Several districts in California have already implemented ethnic studies courses on their own, independent of the ESMC (Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum). Some are controversial and some are not. Although the ESMC was originally intended for high school students, an entire chapter deals with K-12 integration. Because of the public outcry following the unveiling of the proposal, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required an ethnic studies class for graduation from high school. (The bill has been reintroduced.) Meanwhile, the city of Seattle has already created a proposed framework for implementing ethnic studies throughout its K-12 curriculum. Math teachers will ask the following questions: “identify how math has been and continues to be used to oppress and marginalize people and communities of color,” “analyze the ways in which ancient mathematical knowledge has been appropriated by Western culture,” “how important is it to be right?” and “Who gets to say if an answer is right?” It appears educational leaders are all for this. The president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Robert Q. Berry III, told Education Week: “What they’re doing follows the line of work we hope we can move forward as we think about the history of math and who contributes to that, and also about deepening students’ connection with identity and agency.”
This, despite the fact that students in the United States already perform poorly in math. In the most recent survey conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests 15-year-olds in dozens of developed and developing countries, the U.S. placed an unimpressive 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science. Among higher performing countries, the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. ranked 30th in math and 19th in science.
As it is with politics, so it is with education: if they can't give you good education, they'll give you "woke" education.
That is absolutely horrible. And they're doing it ON PURPOSE, believing with all their heart that they are teaching skills that students can use in the future. Why are they so racist, by not giving BIPOC students actual math skills?
ReplyDeleteThe worst mistake was jettisoning the pre-Common Core standards.
ReplyDeleteWe went from about 45% of Black students taking Algebra in 8th grade in 2013, to less that 20% in four years. Hispanic 8th grade algebra went from over 50% to barely over 10%. Rapid improvement in Calc passage rates for blacks dropped dramatically starting in 2014.
https://www.hoover.org/research/californias-common-core-mistake
Those who base their self worth on how much they care, don't actually care at all.
The winners have already been chosen. No need to waste money on the Blacks or the Women. expect H1B visas to diminish when the male children of visa holders grow up and inherit the jobs.
ReplyDelete