So what does the state plan to do about the sorry education results? As a way to increase proficiency in math, the state solons have cooked up a new framework that contends mathematics should be used to “both understand and impact the world.” It argues that math teachers should hold the political position that “mathematics plays a role in the power structures and privileges that exist within our society and can support action and positive change.”
Additionally, tracking students by ability, which has worked well for years, is out. Schools are now encouraged, but thankfully not required, to delay Algebra I until ninth grade – meaning that students would be unable to take Calculus as seniors without doubling up on math classes or taking extra classes during the summer.
Brian Conrad, a Stanford University professor taking issue with the new math framework, explains that the push for equity could backfire. “The experience of San Francisco, for example, shows that when you block eighth-grade Algebra one, which was done in the effort to help to improve the demographics and the high school success rates, in fact, it was a complete failure.”
Should you suffer from gender dysphoria – which the schools have done a masterful job of promulgating – Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bunch of bills that will ensure your distressed state will be honored. AB 5, the “Safe and Supportive Schools Act,” requires the implementation of new “LGBTQ cultural competency training” for teachers and school staff in California.
On a similar note, AB 223, the “Transgender Youth Privacy Act,” requires courts to seal any petition by minors to legally change their gender or sex identification in order to protect their privacy. Parent authorization is not needed to change the vital records of a minor.
In addition to the state screwing up kids, California cities have been stepping up and doing their share.
Los Angeles, where proficiency rates are 41.2% in English and 30.5% in math, devoted an entire week in October to celebrate “National Coming Out Day.” A “Week of Action Toolkit – Elementary,” sent from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education, outlines suggested lesson plans for elementary students around LGBTQ+ topics. It’s important to note that every second spent on this type of sexual engineering tripe is time when students could be learning their ABCs and 123s, which L.A. students desperately need.
Trying to keep up with L.A.’s race to the bottom, an Oakland elementary school hosted an official school event — a “BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Playdate” on August 26. The racially segregated event was purportedly done to “build and promote positive affinity spaces for students and families of color.” But, looking at the big picture, the kids from the so-called Bright Side of the Bay are even worse off than those in L.A. In Oakland, 67% of students don’t meet the standards in reading, and 75% are below grade level in math.
Needless to say, the teachers unions have been no help in improving the academic lives of students. The Oakland Education Association, when it isn’t consumed with protecting incompetent teachers, goes far-left political. The union released a statement in late October condemning the “75 year long illegal military occupation of Palestine” and accusing the Israeli government of creating an “apartheid state” and using “genocidal rhetoric and policies” against Palestinians.
In Fresno, recent contract negotiations saw the teachers union demand that high school parking lots be opened as campsites for homeless families. The union acknowledges the move would require “paid security” at a cost of at least $500,000, one of many expensive proposals union president Manuel Bonilla is pursuing in an attempt to address what he calls “societal things.” To be sure, the union is not interested in any “educational things.”
While the “lack of education funding” is always said to be the problem with illiterate and innumerate students, the Public Policy Institute of California reports that school spending per pupil is now roughly 65 percent higher than a decade ago in the Golden State. In 2021, the state allotted $22,684 per student compared to $14,245 in 2012–13. This amount doesn’t include federal monies, which brings the total to almost $24,000. So, a class of 25 students costs the taxpayers about $600,000. The only thing all that cash will improve is teachers’ salaries, as their unions have more fodder when asking for a raise when contract time rolls around.