According to a California community college chancellor, the requirements of algebra are now a ‘civil rights issue‘.
Knowing this is being proposed somewhere in the liberal California fairy-tale state of make-believe should say everything we need to know. Sadly, this likely could gain traction because someone is crying about how math is somehow an issue of race.
That’s right… Math is racist.
loy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of California Community Colleges System, made the suggestion during a recent interview with National Public Radio, calling the requirement a “civil rights issue.” Specifically, Oakley said he wants to get rid of the requirement for any community college student who isn’t a STEM major, or focusing their studies in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
In the interview, Oakley said:
“This is also something that plagues all Americans, particularly low-income Americans. If you think about all the underemployed or unemployed Americans in this country who cannot connect to a job in this economy, which is unforgiving of those students who don’t have a credential, the biggest barrier for them is this algebra requirement. It’s what has kept them from achieving a credential.”
Set aside for a second that community colleges are usually stepping stones to a four-year college; instead, take a look at what was said. Take for instance these ‘low-income Americans’ in reference to how they are ‘underemployed or unemployed’. Oakley is saying that ‘the biggest barrier for them is this algebra requirement,’ and that it’s thee thing keeping them from advancing ahead.
Yeah, and? Seriously? Yeah, serious. If they suck at math, then yes, they probably won’t be qualified enough for that higher paying job. And, if they suck at math, well, then, take a hard look at who’s teaching them silly.
Math, much like facts, doesn’t have feelings.
That’s one of the main reasons for having smaller places of education like community colleges. They’re there for people to further their education. You know, in order to advance their careers and stuff.
Oakley continued:
“[S]ince the 1950s, we decided that the only measure of a student’s ability to reason or to do some sort of quantitative measure is algebra. What we’re saying is we want as rigorous a course as possible to determine a student’s ability to succeed, but it should be relevant to their course of study. There are other math courses that we could introduce that tell us a lot more about our students.”
Like, zoiks! What other kinds of math courses? Statistics? Yeah, that’s easier! *shakes head no
What a student learns in algebra are the building blocks in order to be able to learn and understand higher-level math. You can’t take a statistics class and expect to succeed without first understanding simple algebra. You can’t expect to succeed in the real world, in those higher wage jobs without first understanding simple algebra. You can’t expect to do well at everyday things without having a grasp on basic algebra.
How will you be able to calculate how much of a discount you get during a sale at your favorite store?
How on earth would you be able to calculate how many cubic yards of compost are needed in order to be able to feed your 150% organic garden?
Again, you wouldn’t without a basic idea of algebra.
Now then. With all of that being said. Didn’t he say something about this being a ‘civil rights issue’?
Let’s define ‘civil rights’ first. Cornell Law’s Wex Legal Dictionary defines it as:
A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Various jurisdictions have enacted statutes to prevent discrimination based on a person’s race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual orientation.
Get it? Good. Now, how is algebra a civil rights issue? It’s NOT! Again, math, yeah, doesn’t have feelings. And it certainly doesn’t discriminate. It’s as easy as that.
Why lower the standard to make your numbers look good?
After all, this is just a game about numbers.