Countering Deficit Narratives Through a BlackCrit Lens by Examining Case Studies of Black College Mathematics Students’ Classroom Experiences

This dissertation examines the lived experiences of 11 Black college mathematics students at their predominantly white institution (PWI) through the lens of Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit) to counter deficit narratives about the racial achievement gap (RAG) in mathematics education courses. Deficit narratives often attribute disparities between Black and white students’ mathematical performance to assumed deficiencies in Black students’ abilities rather than systemic inequities, historical marginalization, and ongoing anti-Blackness in educational settings (Cobb & Russell, 2015; Kress, 2021). Using multiple case studies, this study explores how anti-Blackness manifests in mathematics classrooms, how students navigate tensions between multiculturalism, neoliberal educational policies, and Black progress, and how mathematics education can create liberatory spaces that support Black student success (Dumas & ross, 2016). This study draws from qualitative data, including surveys, interviews, and artifacts, to critically analyze how structural inequities and classroom dynamics shape Black students’ mathematical experiences (Jett & Terry, 2023; Martin, 2019). Findings capture that Black students experience cryptic exclusionary practices, limited cultural representation in course materials, and implicit biases that routinely affect their engagement in their mathematics courses. Students emphasize the need for inclusive instruction, representation of Black mathematicians, and classroom spaces that affirm their mathematical identities. These findings highlight the need for equitable mathematics courses layered with complimentary instruction and systemic reforms that challenge neoliberal multicultural policies and deficit-based narratives (Lubienski & Gutierrez, 2008; Ortiz, 2023). This study critiques education policies, such as A Nation at Risk (ANAR), for framing Black students as at risk in math, leading to reforms that continue to negatively impact classrooms today, and calls for a paradigm shift toward culturally sustaining pedagogies (Dumas & ross, 2016; Robinson & Bell, 2023). The research provides critical inputs from Black student participants. Limitations include an exclusion of faculty perspectives, a need for further study of Black students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), community colleges, students with disabilities, and multiple race students (e.g. one who is Black and white, or Black and Latinx, and more). Through the utilization of BlackCrit, this dissertation extends the important critical conversation about unfairness in mathematics education courses and the misplaced focus in multiple RAG narratives. It calls for creating mathematics spaces that truly support and empower Black learners, offering a vision of learning that is both inclusive and freeing.