Department of Education Fights the White Supremacy of Math

In Oregon, they’re fighting prejudice in a way that really… counts.

The state is promoting a program to subtract racism… from math.

As it turns out — The Daily Wire reports — “finding the right answer (is) a sign of white supremacy.”

And that’s particularly unfortunate, since any answer other than the right one is the… wrong answer.

Yet, here we are.

Per Fox News, the Oregon Department of Education’s recent newsletter hailed a February 21st “Pathway to Math Equity Micro-Course.”

Such will allow middle school teachers to employ a toolkit for “Dismantling Racism in [Math].”

Molders of young skulls full o’ mush are encouraged to sign up.

ODE Communications Director Marc Siegel said the program “helps educators learn key tools for engagement, develop strategies to improve equitable outcomes for Black, Latinx, and multilingual students, and join communities of practice.”

A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction: Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction offers 14 manifestations of white supremacy.

Compliments of the New York Post, rid yourself of racism:

Perfectionism

Sense of Urgency

Defensiveness

Quantity Over Quality

Worship of the Written Word

Only One Right way

Paternalism

Either/Or Thinking

Power Hoarding

Fear of Open Conflict

Individualism

Progress is Bigger More

Objectivity

Right to Comfort

Some of you may take the above as negative news. I myself have just realized everyone I’ve ever known — of every race — is a white supremacist.

But there’s hope: Fox notes the new program pummels the problems:

Instead of focusing on one right answer, the toolkit encourages teachers to “come up with at least two answers that might solve this problem.”

It adds: “Challenge standardized test questions by getting the ‘right’ answer, but justify other answers by unpacking the assumptions that are made in the problem.”

It also encourages teachers to “center ethnomathematics,” which includes a variety of guidelines. One of them instructs educators to “identify and challenge the ways that math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist, and racist views.”

Such is the new — and much more complex — way of addressing our color differences.

The old way: Not caring about them.

Going forward — it seems — caring will be compulsory.

The teachers care — and they’re making a change.

From the 81-page Pathway:

White supremacy culture infiltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions. Coupled with the beliefs that underlie these actions, they perpetuate educational harm on Black, Latinx, and multilingual students, denying them full access to the world of mathematics.The table below identi es the ways in which white supremacy shows up in math classrooms.

One way to do it right: Let the youngsters lead.

Students are tracked (into courses/pathways and within the classroom). Too often students are tracked based on the notion that adults know what the right thing is for them, which does not allow room for student agency, reinforcing paternalism and powerhoarding.

Is this our path to success?

As I’ve stated before, we’ll find out in 50 years. Or 40. Or whatever’s the least racist addition to 2021.

-ALEX