> During a webinar posted on YouTube in December, a member of the "essential concepts" committee claimed that the new framework would exclude traditional classes like Algebra 1 and Geometry.

This is crazy. I grew up in a South Asian country before immigrating for University. Even in my first year in University, I was tutoring multiple students from both my year as well as 2nd year on algebra, calculus and discrete mathematics. I would even say my math courses in first 2 years of University in western world was much easier than what I had already studied by grade 12 of back home.

I had covered Algebra, Geometry, quite advanced Calculus by grade 12 in South Asia. If these asinine policies continues, you can guarantee that western university students will keep loosing to foreign students like myself. There may even be no longer a point of people immigrating here for higher studies.

I have even spent time thinking about whether it might be a wise idea for me to immigrate back to my home country when I have kids because I wouldn't want them having such watered down education.

Kids are not robots and learn at different rates in different topics and it is functions of genetics and experience, it is wrong to very large extent to train everyone equally outside basics of reading, arithmetic. Objective of education should be to maximize kids learning opportunities in topics they are interested and display some predisposition from age of 4 and beyond.

Standard that one size of 10+ years of education fits all is false. Yes, some kids my have no interests and/or predispositions, it does not mean they failed in any meaningful way, eventually they find something given opportunities (similarly but less strict/competitive education is today) they are passionate about.

Yeah, I also despair. Few people seem to have read the article, and drawn their ideologically-predisposed conclusions from the headline. Which is, of course, the point of the headline, from an ideologically-predisposed news source.

What they're actually talking about is this:

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/mathematics/vmpi/in...

So we've got a thread full of people decrying manipulation... while being massively manipulated in really trivial ways. And instead of talking about how to improve math education, we're talking about BS. Or really not talking, just clutching pearls.

If you want to claim that your way of thinking is so much better, demonstrate it, at least a little.

I read the article, and it doesn't sound to me like they are removing math classes in the name of equity. It sounds like they are moving away from having kids only learn Algebra for a year and then only learn geometry for a year. And instead have students learn a variety of mathematical concepts. The article said: "concepts courses wouldn't eliminate algebraic ideas but rather interweave multiple strands of mathematics throughout the courses. Those included data analysis, mathematical modeling, functions and algebra, spatial reasoning and probability."

Honestly, that doesn't sound bad to me. It sounds more like how people actually use math in life and in work, rather than forcing kids to all of sudden only care about geometry for an entire year.

The only solution is to move one's children into a private school. That if one can afford this. So much for equality of opportunity...

"There is a great deal of ruin in a nation" - Adam Smith

As each day passes, America has a little bit less left. And no, if you understand the quote, this is a depressing thought.

What’s the chance this story gets flagged? It always seems like the people in favor of forced equality try to hide their actions.

I hope this is stopped. If not, after-school programs like Russian School of Math will see increased enrollment from parents who are not satisfied with public school math. My 3 children attended RSM.

The year was 2021, and everybody was finally equal.

For parents that want to help their kids with STEM, First Robotics (high schools around the world) is amazing. I was a mentor on a team for many years. See https://www.firstinspires.org/. There are other programs for younger kids. Become a mentor. You do not have be an engineer to help. Support your team.