The state of California is under scrutiny for its release of a math framework that aims to incorporate “social justice” into mathematics, despite calls from parents for improved education. The California Department of Education (CDE) and the California State Board of Education (SBE) unveiled the instructional guidance for public school teachers last week.
One crucial section of the framework emphasizes teaching “for equity and engagement” and encourages math educators to adopt a perspective of “teaching toward social justice.” The CDE and SBE suggest that cultivating “culturally responsive” lessons, which highlight the contributions of historically marginalized individuals to mathematics, can help accomplish this goal. The guidance further advocates for avoiding a single-minded focus on one way of thinking or one correct answer.
Critics argue that the proposed framework does not prioritize academic achievement. Angela Morabito, a spokesperson for the Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI), stated, “Despite what the proponents of this plan might say, it’s not really designed to boost academic achievement. It’s designed to further a progressive goal that exists in the minds of adults… The math framework really does show misplaced priorities.”
The CDE and SBE acknowledge that math proficiency has been waning across the state, with less than one third of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations during the 2021-22 academic year. Data provided by the departments reveals widening achievement gaps, with math proficiency among Black students more than 30 percentage points below that of their White counterparts.
These statistics have driven California parents to advocate for a “high-quality education” to be recognized as a constitutional right. In 2021, they launched the “Constitutional Right to a High-Quality Public Education Act” and aim to include the measure on the upcoming state ballot. If passed, the act would grant parents the ability to sue school districts if they believe their children are not receiving an adequate education, defined as equipping students with the skills necessary for full participation in the economy, democracy, and society.
Supporters of the campaign assert that California is failing its students by implementing curricula that are not developmentally appropriate and allocating excessive funding to an excessive education bureaucracy. Morabito emphasized, “If this plan were really about fostering students’ strengths and getting them to do math at a high level, you would see the framework want to give every opportunity to students to advance in their math classes. A framework that moves to limit opportunities to supposedly spare other people’s feelings is not what parents want.”
In response, an SBE spokesperson told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) that the new framework aims to enhance math learning by creating pathways that empower all students to reach advanced math coursework, including courses like Calculus that serve as gateways to STEM careers.