MTC 4 Social Justice

If you haven’t attended one of our sessions before, we particularly welcome new participants!

Here’s what to expect from a typical session:

Welcome and Opening circle
Intro to a social justice topic and mathematical context
Collaborative problem solving
Discussion with other participants about classroom considerations, implementation and others’ experiences
Building community!

Note: Our workshops are held virtually over Zoom or Webex. In the future, we may hold in-person events to further develop our community and shared interests.

Upcoming Workshops

Making Math Meaningful: Experience and Learn (Register)

Date/Time: 3/7/26, 9am-12pm

Location: UConn Hartford campus (Hartford Times building)

Presenters: Angelo Boratko, Hartford Public Schools
Taryn DiSorbo, Cheshire Public Schools
Sherryl King, South Windsor Public Schools
Brian McDermott, Glastonbury Public Schools
Ashley Ruegg, EO Smith High School
Toby Wei, Mansfield Public Schools

Description: As MTC4SJ enters our 6th year, we are excited to offer our first in-person workshop to expand capacity and community for teachers and leaders looking to make mathematics more meaningful in their classrooms. Come network, learn and get ideas for your classroom!

The first half of this workshop will engage all participants in a hands-on social justice math task and debrief. The second half will allow participants to choose from a handful of mini-tasks to engage in with practicing teachers/leaders who have implemented meaningful tasks into their curricula.

This is open to anyone (teachers, students, coaches, etc.) at no cost. Coffee and pastries will be provided and there will also be MTC4SJ giveaways!

Past Workshops

World Wealth Distribution

Date: 11/18/25

Presenters: Kyle Evans, Assumption University and MTC4SJ

Description: We can physically observe indicators of wealth in our own communities, but how can we quantify how wealth is distributed around the world? Our two activities focus on the (dis)proportionality of population and wealth in the world's regions, and how geometry and creating a mathematics measure helps us characterize the distribution of wealth within various countries.

Grade Level and Topic: 7-12; Proportional Reasoning, Data, Geometry

From Infection Rates to Policy Debates: Mathematics in the Vaccine Conversation

Date: 10/21/25

Presenters: Kaitlyn Seeto, Framingham (MA) PS; Megan Staples, UConn; Toby Way, Mansfield (CT) PS

Description: In this session, we explore quantitative aspects of infectious diseases - such as contagiousness, fatality rate, number of sufferers, and vaccine effectiveness - and use tools to model the spread of disease. From these activities, we develop new insights into how the spread of disease can inform our individual decision-making and our collective advocacy, ultimately asking under what conditions should a department of public health recommend or mandate a vaccine? We consider the impact on individuals and groups.

Grade Level and Topic: 7-12 Modeling and Quantitative Reasoning

The Geometry of Green Spaces

Date: 9/23/25

Presenter: Kyle Evans, Assumption University and MTC4SJ

Description: What does mathematics have to say about your favorite park or trail? We will explore the geometry of "green spaces" in your own towns and cities - how do we quantify if there is "enough" and who has access? We will use mapping tools and hopefully give you a lesson for your Geometry class!

Grade Level and Topic: 7-12 Geometry

Ethnomodeling: Supporting Social Justice Goals by Valuing and Centering Students and Teachers Identities in Mathematics Classrooms

Date: 5/13/25

Presenter: Siddhi Soni, CCSU

Description: During this session we will engage in ethnomathematics focused mathematical modeling tasks to honor the stories and lived experiences of our teachers, students, and communities. Through high-quality and rich K-12 mathematics tasks that support social justice goals, we will discuss ways to support students' mathematical learning AND identify ways that such tasks foster, promote, and celebrate each and every student within mathematics classrooms.

MTC4SJ in Practice: First Steps for Implementing in Your Classroom

Date: 4/29/25

Presenters: Rachel Buck (CIBA), Amy Cunningham (Windsor HS), Ashley Ruegg (EO Smith)

Description: Ever thought, “This SJM task is great, but how do I really do it?” If the answer is yes, this session is for you. There are many considerations for classroom implementation such as: Are there adjustments I should make for my specific set of students? Where can this fit into the curriculum? Three classroom teachers will lead this session offering tips, resources, and an opportunity to brainstorm in small groups (by math subject) how to incorporate a meaningful context into your classroom. Particularly with the end of the year approaching, now is a perfect time to experiment!

Exploring American Community Survey Data with Data Science Tools

Date: 4/8/25

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: Learn how to use the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) and Google Colab to analyze univariate data from the “American Community Survey.” Come learn how you (and your students) can use data to advocate for policies that aligns with your values and community needs.

World Wealth Distribution (ATOMIC Conference)

Date: 3/24/25

Description: Math is a powerful tool for navigating our world, and we need to let students in on that secret! In particular, issues of fairness pervade our society - from income inequality, to the availability of healthy foods, to gerrymandering, to FDA recommendations. Join us to learn about math and fairness, engage in a middle school task about world wealth distribution, and become familiar with the Math Teachers’ Circle 4 Social Justice community which supports teachers in building capacity with math for social justice.

Counted Out: Algorithms and Bias

Date: 3/11/25

Description: Continuing the themes of the Counted Out Film, we further explore the prevalence of algorithms and their impact in our society. We will investigate a couple of algorithms that can be used with students and discuss classroom implications as well.

The Electoral College: The Power of Your Vote

Date: 10/29/24

Description: With one week to go until the presidential election, many are predicting the outcome by coloring in maps and tallying up Electoral Votes. What's the impact of America's Electoral College System? How does where we live influence the power of our vote?

Redistricting: The Shapes of Democracy

Date: 10/8/24

Description: Are we choosing our elected officials, or are they choosing us? Every ten years following the Census, states must redraw their district maps, and this process is often manipulated to benefit those in power. Mathematicians have intervened with various approaches to "fair" maps, and we provide this context along with an introduction to a mapping program.

From Plurality to Ranking: Understanding Voting Systems

Date: 9/17/24

Description: While we often question who we vote for, less often we think about how we actually vote. As more communities and states in America debate and even implement moving to "ranked choice" voting, we turn our attention to understanding how different voting systems work, and their pros and cons from a mathematical perspective of fairness.

Incarceration in Connecticut

Date: 3/21/23

Presenters: Taryn DiSorbo, Cheshire Public Schools; Nickie Pendolphi, Groton Public Schools; Bella Llano, University of Connecticut

Description: The United States continues to have the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Connecticut has taken steps to lower this rate, but how has the criminal justice system impacted different demographic groups? In this session, we will share our lesson that analyzes incarceration rates by race (or gender or age) in Connecticut in the past decade. We will use regression and Desmos to compare different rates over time and then shift our focus to critical conversations. What can be done to improve our system through restorative justice (for example)?

Skew The Script - College Loans and Student Debt

Date: 2/28/23

Presenter: Matt DiSorbo, Skew The Script

Description: Sarah borrowed $40,000 to go to college many years ago. She has paid off her loan diligently; and yet, she owes even more money today! How is that possible? In this Skew the Script lesson, we dive into compound interest and exponential growth. We are so often taught the power of interest in our savings account, but rarely how that power can be wielded against us in the borrowing market. We'll explore real life examples and discuss ways to make the payment calculations clearer and more manageable.

Quantifying and Analyzing Skin Tone Representation in Popular Media

Date: 1/24/23

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: Data Science is a burgeoning field of both study and opportunities for employment. But what does data science look like in a math classroom and how does this intersect with Social Justice? Join us as we investigate how colorism may play a role in popular media by analyzing media “manually” and with data science tools. This will lead us to ask “Does a disparity in skin tone representation exist in the media? What does this mean? What other questions or lines of inquiry could we pursue with these tools?” While this workshop is intended for adult learners, the content can be adjusted to meet the needs of students and extensive resources will be shared if you want to incorporate this in more depth in your classroom.

Supporting Students' Math Identities Through Designing Culturally Relevant Mathematics Tasks

Date: 11/15/22

Presenter: Shelly Jones, Central Connecticut State University

Description: Join us for a talk by author Dr. Shelly Jones, co-author of the book, Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks: Fostering Hope in the Secondary Classroom with Drs. Lou Matthews and Yolanda Parker. The book - to be released next month - details multiple approaches for (re)designing tasks to be culturally responsive. Shelly will share one teacher’s experience with using the Revising a Task to Be Culturally Relevant Template to revise an existing task from her curriculum. We will use the template in breakout groups to revise a cognitively demanding math task, using a social justice standard!

Bruce's Beach

Date: 10/18/22

Presenters: Megan Staples, University of Connecticut; Kaitlyn Seeto, Framingham Public Schools; Toby Way, Ethel Walker School

Description: In this session, we engage participants in a modeling problem solving task in relation to Bruce's Beach, a Manhattan Beach (LA area) property that was taken from the Bruce family through eminent domain nearly 100 years ago. We use this real situation to understand the loss of wealth to the Bruce family, and prompt a discussion about intergenerational wealth and our current disparities between white and non-white families in America today.

The Mathematics of Trust

Date: 5/24/22

Presenters: Susan Budde, New Haven Public Schools; Evan Green, Common Ground High School

Description: Data shows that Americans’ trust in each other has attenuated significantly over the last 50 years. This investigation uses game theory, functions and bivariate data analysis to shine a light on the mathematics of trust and the systems, large and small, that support or subvert trust. Through this process, students work to create practical solutions to conflict, in both personal relationships and in larger social systems, that foster greater cooperation and disincentivize selfish behavior. The lesson is intended for high school but can be adapted to middle and elementary school.

Caloric Intake: What Matters?

Date: 4/19/22

Presenters: Taryn DiSorbo, Cheshire Public Schools; Christian McCarthy, Hamden Public Schools

Description: Currently about 1 out of 4 youth identify as being in the LGBTQIA+ community, and the fastest growing sub-population within that community are transgender and non-binary individuals - people challenging societal norms about gender identity. In this workshop, we engage participants in a lesson that introduces Algebra I vocabulary and concepts in an accessible way while allowing students to critically parse the relative importance of several factors that affect the recommended caloric intake for different people, including gender. Participants will also explore other situations where societal biases or stereotypes might be reduced or eliminated through the application of a mathematical lens.

Broccoli or Cake? The Equity of Healthy Food Choices

Date: 3/15/22

Presenters: Maria Enrique, Ellington Public Schools; Sherryl King, Hartford Public Schools; Sarah Poppel, Hartford Public Schools

Description: Rated as the 9th most expensive state to live in, Connecticut has a high cost of living, including above-average grocery prices. In addition, the urban and rural areas tend to have more convenience stores than grocery stores. Join us for this session to participate in a lesson that engages students in a hands-on experience that causes them to think critically about the equity of healthy food choices. Participants will have the opportunity to consider a variety of social justice topics such as budget, access, cost, types of markets, and transportation.

Note: This lesson is geared towards a middle school audience, but is adaptable to other contexts.

Book Release: Connecting Mathematics and Social Justice

Date: 2/15/22

Presenters: MTC4SJ and special guests

Description: We are excited to be launching our first open-access resource book containing 7 lessons that connect secondary math content to social justice objectives! This important work was done by our cohort of 14 incredible Connecticut mathematics educators during our Summer Stars 2021 program. Please join us, many of the authors, and a few special guests as we make the book "live", give a virtual tour, and celebrate an accomplishment.

Intergenerational Wealth: What Matters and Why?

Date: 2/15/22

Presenters: Joy Griffin, Parish Hill High School; Monica Housen, Ridgefield Public Schools

Description: Family and individual wealth is not shared equally across Connecticut and this disparity of wealth held by Connecticut families impacts the lives of future generations. Inequalities in income and wealth accumulation, combined with systemic injustices, serve to widen the wealth gap over generations. Join us for this session to experience a lesson that serves as an introduction or an extension of students’ understanding of compound interest and exponential growth. Students will use graphs to model wealth accumulation over time and explore qualitative and quantitative factors that contribute to social injustices around economic mobility.

Mural Mathematics

Date: 1/18/22

Presenters: Angela Boratko, Hartford Public Schools; Sacha Kelly, CREC; Caroline Psutka, Manchester Public Schools

Description: Throughout Connecticut, murals and other art installations have increased the visibility of social justice issues. For example, in Hartford, Bloomfield, and Windsor there have been Black Lives Matter murals created by community artists and activists. Join us to experience the crucial yet easy to overlook mathematics behind these murals. This is an opportunity for you to consider: "What social justice issue would you stand up for?" Participants will experience some of the elements of this student project including Google mapping tools for measurement, exploring circle properties, and drafting a social justice mural design. We will also share all components of the project, including extensions to take action in your own community.

Hungry for Change: Food Deserts in CT

Date: 11/16/21

Presenters: John Madura, Clinton Public Schools; Brian McDermott, Glastonbury Public Schools

Description: Based on 2010 census data, approximately 23.5 million people in the United States lived in an area designated as a food desert, the designation for a place in which there is limited access to affordable and nutritious food. In Connecticut, there are food deserts in several locations, including major cities like Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. Join us for this session to experience a lesson that engages students in considering the operational definition of a food desert and encourages them to consider its meaning and how it can be calculated. Students will engage in the mathematical practices of modeling with mathematics and attending to precision as they explore geometric measures of “center” in an attempt to identify the best location for resources that can reduce the burden of living in a food desert.

Racial Justice Action Week

Date: 10/19/21

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: In February of 2021, the CREC Magnet Schools launched its first annual “Racial Justice Action Week.” Teachers were given lesson plans to implement in their classroom to investigate and act on a wide range of racial justice issues. Come join this session to see an overview of the math lessons provided to teachers and engage in inquiry about the racial and ethnic makeup of advanced level (AP/ECE/IB) courses in the CREC schools. Use this as a blueprint for having students investigate your own district’s data to determine if enough is being done to disrupt the patterns of racism and systemic bias that are pervasive in our schooling systems.

Educational Cost Sharing Formula: How CT Distributes School Funding

Date: 9/21/21

Presenters: Kaitlyn Seeto, Toby Way; UConn

Description: Did you know that Connecticut distributes $2 billion annually towards Connecticut schools? They use a formula for distribution called the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Formula. As with any use of resources that gives different amounts to different constituents, a key question math can help us think about is: Is this fair? There are multiple factors accounted for in the formula. Are there more factors that should be considered? Are different weights appropriate? Such questions help us explore CT’s current policies and reflect on school funding.

Polygons and Prejudice

Date: 7/13/21

Presenter: Carolyn Gardner-Thomas, Harvard

Description: We’ll be exploring how mathematical modeling may be used to think about social systems/models. Using a game system, we’ll discuss connections between individual behaviors and collective outcomes, and modify our mathematical models to generate desired outcomes. Through notice wonder and problem posing protocols, we’ll examine various aspects of the game system based on our shared understandings and interests.

Networking and Next Steps

Date: 5/18/21

Description: We want to provide an opportunity for like-minded educators to meet each other and share stories, resources, anything! You can share a lesson, task, graph, website, or compelling question – or just come to meet people and listen.

Racial Profiling

Date: 3/16/21

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: Do police officers disproportionately pull over Black drivers during discretionary stops? In this session, participants will create mathematical models from data supplied by the Connecticut Racial Profiling project in order to investigate how proportions and sampling variation play into answering this question.

Redistricting and Gerrymandering

Date: 2/22/21

Presenter: Kyle Evans, Trinity College

Description: We are rapidly approaching the decennial process of redistricting to form new political districts for Congressional seats and for all state legislatures. This session continues our overall focus on the mathematics of fairness by investigating the relationship between mathematics, geometry, and political districts.

Inequities in STEM

Date: 1/27/21

Presenters: Samantha Greenberg, Kaitlyn Pierce, Marie Randle, McKayla Wyble; UConn

Description: The focus of this lesson will be to delve into gender inequalities in STEM. We will be using data analysis and our backgrounds of mathematics to actively explore the what’s and why’s behind the gender gap in STEM. We will assess our preconceived notions of gender inequalities in STEM using specified data sets. Additionally, we will brainstorm initiatives on how to combat these disparities and have a lasting effect.

Mathematizing Political Elections

Date: 10/26/20

Presenter: MTC4SJ

Description: The United States uses plurality voting for many of our political elections and every four years, the Electoral College system is also implemented to determine the winner of our presidential elections...but are these systems “fair”? We examine alternative voting systems and their mathematical and societal merits given the context of electing candidates to office. We also investigate the ways in which mathematical modeling and Monte Carlo methods are used to predict election outcomes in our current system.

Measuring Income Inequality

Date: 9/21/20

Presenter: Brendan Kelly, Harvard

Description: To address inequality in the world and assess economic policy, we need to be able to measure income inequality. This Math Teacher Circle will have you create a measure of income inequality, compare your model to standard economic models, ask questions about income inequality over time and across countries, and dig into economic data in order to attempt to answer your questions.

Analyzing Racial Injustices

Date: 8/11/20

Presenters: MTC4SJ

Description: In this session, we will investigate the phrase "disproportionately impacts" and the ways in which data can be used to tell stories. We will promote critical consumption of data displays and then shift to creation of data displays with a focus on Connecticut school data, storytelling, and potential disproportionate impacts.

Modeling a Pandemic

Date: 7/14/20

Presenters: MTC4SJ

Description: In this session, we “read the world” with math by modeling the pandemic and the impact of different policy proposals on the spread of disease. We then consider the implications of this mathematics and consider how our deepened understanding might help us or students engage in “writing the world”.

Google Sites

Report abuse