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Title : The Times on Math and Ethnic Studies
link : The Times on Math and Ethnic Studies
The Times on Math and Ethnic Studies
Like many times when SPS either tried to roll something out without clear communication OR when something gets out too soon and the district has to rush to explain, the Math rubric for Ethnic Studies is one of them. And that brings us to the Seattle Times' story on that issue.(I do plan to ring up OSPI and ask them why it was there in the first place. Readers have said that is no longer the case.)
As background, if you have never read comments at the Seattle Times on public education stories, brace yourself. It's not always coherent or kind but it is a gauge of the public pulse outside of SPS and school communities. Right now, there are nearly 600 comments which is huge.
Of interest:
Other states, including Vermont, Oregon and California, are already creating K-12 materials that prioritize the experiences of communities of color. But while some school districts are only building stand-alone ethnic-studies classes, Seattle is also rethinking existing courses to be taught through an anti-racist lens.This "anti-racist lens" will come from the "anti-racist" policy currently being drafted by Director Jill Geary.
Two things struck me about the article.
One, is that, once again on a topic where the Times has a stand, they create a puff piece. There is almost no discussion with any single person or expert. That's quite odd for a reporter in a newspaper of record to not do that. But the Times does this quite a lot on their public education reporting because their editorial side has an agenda. (They hate when I say that but all I can do is point to reporting like this and tell them, "I rest my case.")
The Times' article is also notable for quoting both Tracy Castro-Gill, head of Ethnic Studies, and UW Bothell professor Wayne Au, both at their toned-down best. I suspect if the readers at the Times read some of what they have said about the topic of racism and ethnic studies, the reaction would have been even louder.
It’s not the first time the project has been attacked. Some detractors, Au said, don’t understand what ethnic studies is.Boy, we need to hang onto that last sentence because as Ethnic Studies rolls out, I hope that is true.
“We do talk about institutionalized racism and the histories and trajectories of racism in the country, but that doesn’t mean white kids need to be demonized in that process,” he said/
This comment by Castro-Gill seemed to spark many of the readers to comment:
“Nowhere in this document says that math is inherently racist,” she said. “It’s how math is used as a tool for oppression.”I certainly wouldn't speak for her but I think her use of the term "math" here instead of saying math being used to create data or statistics could be the problem.
Of course this is what she said on Twitter when this math rubric was brought up at this blog; I'm assuming she feels the same way about the Times' commenters as my readers:
From her Twitter feed:
"About a month ago I was bragging about a math framework for #ethnicstudies written by 4 math educators of color. Since then racist trolls got their hands on it and without any context or understanding decided to bash it.
thus Article The Times on Math and Ethnic Studies
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