Using research to create change makers: Mary Raygoza, Associate Professor of Education, presented her findings on the empowering effects of math research that encourages action in the community. / Photo courtesy Mary Raygoza
Math Education for Social Change: Students Become ‘Change Makers’ Through Community Research
KSOE Speaker Series 2025–26 launches with Mary Raygoza’s transformative approach to mathematics. Next event is November 11 on campus.
The Kalmanovitz School of Education launched its 2025–26 Speaker Series on October 13 with “Everyone Counts! Understanding and Changing the World with Mathematics,” featuring Mary Raygoza, associate professor of Education and scholar activist at Saint Mary's College.
Professor Raygoza shared how mathematics can serve as a language for justice, helping students connect numbers and data to their lived experiences and social realities. Drawing on her classroom research in East Los Angeles, she illustrated how math education rooted in praxis, reflection, and action, empowers students to see themselves as knowledge creators and change makers.
“The primary takeaway was the power of coming together in community to engage in what critical scholar Paulo Freire calls praxis, reflection, and action to make transformative change,” said Mary Raygoza.
For audience members and presenting scholars alike, the speaker series also offers the opportunity to engage in dialogue about how the ideas and scholarship presented apply in the classroom and the wider world. “The primary takeaway was the power of coming together in community to engage in what critical scholar Paulo Freire calls praxis, reflection, and action to make transformative change,” said Raygoza. “It was wonderful to share my own teaching and research praxis in math education, and then see how the dialogue informed all of our praxis, including the teacher-heavy audience present.”
Students as Researchers…and Change makers
The work Raygoza presented centers on Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), in which students she worked with in a Los Angeles school conducted their own research study on school food inequity. They designed surveys, collected and analyzed data, created visualizations, and presented findings to decision makers including their cafeteria manager and the Healthy School Food Coalition. This approach transformed students' understanding of research from “copy, paste, and print” to seeing themselves as capable of investigating and addressing real problems in their communities.
Transforming Math Identity
Perhaps most powerfully, students experienced a profound shift in their mathematical identities. They moved from seeing math as only relevant for “counting change at the grocery store” to understanding it as “a powerful tool for research in our daily life” and for “viewing and changing the world around them,” Raygoza said. One student who had been labeled a “troublemaker” showcased deep mathematical and social justice knowledge during a presentation, experiencing validation as an intellectual for the first time.
The event inspired reflection across disciplines about what transformational education can look like in practice. Terri Jett, Saint Mary’s Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Belonging, expressed appreciation for Raygoza’s research in a deeply personal way. “I wish I had a math teacher like you,” Jett said, “because you make math feel connected to life and justice.”
Looking Ahead
The KSOE Speaker Series continues throughout the academic year, bringing together educators, researchers, and leaders committed to equity, community, and systemic change. The next session on November 11 features Alfonso Montero exploring “Fostering a Systems Thinking Mindset in the Age of AI: Cultivating Consciousness for Ethical Leadership,” examining how leaders can navigate complexity with ethical awareness in an era of rapid AI advancement. Professor Montero serves as interim director for the MA in Leadership program.
For more information, visit the KSOE Speaker Series page or contact Sandy Preto, Director of Admissions & Marketing at the Kalmanovitz School of Education at ksoeteam@stmarys-ca.edu.
KSOE Speaker Series 2025–26
Watch for more details to come.
November 11, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Alfonso Montero, Adjunct Professor and Program Coordinator for MA Leadership | “Fostering a Systems Thinking Mindset in the Age of AI: Cultivating Consciousness for Ethical Leadership”
February 10, 2026 | 6 p.m.
Kathleen Taylor, Professor of Leadership for Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Equity and Social Change (EdD) | "Mind-Body-Brain: Emerging Developments in Neuroscience"
March 19, 2026 | 6 p.m.
Akilah Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy / Professional Clinical Counseling | “The Power of Reflection: Preparing Students for Growth in Academia and Beyond”
April 7, 2026 | 6 p.m.
