{"id":1107528,"date":"2021-12-10T21:43:54","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T02:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1107528"},"modified":"2021-12-10T21:43:55","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T02:43:55","slug":"wapo-accuses-math-curriculums-of-racism-demands-addressing-the-other-crt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wapo-accuses-math-curriculums-of-racism-demands-addressing-the-other-crt\/","title":{"rendered":"WaPo Accuses Math Curriculums of \u2018Racism,\u2019 Demands Addressing \u2018The Other CRT\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwapo-accuses-math-curriculums-of-racism-demands-addressing-the-other-crt%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1107528&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pexels-max-fischer-stock-math-classroom-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\"><span>Racism in school curriculums \u201cisn\u2019t limited to history \u2014 it\u2019s in math, too,\u201d according to a recent <\/span><i><span>Washington Post<\/span><\/i><span> piece that accuses current math curriculums of \u201censhrin[ing] the names of White men\u201d while \u201cblurring\u201d the contributions of others, demanding formulas with supposedly \u201cracist\u201d origins be removed from math textbooks and referring to the alleged issue as \u201cthe other \u2018CRT\u2019\u201d which has been all but neglected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Wednesday <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/2021\/12\/08\/racism-our-curriculums-isnt-limited-history-its-math-too\/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=wp_opinions\"><span>op-ed<\/span><\/a><span>, penned by Theodore Kim, an associate professor of computer science at Yale University, began by highlighting how Virginia\u2019s recent gubernatorial race \u201crevealed that the education wars will play a major role in politics for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"7.315\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Racism in our curriculums isn\u2019t limited to history. It\u2019s in math, too, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_TheodoreKim?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@_TheodoreKim<\/a> writes in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/madebyhistory?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@madebyhistory<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8Ue9kySOLk\">https:\/\/t.co\/8Ue9kySOLk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PostOpinions\/status\/1469199964635021317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 10, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Though debates over how history is taught in educational institutions are \u201cincreasingly framed in relation to \u2018critical race theory,\u2019\u201d Kim argued the same wasn\u2019t done in mathematics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c[T]he conversations are difficult even in subjects such as math, which is perceived, incorrectly, as a neutral space outside the reach of structural racism and national histories,\u201d he wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>In one example, he noted the \u201cjarring\u201d contrast between the names for \u201cEuclid\u2019s Algorithm\u201d and the \u201cChinese Remainder Theorem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe juxtaposition is jarring: The Greek scholar Euclid (300 B.C.) gets his name attached to an algorithm, while a Chinese scholar\u2019s identity is erased, his work reduced to his nationality,\u201d he wrote.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis dichotomy reveals the racial assumptions hidden in seemingly apolitical subjects and how the biases of the past are embedded in the present,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Admitting he was unaware of why the name of Chinese mathematician Sun Tzu (unrelated to the famed general of the same name) \u2014 who is widely credited with popularizing the Chinese Remainder Theorem \u2014 was not included in its name, Kim pointed to historical context to make the assumption it was racially motivated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe can\u2019t know what was in his heart, but we know that [\u2018White mathematician\u2019 L.E.] Dickson made the choice amid a surge of anti-Asian violence in the United States stretching back to the late-19th century,\u201d he wrote.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cDecades of legislation aiming to cut off Asian immigration accompanied this violence,\u201d he added.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In another example, Kim pointed to the \u201cChinese Postman Problem,\u201d which refers to the mathematical formulation of Chinese mathematician Mei-Ko Kwan.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cThis naming goes beyond obscuring Kwan\u2019s contribution: It becomes ambiguous whether a Chinese scholar originated the problem, or whether it is examining an imaginary postal worker who happens to be Chinese,\u201d Kim wrote, adding that such lapses in naming mathematical concepts \u201crarely extend to White scholars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Referencing a statistical process known as the \u201cChinese Restaurant Process,\u201d Kim goes further, claiming such \u201cracist\u201d labels entail the \u201cdehumanization\u201d of their formulators and contradict the notion of math as a \u201cglobal\u201d endeavor. He wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"10\">\n<p><span>With this naming, the implicit dehumanization of the \u2018Chinese Postman\u2019 became explicit. Instead of referencing an Eastern scholarly tradition, \u2018Chinese\u2019 was used to refer to a mindless horde of imaginary restaurant patrons and hostesses, lacking all agency or humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cThese uses of \u2018Chinese\u2019 can be found in math textbooks today,\u201d he added. \u201cAllowing these racist namings to persist erases the fact that the construction of math and science has always been a global project.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Kim then accused the current mathematical curriculum of \u201censhrin[ing] the names of White men\u201d while \u201cblurring\u201d the contributions of others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cRather than celebrating the innate curiosity that drives humanity to make discoveries around the globe, these practices have historically enshrined the names of White men,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe rest of the world is reduced to an inscrutable, fungible mass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe textbooks that showcase these names, while blurring out the contributions of others, constitute false monuments to White supremacy,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This is not the first time math curriculums have been accused of racism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Tuesday, <\/span><i><span>USA TODAY<\/span><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S3WS2LlZg8\"><span>published<\/span><\/a><span> an essay questioning whether math is \u201cracist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"9.2272727272727\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In an effort to promote equity and access for kids of color, girls and low-income students, many math teachers are shifting toward inclusive instruction. It\u2019s controversial. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S3WS2LlZg8\">https:\/\/t.co\/S3WS2LlZg8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 USA TODAY (@USATODAY) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USATODAY\/status\/1468300370871201793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>The piece highlights those math educators who wish the subject to be taught \u201cwith a stronger focus on access and equity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe value the role that mathematics can play in highlighting and ultimately addressing social injustice,\u201d says a letter headed by the California Mathematics Council signed by over 1,500 math and science educators and parents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The essay also focused on algebra classes taught by Nadine Ebri, a math teacher and tech specialist for Duval County Schools in Florida, who uses \u201cnew techniques designed to promote equity\u201d by \u201cemphasizing real-world problems\u201d involving \u201cracial and social inequities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The California education department has been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/04\/15\/california-weighs-equitable-math-goal-obtaining-correct-answer-racist\/\"><span>considering<\/span><\/a><span> implementing a statewide math framework to oust \u201cracism\u201d and \u201cwhite supremacy\u201d from invading the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The framework, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equitablemath.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/1_STRIDE1.pdf\"><span>titled<\/span><\/a><span> \u201cA Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction: Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction,\u201d is intended to be \u201cexercises for educators to reflect on their own biases to transform their instructional practice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The \u201cEquitable Math\u201d website <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equitablemath.org\/\"><span>states<\/span><\/a><span> its training manual was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the primary private <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2014\/03\/14\/bill-gates-asks-teachers-to-explain-common-core-to-parents\/\"><span>source<\/span><\/a><span> of funding for the Common Core State Standards. The document states:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"11\">\n<p><span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>In October, a top official at the Tennessee Department of Education was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/10\/29\/tennessee-california-math-racist\/\"><span>revealed<\/span><\/a><span> to have advocated previously in California for \u201cmath equity,\u201d the concept that working to answer correctly is an example of racism and white supremacy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><i><em>Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuaklein_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@JoshuaKlein<\/a><\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Racism in school curriculums \u201cisn\u2019t limited to history \u2014 it\u2019s in math, too,\u201d according to a recent Washington Post piece that accuses current math curriculums of \u201censhrin[ing] the names of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1107528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1107528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1107528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1107528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1107528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1107528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1107528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}