California Wants to Export its Mathematics Disaster to Your State: The Atlantic Gets This Right
An Atlantic comes through with an article by Brian Conrad that just might save our kids from a future of innumeracy. Show this to your school boards.
“Equity”, as understood by those who seek to level the playing field, was attempted in the past by questionable and clearly racist policies under the moniker of “affirmative action”. “Affirmative action” meant providing opportunities to some while also denying opportunities to others. The programs were run by saying “Yes” more frequently to people who were less qualified than more qualified students based on assumptions of their relative need based on generalizations about their individual histories based on the color of their skin.
In California, the solution to students of particular socioeconomic categories falling behind in mathematics was to make sure that everyone had equal opportunity by denying useful and effective education to students who could excel.
Here’s a cartoon that is used to encourage adoption of these programs:
They missed on: Equity via dumbing down mathematics curricula is INSANITY:
The solution to those who want to even the playing field is literally to keep all students behind.
This is, indeed, insane.
That’s why this Atlantic article is so important. From the author:
“As I poured over the CMF, I could scarcely believe what I was reading. The document cited research that hadn’t been peer-reviewed; justified sweeping generalizations by referencing small, tightly focused studies or even unrelated research; and described some papers reaching nearly the opposite conclusions from what they actually say”.
Sounds familiar.
It’s bad. REALLY bad. The actual policy being pushed, per the article, written by a math instructor from a family of mathematicians. The document reviewed literally proposes to - literally - stop some kids from learning to help others. The draft he read:
“promoted the San Francisco Unified School District’s policy of banishing Algebra I from middle school - a policy ground in the belief that teaching the subject only in high school would give all students the same opportunities for success”.
What’s deeply ironic about keeping all students behind is that they don’t all stay behind equally. The cost of lowering standards to this level is staggering: delayed student learning and decreased trust in public schooling. But there exists an unexpected tradeoff: increased homeschooling, online learning (Outschool), and nationwide support for school choice vouchers. If public curriculum denies initiative place to apply itself, then initiative goes elsewhere or will be arbitrarily ‘learned out’ of students, a generation of them (read anything by John Taylor Gatto). Importing CA’s math curriculum to other districts nationwide may very well continue the recent public school exodus.
What's wrong with diversity of thinking in our schools? Why don't we allow kids to shine in school using their innate intelligences? Not everyone wants to be a math genius yet that seems to be the gold standard of public schools these days. Howard Gardner's book the Theory of Multiple Intelligences shows how every child has amazing gifts but some of these are rarely praised in school and in fact, some students get scolded for their unique ability. Unfortunately, public schools don't appreciate some of these intelligences and create an unequal system that puts the STEM students on the pedestal above all else. Math and Science are great but I think more students would enjoy school if they could use their own unique talents to demonstrate their knowledge. Equity, a financial term, does not belong in the conversation about education and does not serve any student. Diversity of Thinking is a better term that we could ponder on.