"Mathematics helps people flourish.
Mathematics is for human flourishing."
Francis Su, in Mathematics for Human Flourishing (2020)
Coalition for Mathematics for Human Flourishing
Our Mission
The Coalition for Mathematics for Human Flourishing is a non-profit organization that shares people's stories of their lived experiences of mathematics in order to promote human rights and human flourishing -- the well-lived life -- in school mathematics and beyond. CMHF is for educators, students, and all others who are passionate about our mission and beliefs.
Why this mission?
Many people feel unwelcome in mathematics. That fact alone provides a rationale for this work! Individuals of all ages have been marginalized and dehumanized while participating in mathematics as a discipline, both through practice and policy at the level of the individual and/or system. We have made people feel less than capable and have perpetuated structures that do all of the above. This is even more true for people who are already in marginalized communities. When people feel unwelcome or incapable, they are less likely to learn and grow.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), in the book Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics, cites much evidence of the lack of quantitative literacy and problem solving skills among American students and asserts, “When the potential of so many students is squandered, the loss is not only to individual students but also to society at large” (2018, p. 3).
The CMHF exists to help rehumanize mathematics in the minds of people and in schools, by:
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Collecting and sharing stories of lived experiences of mathematics (of all types), and
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(soon) Working with educators, schools, and systems to help to transform mathematics experiences for all.