'Is math education racist?': USA Today reports that the suggestion is 'controversial'

Kudos, we guess, to USA Today for actually considering the opposing viewpoint in its story on “inclusive” math instruction that tries to promote equity and access for kids of color. We’ve literally been doing posts on how math is supposedly racist for years now, as well as the “fixes” that have been suggested. A few years back, Seattle’s public schools adopted a math curriculum that looks at things like “power and oppression” and “resistance.” This year, California endeavored to do away with “white supremacy culture” in the mathematics classroom.

And it’s not just the United States; Ontario’s published ninth-grade math curriculum is decolonial, equitable, and emphasizes the need to challenge systems of power and privilege.

In an effort to promote equity and access for kids of color, girls and low-income students, many math teachers are shifting toward inclusive instruction. It’s controversial. 🧵https://t.co/S3WS2LlZg8

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 7, 2021

But traditionalists who shun the new approach say it effectively dumbs down math education. They say pure math inquiry should be neutral of politics. And students gifted in math should be allowed to advance faster than their peers. https://t.co/KblviXsyuR

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 7, 2021

As Twitchy reported this spring, Virginia was moving to end all advanced math classes before 11th grade as part of its “equity-focused plan.” All students would take the same math courses for two years before being allowed to advance.

"Is math education racist?" Wow, what a question. A better question would be, "Are the people asking if math education is racist, idiots, grifters, or racist themselves?"

— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) December 8, 2021

Knock it off! My little biracial daughter has never scored less than an A in any math class. She is a senior in high school with a 4.65 gpa and is currently taking AICE Trigonometry, which is college level. I’m sickened by these kinds of stories.

— Duck FeSantis (@DuckFeSantis) December 8, 2021

Am I the only one that thinks people are overusing the word racist in a sense to desensitize the term? Why not say there is innovation in sparking interest in struggling communities to increase mathmatical education development. These articles are atrocious.

— Finnsoul (@Finsoul9) December 8, 2021

Are news headlines misleading? Are they racist? Are they designed for outrage clicks? Click here and subscribe to find out if this story is actually interesting!

— Tom Bueno (@TomBueno9) December 8, 2021

Even if there’s a legit point in this article, USA Today knows exactly what they’re doing with this framing.

— p0usr #PurelyAirborne (@p0usr) December 8, 2021

https://twitter.com/AjarnBaa/status/1468458164014125056

Yes, asking students to show their work is white supremacy, as is focusing on getting the “right” answer.

Is math racist? No. It may be hard for some, frustrating, poorly taught in some cases…but it's not racist. Instead of looking at race, look at why the kids that struggle do so, and try to address that help them do better. Instead of dumbing things down, believe in the kids!

— Katherine Brodsky (@mysteriouskat) December 8, 2021