US Politics Mega-thread - Page 3361

On November 06 2021 19:45 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:
I'd be really interested in learning if these "math is racist" faux-CRT math lessons are based on new things actually outlined in school/state curricula, or if these lessons are created by individual math teachers attempting to come up with new applications for teaching general content and skills. Most American math curricula are very broad and allow a decent amount of autonomy for the teacher in terms of figuring out how the content should be best learned and the skills best developed in one's classroom.

For example, it's much more likely for a math curriculum to say "at around this grade level, students should begin to develop number sense in regards to percentages, decimals, and fractions, such as converting between the three, understanding mixed numbers and improper fractions, and learning about percent increase and percent decrease", and then just let the teacher figure out how they want to teach those things and what applications to use. If a teacher decides to give a data-driven lesson about how different groups of people might experience percent-increases or percent-decreases based on their identity (certain groups being charged more by car salespeople or loan officers on average, certain groups being offered less money for the same job on average, etc.), then the recognition/blame and costs/benefits of that lesson lie on the shoulders of that specific teacher.

Some teachers have really great, thoughtful, applicable lessons, some don't bother trying to make the math "current", and some are willing to experiment with new strategies and ideas and context to see if they'll get better results. We could talk about the merits of a hypothetical, specific math lesson plan created by a single teacher who's interested in simultaneously discussing equity while meeting a specific content or skill component in the broader curriculum, but that's very different than entire schools and states revamping their math departments to teach white kids that they should feel bad about themselves.

On November 06 2021 10:03 BlackJack wrote:


It absolutely is part of a larger national trend to promote equity in schools. Perhaps it's not commensurate to the level of outrage, but it is happening.

On November 06 2021 10:15 WombaT wrote:

And what is the problem in promoting equity?

It folks have issues in this domain go for it, but what are the objections and what are the specifics and why are you annoyed?

If your pissed off that CRT is a huge part of the curriculum well, when it literally isn’t a part of the curriculum your point is fucking silly and redundant.

The argument seemingly being that we placate these people with positions that on examination are completely out of kilter wiry actual reality.

On November 06 2021 17:18 BlackJack wrote:


My point is it's not unreasonable to expect your kid to learn math in math class instead of how math is used as a tool to oppress people. Parents are rightly annoyed and they showed it at the polls.

Also not sure why you are still calling it CRT when we all agreed that it's not CRT.

On November 06 2021 23:41 KwarK wrote:

Is this an example of something the Democrats support or a made up thing?

On November 07 2021 00:12 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:


I'm guessing it's a thing taught by twelve math teachers from across the country, cherry picked out of a quarter million of us.

Seattle schools are in the process of developing ethnic-studies frameworks for different subjects, including social studies and art.

Other states, including Vermont, Oregon and California, are already creating K-12 materials that prioritize the experiences of communities of color. But while some school districts are only building stand-alone ethnic-studies classes, Seattle is also rethinking existing courses to be taught through an anti-racist lens.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) recently sent a newsletter to math educators in the state. The newsletter contained information about a virtual micro-course in math equity instruction that teachers could sign up for. It was titled "Pathway to Math Equity Micro Course 2.0: Valuing and elevating student discourse in the math classroom." The course was provided by A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction, an entity focused on dismantling racism in mathematics instruction.

A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction does offer an 82-page workbook on how teachers can "examine their actions, beliefs, and values around teaching mathematics." The group claims white supremacy culture can show up in the classroom in various ways, including when "the focus is on getting the 'right' answer," and when "students are required to 'show their work.'"

The new framework aligns with experts who say that efforts to fast-track as many students as possible to advanced math are misguided. And they see their campaign for a more thoughtful, inclusive pacing as a civil rights issue. Too many Latino and Black students and those from low-income families have been left behind as part of a math race in which a small number of students reach calculus.

The commission told writers to remove a document that had become a point of contention for critics. It described its goals as calling out systemic racism in mathematics, while helping educators create more inclusive, successful classrooms.

De Blasio changed the admissions standards so that a fifth of the seats at New York’s most renowned specialized high schools would be off-limits to students from middle schools such as Christa McAuliffe Intermediate School, which serves a large number of poor, Asian students.

On November 07 2021 00:12 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:


I'm guessing it's a thing taught by twelve math teachers from across the country, cherry picked out of a quarter million of us.

Seattle schools are in the process of developing ethnic-studies frameworks for different subjects, including social studies and art.

Other states, including Vermont, Oregon and California, are already creating K-12 materials that prioritize the experiences of communities of color. But while some school districts are only building stand-alone ethnic-studies classes, Seattle is also rethinking existing courses to be taught through an anti-racist lens.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) recently sent a newsletter to math educators in the state. The newsletter contained information about a virtual micro-course in math equity instruction that teachers could sign up for. It was titled "Pathway to Math Equity Micro Course 2.0: Valuing and elevating student discourse in the math classroom." The course was provided by A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction, an entity focused on dismantling racism in mathematics instruction.

A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction does offer an 82-page workbook on how teachers can "examine their actions, beliefs, and values around teaching mathematics." The group claims white supremacy culture can show up in the classroom in various ways, including when "the focus is on getting the 'right' answer," and when "students are required to 'show their work.'"

The new framework aligns with experts who say that efforts to fast-track as many students as possible to advanced math are misguided. And they see their campaign for a more thoughtful, inclusive pacing as a civil rights issue. Too many Latino and Black students and those from low-income families have been left behind as part of a math race in which a small number of students reach calculus.

The commission told writers to remove a document that had become a point of contention for critics. It described its goals as calling out systemic racism in mathematics, while helping educators create more inclusive, successful classrooms.

De Blasio changed the admissions standards so that a fifth of the seats at New York’s most renowned specialized high schools would be off-limits to students from middle schools such as Christa McAuliffe Intermediate School, which serves a large number of poor, Asian students.