brew, and Crystal Proctor – 175

Integrals and Equity, by Megan Staples – 181
HIV/AIDS Status: Using Statistics to Understand Ratios, by Sage Forbes-Gray – 185
Teaching Suggestions: HIV Status Bus Stop Photo – 186
Justice for Janitors: Rich Lessons in the Power of Math, by Bob Peterson – 187

Math, Maps, and Misrepresentation, by Eric (Rico) Gutstein – 189
Teaching Suggestions: Map of Territory That Mexico Lost to the United States – 191
Real-World Projects: Seeing Math All Around Us – 195
Teaching Suggestions: Do You Support Invading Iraq? Cartoon – 199
Deconstructing Barbie: Math and Popular Culture, by Swapna Mukhopadhyay – 200

Multicultural Math, by Claudia Zaslavsky – 202
Tracking PA Announcements: Collecting Data in the Classroom, by Robert M. Berkman – 208

PART THREE: INFUSING SOCIAL JUSTICE MATH INTO OTHER CURRICULAR AREAS

Ten Chairs of Inequality, by Polly Kellogg – 213
Fast Foods, Junk Foods, and Advertising: Analyzing the Barrage of Advertising Aimed at Children, by Bob Peterson – 216

Transparency of Water, By Selene Gonzalez-Carillo and Martha Merson – 218

Write the Truth: Presidents and Slaves, by Bob Peterson – 226
Teaching Suggestions: “Eight Companies Earn More” One-Dollar Bill Graphic – 228
Libraries, Books, and Bias: Using Math to Raise Issues of Representation, by Bob Peterson – 235
The Mathematics of Lotteries: Going Beyond Probability, by Laurie Rubel – 236

Rethinking and Connecting Algebra to Real-World Issues, By Sandra Kingan – 238

A Social Justice Data Fair, BY Beth Alexander And Michelle Munk – 243

The Transnational Capital Auction, by Bill Bigelow – 248
Sweatshop Math: Taking a Closer Look at Where Kids’ “Stuff” Comes From, by Bob Peterson – 256
Teaching Suggestions: “Work Faster!” Cartoon – 258

PART FOUR: RESOURCES FOR RETHINKING MATHEMATICS

Websites, Math Curriculum and Pedagogy, Books with Theoretical/Academic Perspectives, Curriculum Guides/Resources, Children’s Books, Sources for Maps, and More – 261

About the Editors – 271
Contributors – 271
Index – 275