Nationally, 86% of white 4th graders were at least on grade level in mathematics. Only 55% of Black students could say the same.
This staggering disparity is an issue the Gates Foundation has long fought to change, and their recent major announcement is no exception.
In an October blog post, it was announced that the organization will make a $1.1 billion investment in furthering the education of underrepresented youth.
“That’s why over the next 10 years, our work in K-12 education is going deeper in math,” the post read. “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is not new to mathematics. For the past several years roughly 40% of our K-12 education budget has supported math instruction in a meaningful way. But now is the time for bolder and clearer focus. Unfinished learning resulting from the pandemic—and the equity and outcome gaps that it exacerbated—require us all to think differently about how we’re approaching math education.”The foundations plans to partner with districts to help implement the practices, protocols, and systems changes most essential for strong math instruction.
The foundations plans to partner with districts to help implement the practices, protocols, and systems changes most essential for strong math instruction
The organization will also forge pipelines for high school to college so that “students have more options to pursue their interests and aspirations and are better positioned for future success.”
More information can be found here.