Iredell Statesville Schools

Problems to Ponder provides 28 varying, classroom-ready mathematics problems that collectively span PK–12, arranged in the order of the grade level. Answers to the problems are available online. Individuals are encouraged to submit a problem or a collection of problems directly to mtlt@nctm.org. If published, the authors of problems will be acknowledged.

The decision to enroll in organized after-school activities involves a gradual negotiation of adolescents’ independence between family members who can hold contrasting views on adolescents’ autonomy. Furthermore, less is known about the culturally grounded nature of this decision-making process generally observed among the Latinx community, especially those from immigrant backgrounds, where adolescents may serve as the cultural brokers to help their families navigate through certain cultural barriers outside the home. In this study, we analyzed semi-structured interviews from a diverse group of 34 Mexican-origin parent-adolescent dyads living in a Southwest metropolitan area. Results indicate that decision making on organized activities can occur across multiple distinct pathways that reflect unilateral and mutual decision making based on the parents’ and adolescents’ level of involvement. The adolescents’ strong role as cultural brokers not only reflects a critical role of helping their parents navigate through the cultural barriers of the after-school world but can also empower them to have a greater voice within a context of positively developing a more equal basis of decision making in the parent-child dynamic. Findings from this study highlight the rich diversity among Mexican-origin families and can help further strengthen organized activities in being responsive to the diverse cultural practices of families.

In Maintaining Segregation, LeeAnn G. Reynolds explores two essential questions regarding the system of segregation in the South: first, how southern communities, black and white, conditioned children to fit into a racialized environment; and second, how that conditioning broke down, leading to the overthrow of the system. Maintaining Segregation is well written, clearly argued, and deeply thought provoking. That said, it suffers from serious flaws: in sources, omissions, and perspective. Reynolds breaks down the era of segregation into three periods: formation (late 1800s to 1920), maintenance (1920 to 1955), and defense (1955 to the late 1960s). The key distinguishing point among the three is the method by which white southerners maintained segregation: in the first and last periods, through violence, and in the middle—her focus—by “preventing conscious examination and public discussion of the system” (5). Reynolds acknowledges that her middle period was not without its violence, but insists that a “culture of silence . . . played a primary role in maintaining segregation” (5).