The Smallest Minority is following a story about a school in Newton, Massachussetts which has been experiencing a precipitous decline in math scores in standardized testing since 2001. The school administrators claim to be mystified about why this is happening. He refers to this article which points out:

Between 1999 and 2001, under the direction of Superintendent Young and Assistant Superintendent Wyatt, the math curriculum was redesigned to emphasize “Newton’s commitment to active anti-racist education” for the elementary and middle schools. This meant that no longer were division, multiplication, fractions and decimals the first priority for teaching math. For that matter, the teaching of math was no longer the first priority for math teachers, as indicated by the new curriculum guidelines, called benchmarks, which function as the primary instructional guide for teaching math in the Newton Public Schools.

In 2001 Mr. Young, Mrs. Wyatt and an assortment of other well-paid school administrators, defined the new number-one priority for teaching mathematics, as documented in the curriculum benchmarks, “Respect for Human Differences - students will live out the system wide core of ‘Respect for Human Differences’ by demonstrating anti-racist/anti-bias behaviors.” It continues, “Students will: Consistently analyze their experiences and the curriculum for bias and discrimination; Take effective anti-bias action when bias or discrimination is identified; Work with people of different backgrounds and tell how the experience affected them; Demonstrate how their membership in different groups has advantages and disadvantages that affect how they see the world and the way they are perceived by others…” It goes on and on.

These are the most important priorities that the school department has determined for teaching math from grade one through eight, as documented in the Newton Public Schools Benchmarks.

Nowhere among the first priorities for the math curriculum guidelines is the actual teaching of math. That’s a distant second. To Superintendent Young and his School Committee, mathematical problem-solving is of secondary importance to anti-racist/anti-bias math.

If teaching mathematics is not the purpose of a mathematics class, then it should be blindingly obvious that the students won’t be learning mathematics! Apparently, the administrators have been closing their eyes to truth and logic — both of which were created by God — for so long that they have become blind to even the most basic of truths. The first chapter of Romans describes what happens when people reject God, especially in these two sections:

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,”

(Rom. 1:21-22, NASB)

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie,

(Rom. 1:25a, NASB)

The subtitle of the article on The Smallest Minority is, “May I Beat Them With a ClueBat™?” As Spock would say, “Indeed.”