In a move that would be bad parody were it not so real and disturbing, the Florida Department of Education announced last week that it was banning a high percentage of math textbooks from next year’s curriculum, claiming that some 41 percent of them do not comply with the state’s updated requirements. Specifically, the Department stated the banned textbooks included “references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics.”
The first sentence of your last paragraph is slightly off, I believe. Eco would no doubt look upon these moves by DeSantis as a kind of fascism. There is no "proto" about it, or about anything that DeSantis is doing. He is clearly a fully committed fascist.
An educated populace doesn't vote the way the far right wants them to. This has been their goal for several decades now. After all, serfs don't need to know how lords keep them in check.
The fact that these politicians are willing to sacrifice the education of our youth to push their agenda is disturbing and disgusting. In so many ways this country is going backwards faster than I thought possible. Where does it stop? How far back can we go before we hit the point of no return? I mean I know vote blue but that's only part of the solution, be it a critical part of the solution. If the predicted "red wave" happens in Nov we as a country are screwed.
Well, the dumbing down of Floridians is leap frogging the rest of the country, and will have MAJOR ramifications down the road, when none of these kids in school today can get ANY job beyond basic, minimum wage jobs because their scholastic achievements in “Reading, Writing and Arithmetic” won’t even come up to the levels of what is required for Graduation, any where else in the world.
With this attitude and creation of moronic laws on this subject, the USA, will, in probably less than 5 years, sit at the very bottom of scholastic achievement world wide, and will cease to produce those who CAN think independently, critically, insightfully and outside the box!
Imagine a USA, where there are no more scientific developments, no more impressive medical achievements, no more ability to work in the International sphere, no more creativity or genius!
“Idiocracy” obviously wasn’t a comedy, it was a documentary, and the Authoritarian wannabes in the GOP are obviously impressed by it. Either that or they themselves are so damned dumb now that they are already incapable of critical thought and instead of looking at changes and how they effect long term results, either don’t care, or don’t understand how to do anything except wind up their electoral base.
If you could only see how we in the U.K. feel about all of this garbage. Here let me use a number : 100% GARBAGE. You are trying to bring politics into mathematics !!!! You have to be kidding.
Regards JK (BS.c & B.A in Pure and Applied Maths & Physics)
This is a wonderfully written and researched piece. It's also terrifying. George W. Bush made not being smart cool and the dumbing down of America was started. Trump's "leadership" was an exercise in incurious, belligerent stupidity with a bit of racism and rage mixed in. Both of them admitted that they "weren't readers". It doesn't bode well for the future. Twenty years from now will these kids be uneducated, irritated, heavily armed morons living in a world they can't afford to live in.
Thank you for explaining exactly what DeSantis is doing by changing math curriculums.. I didn't realize he has been trying to change all elementary curriculum since 2019. This is frightening.-He's trying to limit education to the basics,w/out any type of critical thinking-so he won't be challenged. He's up for re-election and it's important ppl understand what's going on,and vote him out. He's been changing laws making it harder to vote,even taking over territorial maps from legislators-to limit black voters ability to vote..
Question is...what can be done to stop him? How do we fight back?
Can the Dept of Education do anything to stop him bc it violate students rights? Or DOJ? Republicans are creating their own autocracies in individual states-And overwhelming the system with corruption on all fronts..
.Many people are just letting it happen bc they don't understand their rights are systematically being taken away..rights we've taken for granted.Especially young people who never had to fight for them
.Reps are trying to turn back time-and take away all the rights people fought and died for-
affordable healthcare& prescription drugs,fair wages&treatment, by employers,racial and sexual equality,affordable housing,religious freedom,quality public education,abortion/birth control,voting-They want to take away our voice,our ability to question and think on our own
and fight back.
This is why Democrats must improve their messaging...so people can understand what it truly at stake-that these are not normal times.Democrats aren't the enemy-they're the only party passing laws to help people.Need to be more visual,on mediae,to counter Republicans claims/accusations,explain goals,objectives,laws passed and how Republicans have blocked them...and how the citizens in Rep states have suffered because of them-high CV death rate bc sabotaged CV recovery efforts,,rate low in education,medical bankruptcies bc refuse to expand medicaid eligibility.,low wages,high in poverty,poor water quality bc of pollution,etc..They need to understand this is not commonplace in other Democrat led states.
And how Democrats want to change all that...explain what a Democracy is..and is not.....
People need to understand what we will lose if Republicans win...Russia is prime example of fascism/autocracy/dictatorship...and Republicans support Russia and it's war on Ukraine.
In my personal experience going through schools, listening to a variety of teachers of my acquaintance including my wife, and one years experience of my own as a college instructor; I agree that probably half or more of the textbooks being offered to the market should be banned: not for “references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics.” but because they are often poorly written, poorly organized, incomplete, and inaccurate. The wrong textbooks are being targeted. I recall a graduate seminar where we were provided an introductory course text that was abysmal. It would have been criminal to provide that text to an introductory class, but it did serve well to stir discussion in that graduate seminar because of its glaring errors.
There is way too much effort by publishers to provide something new, the moments popular theory/approach, and different, to simply sell more books, and not nearly enough effort put into providing a lasting quality text that actually provides a useful learning experience. Yes, science and history, etc. move on and need to be accommodated but that shouldn't require a new text every year; revision as needed should be adequate to address the new knowledge.
Could be the Republicans just discovered that math uses Hindi-Arabic numerals and to them that’s Critical Race Theory? Who the heck is electing these clowns
Once again, Jay, I marvel at how effectively you digest, analyze, and clarify some very complex issues of the day - even when they may be "out of your lane" - and cut to the core of what they mean and how they impact the wider society. In fact, you personify why such narrow-minded educational notions must not prevail; they are destined to turn out human ciphers and "good soldiers," while a Jay Kuo would be a defective accident.
The commercial ramifications on textbook publishers and their editors for the rest of the country is chilling. The effect of Texas on the textbook industry is already bad enough this new Florida fascism is going to ripple throughout the entire country.
Thank you for this clear article, explaining what the heck is going on with this! It's diabolical! DeSantis is a thousand times scarier than Frump. Frump just wants to be the boss. DeSantis wants to be the ruler. So, so scary.
Easier for parents to just keep teaching kids the same old tropes and "acceptable" stereotypical prejudices that they were brought up with rather than accept some responsibility and move forward quietly trying to do better.
What’s less intuitive is how SEL and mathematics might intersect in a textbook. The CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) specify, for example, that students should solve real-world and mathematical problems by working effectively with their peers rather than just memorizing formulas and equations in the abstract.
Exactly. The writers of the popular Jason Bourne movie series must have had the above thought in mind when more than one character spoke the numbers 4/15/71 in the Bourne Ultimatum. As background, a CIA operative used those numbers to give Bourne information he needed to track down the people who programmed him to become a killer for the U.S. government. The woman who passed along the clue to Bourne hid her real intent, though, by telling Bourne over a monitored phone call that 4/15/71 was his birth date. It was not.
Maybe this is a real world example of people working together to communicate important information. It also shows how the spies who monitored the phone call joined forces to eventually realize what 4/15/71 signified. It was the Manhattan address for the building where CIA employees had turned Bourne into a killer.
So, other CIA officers, prompted by the phone call, kept at it until they figured out what coded message Bourne had just received.
You would think this example would thrill rightwing pols and their supporters. We need people who can do more than memorize formulas and equations.
Could it be that my governor, Ron DeSantis, is a secret enemy of the state who wants to undermine government competence and make it harder for patriotic Americans to combat enemies, both domestic and foreign? I'm joking, of course.
I think it is pure BS. I think there is a preferred vendor waiting in the wings who will craft future textbooks to support this miserable ideology. I also think people like DeSatan are generating sound bites for the coming elections.
They fear that students will learn to think for themselves. And that is terrifying to them.
The first sentence of your last paragraph is slightly off, I believe. Eco would no doubt look upon these moves by DeSantis as a kind of fascism. There is no "proto" about it, or about anything that DeSantis is doing. He is clearly a fully committed fascist.
An educated populace doesn't vote the way the far right wants them to. This has been their goal for several decades now. After all, serfs don't need to know how lords keep them in check.
The fact that these politicians are willing to sacrifice the education of our youth to push their agenda is disturbing and disgusting. In so many ways this country is going backwards faster than I thought possible. Where does it stop? How far back can we go before we hit the point of no return? I mean I know vote blue but that's only part of the solution, be it a critical part of the solution. If the predicted "red wave" happens in Nov we as a country are screwed.
Well, the dumbing down of Floridians is leap frogging the rest of the country, and will have MAJOR ramifications down the road, when none of these kids in school today can get ANY job beyond basic, minimum wage jobs because their scholastic achievements in “Reading, Writing and Arithmetic” won’t even come up to the levels of what is required for Graduation, any where else in the world.
With this attitude and creation of moronic laws on this subject, the USA, will, in probably less than 5 years, sit at the very bottom of scholastic achievement world wide, and will cease to produce those who CAN think independently, critically, insightfully and outside the box!
Imagine a USA, where there are no more scientific developments, no more impressive medical achievements, no more ability to work in the International sphere, no more creativity or genius!
“Idiocracy” obviously wasn’t a comedy, it was a documentary, and the Authoritarian wannabes in the GOP are obviously impressed by it. Either that or they themselves are so damned dumb now that they are already incapable of critical thought and instead of looking at changes and how they effect long term results, either don’t care, or don’t understand how to do anything except wind up their electoral base.
If you could only see how we in the U.K. feel about all of this garbage. Here let me use a number : 100% GARBAGE. You are trying to bring politics into mathematics !!!! You have to be kidding.
Regards JK (BS.c & B.A in Pure and Applied Maths & Physics)
This is a wonderfully written and researched piece. It's also terrifying. George W. Bush made not being smart cool and the dumbing down of America was started. Trump's "leadership" was an exercise in incurious, belligerent stupidity with a bit of racism and rage mixed in. Both of them admitted that they "weren't readers". It doesn't bode well for the future. Twenty years from now will these kids be uneducated, irritated, heavily armed morons living in a world they can't afford to live in.
Thank you for explaining exactly what DeSantis is doing by changing math curriculums.. I didn't realize he has been trying to change all elementary curriculum since 2019. This is frightening.-He's trying to limit education to the basics,w/out any type of critical thinking-so he won't be challenged. He's up for re-election and it's important ppl understand what's going on,and vote him out. He's been changing laws making it harder to vote,even taking over territorial maps from legislators-to limit black voters ability to vote..
Question is...what can be done to stop him? How do we fight back?
Can the Dept of Education do anything to stop him bc it violate students rights? Or DOJ? Republicans are creating their own autocracies in individual states-And overwhelming the system with corruption on all fronts..
.Many people are just letting it happen bc they don't understand their rights are systematically being taken away..rights we've taken for granted.Especially young people who never had to fight for them
.Reps are trying to turn back time-and take away all the rights people fought and died for-
affordable healthcare& prescription drugs,fair wages&treatment, by employers,racial and sexual equality,affordable housing,religious freedom,quality public education,abortion/birth control,voting-They want to take away our voice,our ability to question and think on our own
and fight back.
This is why Democrats must improve their messaging...so people can understand what it truly at stake-that these are not normal times.Democrats aren't the enemy-they're the only party passing laws to help people.Need to be more visual,on mediae,to counter Republicans claims/accusations,explain goals,objectives,laws passed and how Republicans have blocked them...and how the citizens in Rep states have suffered because of them-high CV death rate bc sabotaged CV recovery efforts,,rate low in education,medical bankruptcies bc refuse to expand medicaid eligibility.,low wages,high in poverty,poor water quality bc of pollution,etc..They need to understand this is not commonplace in other Democrat led states.
And how Democrats want to change all that...explain what a Democracy is..and is not.....
People need to understand what we will lose if Republicans win...Russia is prime example of fascism/autocracy/dictatorship...and Republicans support Russia and it's war on Ukraine.
In my personal experience going through schools, listening to a variety of teachers of my acquaintance including my wife, and one years experience of my own as a college instructor; I agree that probably half or more of the textbooks being offered to the market should be banned: not for “references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics.” but because they are often poorly written, poorly organized, incomplete, and inaccurate. The wrong textbooks are being targeted. I recall a graduate seminar where we were provided an introductory course text that was abysmal. It would have been criminal to provide that text to an introductory class, but it did serve well to stir discussion in that graduate seminar because of its glaring errors.
There is way too much effort by publishers to provide something new, the moments popular theory/approach, and different, to simply sell more books, and not nearly enough effort put into providing a lasting quality text that actually provides a useful learning experience. Yes, science and history, etc. move on and need to be accommodated but that shouldn't require a new text every year; revision as needed should be adequate to address the new knowledge.
Could be the Republicans just discovered that math uses Hindi-Arabic numerals and to them that’s Critical Race Theory? Who the heck is electing these clowns
Once again, Jay, I marvel at how effectively you digest, analyze, and clarify some very complex issues of the day - even when they may be "out of your lane" - and cut to the core of what they mean and how they impact the wider society. In fact, you personify why such narrow-minded educational notions must not prevail; they are destined to turn out human ciphers and "good soldiers," while a Jay Kuo would be a defective accident.
The commercial ramifications on textbook publishers and their editors for the rest of the country is chilling. The effect of Texas on the textbook industry is already bad enough this new Florida fascism is going to ripple throughout the entire country.
Thank you for this clear article, explaining what the heck is going on with this! It's diabolical! DeSantis is a thousand times scarier than Frump. Frump just wants to be the boss. DeSantis wants to be the ruler. So, so scary.
Easier for parents to just keep teaching kids the same old tropes and "acceptable" stereotypical prejudices that they were brought up with rather than accept some responsibility and move forward quietly trying to do better.
You wrote:
What’s less intuitive is how SEL and mathematics might intersect in a textbook. The CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) specify, for example, that students should solve real-world and mathematical problems by working effectively with their peers rather than just memorizing formulas and equations in the abstract.
Exactly. The writers of the popular Jason Bourne movie series must have had the above thought in mind when more than one character spoke the numbers 4/15/71 in the Bourne Ultimatum. As background, a CIA operative used those numbers to give Bourne information he needed to track down the people who programmed him to become a killer for the U.S. government. The woman who passed along the clue to Bourne hid her real intent, though, by telling Bourne over a monitored phone call that 4/15/71 was his birth date. It was not.
Maybe this is a real world example of people working together to communicate important information. It also shows how the spies who monitored the phone call joined forces to eventually realize what 4/15/71 signified. It was the Manhattan address for the building where CIA employees had turned Bourne into a killer.
So, other CIA officers, prompted by the phone call, kept at it until they figured out what coded message Bourne had just received.
You would think this example would thrill rightwing pols and their supporters. We need people who can do more than memorize formulas and equations.
Could it be that my governor, Ron DeSantis, is a secret enemy of the state who wants to undermine government competence and make it harder for patriotic Americans to combat enemies, both domestic and foreign? I'm joking, of course.
I think it is pure BS. I think there is a preferred vendor waiting in the wings who will craft future textbooks to support this miserable ideology. I also think people like DeSatan are generating sound bites for the coming elections.