Pittsburgh schools earmark $52,000 to address racism in math

(The Center Square) - The School District of Pittsburgh will hire a consultant to put on a series of virtual workshops addressing racism in math.

The district is paying $52,000 to Nth Education Partners for a series of eight, two-hour long virtual workshops where “participants will reflect on the instruction and pedagogy that supports schools in moving toward justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in math classrooms,” according to the district.

Nth Education Partners website states it is “Disrupting Injustice In Math Education.”

It has published a guide named, “Racism In Mathematics Education - A Guide to Understanding the Invisible Structures Impacting Students”

“At its core, racism is a combination of beliefs and actions that assign inherent worthiness, dignity, or humanity based on the color of one's skin. In the United States, this belief permeates every aspect of society, often being violently enforced. Mathematics education is no exception,” the guide states. “Many believe the myth that math is the most neutral or unbiased subject. This misconception often leads to confusion about how racism, oppression, or social justice is relevant to the field of mathematics. Our objective here is to reveal the invisible structures and norms that uphold systems of oppression in mathematics education and make them visible.”

Some of the examples cited of racism in math included:

“Administrators or teachers being surprised by a mathematically high-achieving Black student but expectant of a high-achieving Asian American or white student.”

“Teachers praising Black or Latine students for low level contributions involving arithmetic.”

“Black teachers receiving class assignments for remedial or early high school mathematics while advanced placement or honors level math classes are taught by white teachers because they are believed to be more naturally competent.”

“Tracking students by honors and regular levels that are often more indicative of race (e.g. A.P. Calculus classes are majority Asian or white students).”

“Mathematicians recognized in textbooks (or Google) are exclusively white and male, despite important mathematical contributions from many mathematicians of color.”

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has also taken up the issue of racism in math.

“We as mathematics educators have a responsibility to engage in anti-racist and trauma-informed education to support each and every student and teacher of mathematics,” The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics stated in 2022. “As NCTM has stated, ‘Anti-racist and trauma-informed education not only raises our awareness of racism and trauma experienced by Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and all marginalized peoples, but it also recognizes that we must be purposeful in addressing racism and trauma.’”

Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, said the district spends $36,000 per student a year and has low test scores in math.

In the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) exams which are given to third and eighth graders. In 2023, 60% of the third graders and 82% of the eighth graders were not proficient in math.

“The district is lighting taxpayer dollars on fire and shifting the blame for their own failures away from themselves,” DeAngelis said in an email to The Center Square. “They should spend that money on actually teaching children to do math instead of perpetuating a narrative that sets them up for more failure.”

Pittsburgh Public Schools did not respond to an email seeking comment.