The Tennessee Department of Education is defending a senior official accused of working to get rid of advanced math courses and of thinking “math is racist”.
The department sent a letter to lawmakers this week after a member of the Conservative Textbooks Commission and Conservative media raised concerns about the recent hiring of Rachael Maves, the department’s new chief of preparation and performance.
“Rachael came to the department because of her strong ideological focus on the administration’s educational priorities and her commitment to setting high standards of education for all students,” said Charlie Bufalino, the department’s deputy commissioner for policy and legislation, in an email sent to the top-level The Tennessee legislature. “The headline that one of the [d]The epartment staff think math is racist. “
A member of the state textbooks commission, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, recently called on members of the House of Representatives and the Senate Education Committee of the Tennessee General Assembly to investigate Maves’ attitude.
“Rachael Maves comes to Tennessee with a controversial history as the main proponent of the racist overhaul of California’s ‘Math Framework’, a concept that holds students back regardless of talent or ability in favor of ‘justice’ rather than individual excellence,” Cardoza said Moore in a press release.
“The model comes from the belief that math is racist and perpetuates white privileges. Her educational philosophy reflects the principles of the Common Core Standards as well as the Critical Race Theory, so I find it outrageous that she was appointed to such an important educational position in a state that bans these two teaching models. “
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After Cardoza-Moore’s concerns hit conservative news sites like Breitbart and The Tennessee Star, the department quickly fired back
“Rachael Maves previously worked for the California Department of
Education and the article incorrectly claims that he was in the California Department of
Education, urged them for an initiative to get rid of advanced math courses. Rachael
Maves never said math was racist, and she never said she believed it
Students shouldn’t have access to advanced math courses, “wrote Bufalino.
Cardoza-Moore, who is no stranger to controversy, has spoken before about Common Core standards and concerns about math teaching.
In an April video posted on YouTube, Cardoza-Moore claimed to expose a “racist math” initiative
“One of the areas that we have focused on over the past decade is all of these people who are involved in education and who are transforming education not for the better, but for the worse,” Cardoza-Moore said in the video.
She praised the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s support for Common Core Standards – which Tennessee did not use and was once sponsored by Republican governors – and the A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction program for helping uneducated students and even community violence.
“A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction” is a toolkit made available to California educators providing resources and curricula that “center Black, Latinx, and multilingual students in Grades 6 through 8, addressing barriers to equality in math, and” align the lessons with the priorities of the grade levels “. Standards, “according to the program’s website.
The toolkit is an example of how some educators try to reach different student bodies or tailor their teaching to the cultural background or perspective of their students.
This teaching method is known as culturally engaging teaching, which some educators believe is one of the best ways to meet the needs of all students.
It has also drawn criticism from conservatives, amid national outcry against critical racial theory and concerns of some politicians that students are being indoctrinated in public schools.
The state is currently in the process of approving new math textbooks and curriculum materials, which will be overseen by the Textbooks Commission and the State Board of Education.
When the commission began reviewing materials for math textbooks earlier this fall, Linda Cash, chair of the Tennessee Textbooks Commission, made it clear to the State Department of Education that the commission is an independent group responsible for making recommendations, as previously dated Tennessee Lookout reports.
Research shows that students of color, girls and students from low-income communities often have less access to advanced math courses in high school, and Brian Blackley, a spokesman for the state education department, said the department is “committed to providing students with advanced” coursework. “
“All academic work, including math, is the responsibility of Dr. Lisa Coons, chief academic officer. The state is not considering changing the math courses offered, required, and / or available to students in Tennessee,” Blackley said in a mail Answer to questions from The Tennessean. “In addition, the department is committed to providing students with advanced academic achievement by supporting programs for districts and schools, particularly as this falls within our strategic focus on Academics.”
As for Maves, she said in a statement that she is “strongly tied to the” bold vision for educational excellence “of Governor Bill Lee and Education Commissioner PennySchwinn.
“I do not believe in any way that math is racist, nor do I believe that advanced math courses should be abolished. I believe that all students should have access to quality math courses and adequate opportunities to access math content at the students’ level to ensure they are well prepared for college and career opportunities, ”she said.
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Meghan Mangrum reports on education for the USA TODAY Network – Tennessee. Contact them at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.
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