Legal Insurrection by Leslie Eastman Monday, December 6, 2021
Many signers are left-supporting professors, who are now beginning taste the toxicity of the fruits of the Woke Tree.In the first half of 2021, we reported that the California Board of Education proposed eliminating calculus and revising its mathematics curriculum to make it more…equitable.
Subsequently, there was a backlash tsunami from the state’s parents, whose children will eventually have to compete for colleges and jobs in the real world. The board then paused its implementation.
Most Americans understand that a strong foundation in mathematics is essential for success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Our society needs competent and qualified professionals in all these fields to be a prosperous nation and the ability to keep our infrastructure up and our defense capabilities strong.
Furthermore, a population with a good understanding of statistics and analysis techniques is less likely to be bamboozled by bureaucrats who manipulate facts to create crises that only their organizations can solve (of course, with more funding and power). As I noted in a conversation during the recent San Diego Legal Insurrection meet-up, we are not well served when journalists and members of the media are ignorant of basic math and science, as they are apt to parrot whatever any “expert” says and fail to distinguish between “misinformation” and accurate data that contradicts the preferred political narrative.
With all of this in mind, it is understandable that many STEM professionals are very concerned about recent educational trends that are focused more on social justice than hard science or even basic math skills. Theoretical computer scientists Boaz Barak of Harvard and Edith Cohen of Google, and other leading quantitative scientists, have prepared an open letter sounding the alarm over the gutting of US math education in K-12.
More:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/12/over-500-stem-professionals-sign-open-letter-challenging-the-gutting-of-us-k-12-math-education/
