Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Who Is Going To Step-up?


In California we have a plethora of Hispanic and Black politicians. In California, we also have a tsunami of educational deficiencies, meaning that a lot of California students go into high school not being able to read, write or do math at a level commensurate with being a freshman in high school. Keep in mind that falling behind starts a lot sooner than eighth grade, and it is cumulative. Falling behind in third grade leads to falling further behind in fourth grade, which leads to falling further behind in fifth grade, etc. In addition my teacher friends emphasize that Covid and online “Zoom school” has made things significantly worse.

How bad is it?

The following is from Lee Ohanian, California on Your Mind, 4/26/22:

“The average eighth-grade Hispanic or Black student in California demonstrates mathematical competency that is below the fourth-grade level and just slightly above the third-grade level. And if you are wondering about the level of mathematical understanding expected of a third-grade student, it includes being able to perform and memorize simple multiplication (e.g., 2 x 11 = 22), and understanding the relationship between fractions that have the number “one” in the numerator, as in knowing that 1/2 is bigger than 1/3.

This gross failure to educate our kids in mathematics, as well as in other technical and scientific fields, has been going on for decades.

Over the years, more kids fall behind, never catching up, and are doomed to an adult life with limited occupational choices, many of which pay poorly. No STEM careers, no finance careers, no accounting or auditing careers. No careers that require the ability to think logically and abstractly, both of which are by-products of mathematics training.”

My question is where are the Hispanic and Black politicians? Where are the Hispanic and Black op-Ed writers? Either they are not aware of what’s going on in the education of the children of their constituents and readers, or they know and don’t care. Hard to say which of these is worse, as both demonstrate incompetence. When will these state politicians and local columnists put on their big-boy/big-girl pants and act like responsible adults?

If past performance is indicative, the answer is that most Hispanic and Black children who live in California are doomed, because the Hispanic and Black politicians will not do what is right! They will not step-up!

4/29/22

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