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Earlier this year the Corwin Publishers began selling “Middle School Mathematics; Lessons to Explain, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice” , a book authored by SMC’s Dr. Mary Raygoza, in collaboration with Dr. Basil M. Conway IV from Columbus State University, Dr. Lateefah Id-Deen from Kennesaw State University, Dr. Amanda Ruiz from the University of San Diego, Dr. John W. Staley from Baltimore County Public Schools, and Dr. Eva Thanheiser from Portland State University. The book is targeted primarily at teachers who work with students in grades 6 through 8, with the intention of enhancing mathematics learning by connecting to social, political, and environmental justice topics. The text is focused on helping educators design math lessons that draw attention to real-world issues. The book includes a variety of lesson plans for educators to adapt for their contexts, on topics such as racial representation in congress, access to clean water, food apartheid, gerrymandering, inequities during the Covid-19 pandemic, accessible playgrounds, and more.

This textbook is Dr. Raygoza’s most recent step in her ongoing journey to call attention to the inextricable link between mathematics and systemic social inequities. This past spring, she gave a Fac Chat presentation to the SMC community about her own teaching practice as a former secondary math teacher,supporting her students to build quantitative civic literacy and to find unique ways in which math connects to their lives.

Recognizing and understanding the presence of inequity in one’s community is a vital first step in the fight to remedy it. In an age where STEM subjects are so prevalent in many young people’s lives, it is more important than ever to ensure that the skills necessary for recognizing social disparity are taught. Dr. Raygoza’s book works not only to introduce these ideas to teachers, but also encourages teachers themselves to reevaluate the ways in which they recognize social injustice where they encounter it. The proposed exercises challenge the readers to confront their assumptions about the world around them, and use math as a tool to deconstruct societal shortcomings in a quantifiable way, and to advocate and organize for a more just world.

Dr. Raygoza’s book is now available. To learn more, visit