Honestly learning math is a complete waste of time. The kids should be learning Critical Race Theory.
San Francisco Can’t Do the Math
A battle over equity, achievement—and eighth-grade algebra.
By The Editorial Board, WSJ
April 28, 2023 6:42 pm ET
Remember the folks who helped lead the drive to recall three members of the school board in uber-woke San Francisco? Well, they’re back. This time they want to restore eighth-grade algebra to the public school curriculum, which was dropped nearly a decade ago.
The group has renamed itself the SF Guardians and is made up of parents, teachers and concerned citizens. They say that for San Francisco not to offer eighth-grade algebra is particularly embarrassing given the district’s location in the shadow of Silicon Valley. Most other Bay Area schools offer the course.
The U.S. Department of Education calls algebra a “gatekeeper course” to future success. “Taking Algebra 1 before high school, such as in 8th grade, can set students up for a foundation of STEM education and open the door for various college and career options,” it says.
That didn’t stop San Francisco from dropping eighth-grade algebra in 2014 in the name of reducing inequities. The idea was to boost minority achievement, and the school district has claimed success. But the Guardians say the district’s official interpretation is misleading and lacks supporting data. For example, San Francisco claims improvement on reducing repeat rates for Algebra 1, but because it abolished a test requirement there’s no way to know if these students learned anything.
Tom Loveless, a former Brookings Institution fellow and education researcher, looked at the data and found the claims for progress didn’t hold up. He concluded that the district’s public-relations spin “diverts attention from the harsh reality that SFUSD is headed in the wrong direction on equity.”
The Guardians now have a public petition, which they hope will lead the board at least to offer the option of eighth-grade algebra. If it doesn’t, the Guardians plan to take the issue to the San Francisco board of supervisors—and if that fails, get 10,000 signatures to put it on the city ballot.
Guardian founders Autumn Looijen and Siva Raj don’t think that will be hard. They point out that, two years ago, they collected 70,000 signatures for each of the school board members they ultimately ousted. May they succeed again.
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