|
The foundation of my research agenda is mathematics in urban
classrooms. This interest evolved from my initial study which examined a
middle school reform mathematics curriculum to determine if mathematics
achievement, as determined by the state standardized assessments, is increasing
particularly among under represented students. African American students,
specifically, are included in the group because historically this group of
students has the lowest scores on the national and state assessments. My
personal belief is that the color of a student’s skin is not correlated to their
achievement in mathematics. This belief has generated two foci that are
intertwined with mathematics in urban classrooms: (1) successful strategies that
increase student achievement (as demonstrated by the MCA in mathematics) and (2)
reducing the achievement gap between students who have “rich, meaningful”
mathematics experiences and those students whose mathematics experiences are
less than desirable.
The achievement gap is especially problematic in
urban classrooms. My research examines best practices that will
provide all students with engaging mathematics experiences in
addition to the basic “tools” that are essential for students to use
in the actual engagement phase.
Selected publications
Covington Clarkson, L.M. & Taylor, R. (2005).
Mathematical leadership needed to close achievement gaps. Journal
of Mathematics Education Leadership, 8(2), 4 – 5.
Covington Clarkson, L.M. & Seashore Louis, K. (in
press). Leadership for curriculum change: Principals engaged in
“closing the gap”. In A. Danzig (Ed.), Curriculum Leadership.
Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Huffman, D., Lawrenz, F., Thomas, K. & Covington
Clarkson, L.M. (in press). Collaborative evaluation communities in
urban schools: A model of evaluation capacity building in STEM
education. New Directions in Evaluation.
Covington Clarkson, L. (2002). Correlation to NCATE
and INTASC. In B. R. Bridges & L. Covington Clarkson, Praxis
Guide for Slavin, (pp.40 -74). New York: Allyn and Bacon.
Covington Clarkson, L.M. (2001). Sufficiently
challenged: A family’s pursuit of a Ph.D. In R. Obakeng and A.L.
Green (Eds.), Sisters of the Academy, (pp 160-173). Sterling,
VA: Stylus Publications.
March 2006
|
