Posted on 02/17/2005 7:10:34 AM PST by FreeMarket1
PUBLIC SCHOOL WARS - MATH SCORES INCLUDE STUDENT'S ANTI-RACISM
Feb 17, 2005 - FreeMarketNews.com
by staff reports
Newton Public Schools in Newton Massachusetts seems to have added a politically correct component to their math curriculum. According to their “benchmarks” – statements of requirements for achieving a given academic outcome - the primary objective for the district’s math teachers is to teach “respect for human differences.” Students are to be able to “live out the system-wide core value of ‘respect for human differences’ by demonstrating anti-racist/anti-bias behaviors.” The matter first came into the public spotlight last month in an article written by Tom Mountain of the Newton Tab – later picked up by Fox News. He chronicled the steady slide in math scores for Brown Middle School during the past few years, coinciding with the adoption of new math guidelines. The math curriculum for elementary and middle schools was redesigned by the superintendent and assistant superintendent to emphasize “Newton’s commitment to active anti-racist education.” So many students are doing poorly in the state’s testing, that 32 percent of sixth-grade students are now listed in the “warning” or “needs improvement” category." This comes in spite of declining enrollment and a record high operating budget for the district.
A number of parents have been sending their children to the Russian School of Mathematics, a Boston area site. The school’s founder told Fox News that her school, which she began out of her home seven years ago for her family and a few friends, now has an enrollment of 700. Of these, 400 are from the Newton district.
Academic advocates say that since most people don’t know exactly what racism is, they don’t understand classroom efforts to combat it. Christine Sleeter, of California State University says, “One of the ways I would apply anti-racist education to math is to ask, ‘why is it that, generally speaking, white kids get better access to upper-level math learning than low-income kids and kids of color?' ”
Mountain observes, “It’s interesting that [other nearby districts] are devoid of any mention of anti-racist math. But then again, those public schools have consistently ranked higher on the [state tests] than Newton.”
He concludes, “When a school department determines that ideology should take priority over academics, standardized........................Full Article www.FreeMarketNews.com
In college a girl I was dating at the time had to write a report on global warming for an algebra class. Yes this was in the last 5 years.
In a shocking bit of logic, when you stop worrying about educational standards they tend to suffer.
Whodathunkit?
WTF?!?!
Silly me, I thought the primary objective of math teachers was to teach math!
I graduated high school in 1986. I went into the Army in 1988 for 13 years and, in that time, didn't have a dedicated math class.
2 years ago, I started going after my degree. I'm the guy in class not having trouble with calculus. The recent grads of government school are having to take remedial courses to catch up.
So, where do you think the objective of math class should be?
Woah! there's a systemic infection. Get out the IV and the strongest antibiotic on the shelf! When the math curriculum get invaded the ship is going down!
Now we have the 4 R's of public education. Readin', riting', 'rithmatic, race relations.
Maybe it's a trip to the dunking-stool.
Here's an idea: In the old days, Massachusetts inhabitants were required to leave their windows unoccluded so that anyone--especially the authorities--could look inside and see what they were up to. In a 21st-century update of this, they could put bugs--or better still TV cameras!!!--in all the homes to make sure that no one demonstrated unacceptable "behaviors"!
That's 5 R's :)
But, with this new math course, who can count?
So what are these morons going to do when companies start outsourcing even more to Asian countries that actually teach math in math classes?
If I was human resources and I had a choice between an Indian that knows math and wants a meager salary, or an American that doesn't know sh*t and is a member of a union demanding high pay and benefits, guess which I will pick?
The bigger problem is "What in the hell are they teaching in college Education Administration courses?" Every day there's at least one post here about some whack-job administrator with absolutely no ability to "administer" education but plenty to say about a social agenda and "zero tolerance" programs.
An excellent point.
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