Nicole M. Joseph

Assistant Professor, Mathematics Education Teaching and Learning Vanderbilt University

  • Nashville TN

An expert in the barriers that Black women and girls face in the STEM field and STEM classroom.

Contact

Multimedia

Biography

Nicole M. Joseph is the founder of the Tennessee March for Black Women in STEM, an event held every fall which seeks to bring together the Tennessee community to raise awareness of the gendered racism, Black women and girls experience in STEM. Her research explores two lines of inquiry, (a) Black women and girls, their identity development, and their experiences in mathematics (b) Whiteness, White Supremacy and how it operates and shapes underrepresentation of Black women and girls in mathematics. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Education/Spencer. Her research has been featured in top-tier journals and she co-edited the book "Interrogating Whiteness and Relinquishing Power: White Faculty’s Commitment to Racial Consciousness in the Classroom" (Peter Lang Publishing). Her forthcoming book is "Mathematizing Feminism: Black Girls’ and Women’s Experiences in the P-20 Mathematics Pipelines" (Harvard Education Press).

Areas of Expertise

Identity Development
White Supremacy
Gifted Education
Gender in Education
K-12 Education
Stem Careers
Black Women and Girls in STEM
Black Women and Girls in Mathematics
Mathematics
Black Girls and Schooling
Racism
Gifted Learners
Institutional Racism

Accomplishments

Charles A. Dana Center Mathematics Pathways

Leadership Fellow

Charles A. Dana Center Convening at U of Texas Austin

Equity in Mathematics Pathways

American Education Research Association Scholars of Color Contribution

Early Career Award

Education

University of Washington

Ph.D.

Pacific Oaks College Northwest

M.A.

Seattle University

B.A.

Selected Media Appearances

Girls’ superb verbal skills may contribute to the gender gap in math

NOVA  

2019-07-15

“Society still feels like girls are not as smart, or should not be in math,” says Nicole Joseph, a mathematics education expert at Vanderbilt University who was not involved in the study.

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5 Ways Society Sabotages Girls' Interest In Science And Math

Forbes  online

2019-06-09

Dr. Nicole Joseph is an Assistant Professor of mathematics and science education at Vanderbilt University. She recently delivered a thought-provoking lecture at the University of Georgia-hosted workshop called "Navigating STEM." Her lecture inspired me to explore five reasons girls avoid entry into STEM-related fields.

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Keeping Girls in STEM: 3 Barriers, 3 Solutions

Edutopia  online

2019-03-12

Additionally, research “has clearly [indicated] that black girls view themselves as outsiders in mathematics and teachers view them as outsiders,” says Nicole Joseph, assistant professor of mathematics and science education at Vanderbilt University. Joseph points to tracking in math, more common in middle and high school than in the humanities, as a key structure infused with bias that restricts access to rigorous math education for black students.

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Selected Articles

Normalizing Black Girls' Humanity in Mathematics Classrooms

Harvard Educational Review

Nicole M Joseph, Meseret F Hailu, Jamaal Sharif Matthews

2019

In this article, Nicole Joseph, Meseret Hailu, and Jamaal Matthews argue that Black girls' oppression in the United States is largely related to the dehumanization of their personhood, which extends to various institutions, including secondary schools and, especially, mathematics classrooms.

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The sistah network: Enhancing the educational and social experiences of Black women in the academy

NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education

Evette L Allen, Nicole M Joseph

2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of women in the Sistah Network, an affinity group at a predominantly White institution, with mentoring goals to enhance the educational and social experiences of Black women in master’s and doctoral programs and their mentors.

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A Review of Cases for Mathematics Teacher Educators: Facilitating Conversations About Inequities in Mathematics Classrooms

Journal for Research in Mathematics Education

Nicole M Joseph, Christopher C Jett, Jacqueline Leonard

2018

This book review analyzes Cases for Mathematics Teacher Educators: Facilitating Conversations About Inequities in Mathematics Classrooms, edited by Dorothy Y. White, Sandra Crespo, and Marta Civil.

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