Missouri school district adding 'they/them pronouns' to math curriculum to limit 'bias'
WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. (CITC) — A Missouri public school district is updating its K-12 math curriculum to include "they/them pronouns" in an effort to ensure the subject is "objective and free of bias."
The plan stems from an evaluation of the Webster Groves School District's (WGSD) entire math program conducted this year. It was presented to the school board last Thursday by Susan Bergman, WGSD's K-12 math curriculum coordinator.
"A persistent myth within math education is that since 'numbers are universal,' math classrooms are objective and free of bias," the presentation reads. "Research shows clearly that any space where learning occurs is neither free of bias nor resistant to oppressive systems such as racism, sexism, classism or xenophobia."
Bergman is recommending that WGSD begin to include "they/them pronouns" in its math assignments. She stressed to board members that not only will this approach help students develop their "mathematical identities," but it will encourage them to "see the beauty, joy, and connectedness of mathematics as a way to see, make sense of and change our world."
Bergman says the recommendations are fueled in part by survey data from 2,132 students and 28 parents.
"Scholars have demonstrated the ways that mathematics socialization and mathematics identity development are critical aspects to the learning and participation of students, particularly Black students," the presentation reads.
WGSD is not the first school district to prioritize inclusivity in its subjects. However, while Bergman's earned unanimous approval, other approaches have not been as well received.
School board members in Loudoun County, Virginia recently clashed over teaching social-emotional learning. While some feel it teaches students how to show empathy, others believe it wrongfully brings political matters into classrooms.
"Why would we teach that to our children? That is dividing them," Loudoun County Public Schools school board member Tiffany Polifko told WJLA last month. "It is poisonous, and it is not something that we should be funding and it is not something that we should be teaching our students.”
Similar concerns are shared in California, where parents in theCarlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) are opposing statewide guidelines to challenge "racist" beliefs and "build new possibilities for a post-racist, post-systemic-racism society."
"In teaching them not to hate, you're actually teaching them to be hateful towards people, and it's very terrifying because we're indoctrinating children into something that the next generations coming forward are going to be totally brainwashed," a local mom told the CUSD school board last month. "They're going to feel like they are either oppressed or they're oppressing somebody else, and it's totally bogus because that's not something we should be teaching children."
WGSD will implement its new plan gradually over the next two years, with district officials closely monitoring its success afterwards.
In a statement to Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) WGSD said its "desired outcome" is for "students to feel that math is approachable and accessible so they can develop a stronger appreciation for the subject."
"By incorporating inclusive pronouns in math word problems, we acknowledge and celebrate the gender identities of all students, creating a safe and welcoming learning environment," the district told CITC. "Inclusive language is a small but powerful step towards creating a more inclusive and equitable school district, where all students can thrive and succeed."
The district also noted that a "board of education policy" stipulates "multiple programs and curricular areas take part in review" during the school year.