Chapter 9: Math Instructors’ Critical Reflections on Teaching in Prison

What are the critical issues that math educators should reflect upon when teaching college-level mathematics in prison? This chapter briefly reviews some conceptual foundations of math pedagogy and the role of education in prison, and looks to the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) to generate a discussion about teaching math in prison. Excerpts from interviews with CPEP math instructors provide concrete examples of how the issues of math pedagogy play out in the prison environment. Specifically, teachers and students report deep frustrations with lack of access to resources and human interaction in the prisons served by CPEP. The instructors describe a commitment to learning mathematics among their incarcerated students, but also note that some students would require two semesters to complete the standard college algebra course. When an alternative math course was offered, more students passed the course during their first semester, but the students also expressed ambivalence about the decision to substitute a non-standard college math course. Implications for justice and equality in mathematics education are discussed.