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Politics and math don't mix

Politics and math don't mix


Politics and math don't mix

1,200 California academics and teachers have signed an open letter protesting the state's proposed K-12 math curriculum that they say will "de-mathematize math."

According to Breitbart, those who have signed the letter contend the big problem with the proposed framework is it refuses to acknowledge different student abilities in math. David Randall, research director for the National Association of Scholars (NAS), says the leftist's insistence on equality of outcomes is unworkable.

"In frankly every education in the world, somebody's going to do better and somebody's going to do worse," he asserts. "Their commitment ideologically to equality of outcome cannot be aligned with rigorous mathematics instruction."

The concerned education community insists mathematics infused with political rhetoric will do lasting damage on students.

Randall, David (NAS) Randall

"We believe infusing mathematics with political rhetoric is alien to mathematics as a discipline and will do lasting damage—including making math dramatically harder for students whose first language is not English," the letter reads.

Randall agrees and says it actually goes well beyond mathematics.

"This is a problem throughout American education," he asserts. "The same effort that's needed to restore mathematics education is needed to restore education in every discipline."

Randall adds that the only way to prevent this destruction of education is for parents to rise up in defense of good education for their children.

Meanwhile, a homeschool legal expert is warning parents about a school district in the state of Washington that claims it has created a "homeschool away from home."

Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Tj Schmidt says parents should be wary of the Thurston County home school academy that provides services for homeschooling families.

Schmidt, Tj (HSLDA) Schmidt

"Based on the number of classes that they could take, it could … actually kind of transfer that child to a full-time public school student, even though they were not physically going to the public school," Schmidt explains.

He surmises that the school, the Ignite Family Academy, uses this tactic to secure additional state funding.

"The schools are not providing these classes for free," the attorney asserts. "They're claiming these students, based upon the number of classes that they take as being at least a part-time public school student, and that allows them then to claim state funding."

So if parents are not careful, they could find their children classified as a public school students, which would cause them to lose the flexibility and freedom homeschooled students enjoy.