Black Kids Love Math 3.0 - The Year of The Parents' Voices

Black Kids Love Math 2026 is centered on one critical idea:

We've heard our students; now we're listening to our parents.

This year’s summit is not about surface-level inspiration... we’ve moved beyond that.
It’s not about identifying problems... we’ve done that.

This is about actionable partnership.

We are equipping families with the tools, language, and confidence to engage deeply in their child’s math journey. We are redefining what it means to support learning at home, in schools, and within the community.

When families are informed, empowered, and connected:

• Children see themselves as capable mathematicians.
• Learning becomes consistent, not conditional.
• Outcomes begin to change... not by chance, but by design.

Black Kids Love Math 2026 From Conversation to Transformation

In its fourth year, Black Kids Love Math has grown beyond a summit. It is now a movement grounded in truth, research, and the undeniable power of family.

What began in 2023 as FACTS BET ON ME was a bold confrontation with reality. We brought together Black math experts to ask the hard questions. Why are Black students still at the bottom in math achievement? The conversations were honest, necessary and at times uncomfortable. Experts challenged educators to take responsibility, not only to acknowledge disparity but to truly address it. At some point, we must stop explaining outcomes and start changing them.

Still, we knew something was missing.

We refused to let that first convening become just another moment where people gathered, talked and left feeling good while nothing changed for our children.

We made a clear decision. We would not generalize the problem. We would get specific.

Because the truth is, the narrative has been wrong.

For too long, the world has said Black kids do not like math. Black kids cannot do math.

We chose to change that narrative.

Black Kids Love Math!

That shift changed everything.

By late 2023, we turned our focus to the voices that had been missing all along, the children themselves. Through research interns and emerging scholars, we began to examine math education through a new lens. What we uncovered made one thing clear. Academic outcomes cannot be separated from lived experiences.

Post-pandemic realities, health disparities and systemic inequities all shape how Black children show up in the classroom. At the same time, important questions began to surface.

If millions are spent each year on math education for Black students, why are outcomes not improving? If educators are highly trained, why are Black children not consistently experiencing that level of excellence in the classroom?

So we went deeper.

In 2025, under the leadership of our Director of Math Projects and funded by the National Centre for Youth Law, we listened directly to 500 Black students in our presented seminal research gathered and assessed by Stanford Graduate students.

For too long, decisions have been made about them without their voices being included. Through a student panel, directors of school districts across the state heard how students feel overlooked and undertaught in California classes, particularly in Los Angeles.

This work sparked national attention, partnerships, and investment. It opened the door to new models of engagement, including Family Math and Black Family University, where learning extends beyond the classroom and into the home.

And one truth became undeniable.

Family is the missing link.

For decades, conversations about math achievement have centered schools, systems and standards, while overlooking the most powerful influence in a child’s life, their family.

Black Kids Love Math 2026 is centered on parents. We listened to the students. Now we must listen to their parents. How can we support them? What tools should they be using? How do they navigate AI for their child and in life? What does student proficiency mean in terms of California Standards?

The Knowledge Shop has always believed in the importance of partnership when it comes to parents and their child's education. This year will be a chance to showcase that the educational institution that stands wants parents to have a seat at the table and to be heard.

As we move into math adoption and new textbooks are selected for instructional planning, this collaboration is more important than ever. Cultural pedagogy MUST be considered for these students to succeed. When Black students succeed, research has shown all students perform higher. Diversity in the STEM field will be realised with the changes we are defining.

Info: Counted Out (2024) is a documentary directed by Vicki Abeles that investigates how math, data, and algorithms shape 21st-century power, affecting inequality, democracy, and daily life. This documentary sparked our Family Math Count Us In program in response that you will learn about later in the day.

Info: Yolande and The Knowledge Shop Leadership Team welcome you to the event. Yolande is a family expert and social entrepreneur leading national efforts to reimagine math education for Black students through research, family engagement, and community-driven innovation. Her work centers student voice and empowers families as key drivers of academic success, shaping more equitable and effective learning experiences.

Info: Last year we presented the executive summary of 500 Black students' feedback on how they feel in the math classroom. This research summarizes how parents of Black students feel when supporting their children in maths.

Info: L. Kobie “Da Wiz” Wilkerson III is a Master Teacher, an international award winning author, speaker, poet, storyteller, educator, and transformational edutainer whose work blends literacy, leadership, and love. Known as “Da Wiz,” Kobie has captivated audiences across classrooms, communities, and continents, using rhythm, storytelling, and culturally relevant content to ignite change in hearts and minds. His mission is rooted in one unwavering belief: when relationships are strong, transformation is inevitable.

Info: For Young Students, we have a "Math Minimart: Learn How to Calculate Your Taxes" Workshop. For Older Students, we have "Finding the M in STEM" Texas Instrument Hands-On Workshop. For Parents, workshops include: "Why Family Math Toolbox is Important for Parents"; "Why Instructional Materials Authors Train Parents"; "What’s the Blueprint? A Student’s Guide to Crushing the CAASPP!"; "Financial Literacy: Building your Generational Wealth" & "AI & Maths: Supporting your students with AI".

Info: Hear from our diverse panel of Black and Brown parents on their experience in math classrooms both as students themselves and as parents supporting their children.

Info: Take a look at our exhibitors work:Texas Instruments; NEXTGEN; Hand2Mind; STMath; Innovamat; Paradigm; Math Nation; MIND Education; America on Tech

Info: For Young Students, we have a "Math Minimart: Learn How to Calculate Your Taxes" Workshop. For Older Students, we have "Finding the M in STEM" Texas Instrument Hands-On Workshop. For Parents, workshops include: "Why Family Math Toolbox is Important for Parents"; "Why Instructional Materials Authors Train Parents"; "What’s the Blueprint? A Student’s Guide to Crushing the CAASPP!"; "Financial Literacy: Building your Generational Wealth" & "AI & Maths: Supporting your students with AI".

Info: Learn about our Count Us In program and meet our Family Math ambassadors. The program teaches parents what California Math Standards their child are being tested on. How to support learning at home with quick activities. Look over our celebrated Parent Playbooks that have created for each grade level.

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