Virginia to cancel advanced math high school courses in name of "racial equity"

I went to a university in another state. Towards the end of my degree program, the university decided to put together a focus group made up of high-performing students who had been recommended for it by the faculty. I was one of those students. It turned out that the problem the university was having was that they had to turn away the majority of the Black students who were applying, because they couldn't pass the basic reading/writing/math entrance testing. On top of that, of the Black students who were accepted, the majority ended up failing and dropping out. The university was desperately trying to come up with any ideas they could on how to work around the system, so to say, to not only get more Black students in the door, but make sure they didn't fail their courses. Now, this university was in a city that was 1/3rd Black and another 20% or so Hispanic. This university also marketed itself towards students who had immigrated to the US, and they had a special program set up for students who didn't speak English. There were a lot of Hispanic and foreign students there... But not many blacks.

I've been seeing this same dilemma pop up all over the country. As the racial disparities between Black students and students of other races in educational settings start to come to light, it leaves those institutions desperately scrambling to make excuses, assign blame, and cover it up. Well, now the entire state of Virginia is doing away with all advanced high school math courses (algebra, geometry, etc) until the 11th and 12 grades, in the name of "racial equity". In other words, they're getting rid of those courses for ALL students to cover up the fact that the BLACK students aren't performing well.

It would essentially achieve math equity by bringing all students to the lowest coursework level.

VMPI is an initiative of the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) . . . VMPI's top goal is listed as being to “improve equity in mathematics learning opportunities.”

It also comes amid concern that only 70% of black students met minimum math testing standards in Virginia as of the 2018-2019 school year

Bo Winegard, who was fired as a college professor last year for speaking on the role of genetics in psychological differences, referred to the VMPI plan as, “when equity becomes a synonym for coerced mediocrity.”

Source

a reply to: trollz
What an example of brotherhood.
Huzzah on Virginias commitment to letting West Virginia catch up!

I suppose we can continue to pretend that our educational system is preparing the youth of the nation to be fully functioning members that think for themselves who then work for the betterment of our national GDP. While this might once have been the illusion it is an illusion that has been debunked for several decades to disassociate from the realization that for the most part our high schools are advanced baby sitting services preparing our youth to function as automatons and cogs in the machine of this juggernaut economy that many if not most will never be able to reap the benefits that have been promised to them.

In the face of that, what does it matter if the standards of math education are re-scrambled to not require advanced math techniques when the availability of employment that will utilized those skills do not exist. Let's focus on what will be needed to work for most of us in this economy. How to add and subtract and maybe divide as our youth plunk their fingers on the buttons of the local McDonald's cash registers.

and how is it not racist to lower standards because you think people with dark skin are dumber than whites and Asians?

a reply to: trollz

There is one truth in this world, people are not equal.

Some are born taller, shorter. Some with a more robust immune system, some very sickly.
Some are just plain dumb...
The more the powers try to force equality the more unequal things will become.

I think of places like North Korea. One quick look what you see is people working for the government are plump and the people that aren't look like skeletons.

It might make people feel good temporarily to think things are more "equal" or ground is level, but it is all an illusion.
You think the rich & powerful are going to use a Dr. that is a dummy and passed via a low bar, or easy school. Ha!!!

By the way this entire concept is the most racist thing, it is not racial equality because it will bring Asian students down.

What's the big deal. They are going with the LCD, lowest common denominator, and multiplying by 6.25 to get the best mean aggregate with which to purpose a gradient that represents societal norms.


Jesus, it aint rocket science. That's for actual smart kids.

a reply to: trollz

So if I am reading this correctly...
Black students can’t do math.

To add. No pun intended
A major airline wants to emphasize hiring black pilots that apparently can’t do math.....

What could possibly go wrong?


But seriously, if you don’t like the answer change the question.
That’s a perfect strategy I guess.

So make the white kids Stupid to make them the same as black kids!
maybe if the parents of the black kids took more pride in there kids.
and help't them learn more.

"A major airline wants to emphasize hiring black pilots that apparently can’t do math"
Its just like a video game! easy
you crash you just open the save game.

a reply to: trollz

I’m sure Russian state media is completely above board when talking about American schools.

I tell my boys you got to love this as their competition for success gets less and less, just like I say I hope all the good looking guys are gay...lol

originally posted by: underwerks
a reply to: trollz

I’m sure Russian state media is completely above board when talking about American schools.

Actually this is about Virginia high schools not the University.
And it's true not just russian media reports.

www.foxnews.com...

news.yahoo.com...

a reply to: trollz

I stink at math, I can't math.
But I managed to pass with help. In order to get my nursing degree, I had to pass the math programs that were required. Of the the 45 women and 2 men that were in the nursing program at the time. 5 ladies and one man (me) completed and passed. I had struggles in math and I'm very very white.
Of the 5 ladies that graduated with me, 2 are African American ( the only African Americans that applied that year ) so 100% of the ladies of African-American heritage passed in our group. And one of the African-American ladies was important in the assistance in my mathematical achievement and passing grade. (C+).... a C's a degree. The fancy paper with my name one it says so.

Math is not racist, math does not care about haritage, skin colour or how rich your mommy and daddy are. Math is math period. Not offering an increased level of math for kids that can understand it during their prime learning years is a big thumb to the nose in education.

Having a career like nursing is a great way to maintain your math skills. I can think of countless professions where math is needed and used down to the seconds. Math is Ubiquitous .

They have remedial math classes, they have advanced placement calculus and trigonometry in high school. If the school has a teacher qualified to teach it, let it be available for those whom can take it.

My name is Tim, I'm a non-rich old white guy that also had/ has math issues growing up. Math is not my forté.

I need to email Neil deGrasse Tyson and see if math will ever be Non-Racist. 👍🏻😁


Edit: see, Neil can't even leave math out of a tweet.

a reply to: trollz

Goddamn Pythagoras and his meddling triangles.

Read that yesterday... discussed it at work, discussed it with the wife at home...

None of us could figure out the thinking that arrived at this decision.

Do virginia classrooms have such small numbers they can do personalized teaching for each student without requiring each class to be 8 hours long?

a reply to: Irishhaf

No logical person sees this as helpful. The loud minority is bullying the silent majority.

We're talking about going to Mars and these students can't do basic math. I'll stay off that rocket.

a reply to: underwerks

You really think that Russian media are the only ones who are talking about this? Or see the results of LCD teaching??

I see the victims of our public "education" system on a regular basis. Twenty somethings who have trouble reading, much less understanding, simple written instructions. Can't add/subtract on the fly. I've run into a few who can't read...at all. Yet they've got a HS diploma at home...

No, the public education system is definitively not what it's supposed to do. Educate. For far, far too many, it's as has been said, a baby sitting service.

Kids aren't taught. Teachers don't teach. Worse, parents don't seem to care in too many cases.

Diversity is our Strength!

WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT?!?!??!

originally posted by: Bigburgh

I stink at math, I can't math.
But I managed to pass with help. In order to get my nursing degree, I had to pass the math programs that were required. Of the the 45 women and 2 men that were in the nursing program at the time. 5 ladies and one man (me) completed and passed. I had struggles in math and I'm very very white.
Of the 5 ladies that graduated with me, 2 are African American ( the only African Americans that applied that year ) so 100% of the ladies of African-American heritage passed in our group. And one of the African-American ladies was important in the assistance in my mathematical achievement and passing grade. (C+).... a C's a degree. The fancy paper with my name one it says so.

Kind of sad and even scary. Not trying to slam nursing but for that program you only need like 5 grade level math.

a reply to: Xtrozero

In all fairness, the math required was/will never be used in the field. But I still had to learn it with help.
I'm better now of course. But my point is, math can be hard for anyone... not isolated to an ethnic group.

Except the Chinese. They can math🙄😁

originally posted by: Bigburgh

Except the Chinese. They can math🙄😁

My wife is Asian and she had my two boys reading, spelling and doing math around the age of 3...I kid you not...She made up like 1000 index cards with words and once the kids could read them then she had them spell them. Math was no different in how she taught things like memorization of multiplication tables, and summers were homeschooling the next year to prep for it... In many parts of America kids can hardly say their ABCs in 3rd grade.