Recent studies show the achievement gap widened significantly in California, but not in states where schools stayed open. (E.g., here and here). We need to continue to work to address the learning loss and stunting of social and emotional development that our students have suffered. We need to pay special attention to those in the lower elementary grades, many of whom did not experience preschool and will be coming into the district lacking social skills and basic knowledge. We need to provide sufficient training and resources for our teachers to help them meet these challenges.

The State of California is drafting new curriculum framework for K-12 mathematics. The draft framework contains “considerable political material, as well as an exclusive and unwarranted reliance on progressive education as a teaching approach.”

Over 1200 leaders in California’s community of scientific and math professionals denounced such importing of political content into math instruction in an open letter to the State.

According to the open letter, “infusing mathematics with political rhetoric is alien to mathematics as a discipline, and will do lasting damage—including making math dramatically harder for students whose first language is not English. We believe that all students without exception have natural gifts they can use to learn school mathematics, and therefore all students are harmed by refusing to recognize students’ giftedness. We thus find it immoral and foolish to intentionally holdback the intellectual growth of students by forcing them to waste time in unchallenging classes. Those who are ready to move up, should do so. They should not be held back for fear of recognizing the existence of differences in giftedness—differences which are a reality in every human endeavor.”

Further, “the modern world of science and technology—and of constitutional democracy, human rights and expanded opportunity for all—arose largely because societies learned to value inquiry that was disinterested (i.e.,“objective” and “neutral”), rational and coherent. It arose by moving away from judging ideas on the basis of cultural origins and group identity in favor of judging them according to their real merit.”

Finally, “claims that mathematical topics related to data science are inherently more engaging or more equitable than other areas of high school math (as is suggested on lines 1226-1239 of Chapter 5 of the California Math Framework) are incorrect. All areas of high school math are amenable to engagement, equitable practices, and good teaching methods, and can be motivated by modern real-life questions without sacrificing content. The most effective way to diversify the STEM pipeline and to prepare more students for a STEM career is for more students to learn the core math content in high school.”

Our district needs to continue offering advanced math and must fight back against politicizing our children’s education, especially a subject like math that is inherently objective and neutral.

The State sets content standards and curriculum framework. These are minimum standards. The State’s frameworks are unsurprisingly controversial and below the standards that students in our community can achieve.

The Board reviews instructional materials to ensure they align with the content standards and are consistent with the curriculum framework.

As part of my mission to improve transparency, I will ensure that all instructional materials are posted online and accessible to every parent to the fullest extent possible under the law. If any materials are copyright restricted, they will be made available for parents to review on site.