Jelani Nelson and Tom Loveless on the California Math Framework

09/20/23 • 50 min

On July 12th, the California State Board of Education adopted a new math framework that will affect the way math is taught for the nearly 6 million students in California’s public schools and has the potential to influence the way math is taught at the national level.

On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with two of the framework’s critics, Jelani Nelson and Tom Loveless, about the framework, its intellectual origins, what they think it gets wrong, whether it is equitable, and what it will mean for California's students.

Jelani Nelson is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley.

Tom Loveless is an education researcher and former senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Show Notes:

California Math Framework

California Adopts Controversial New Math Framework. Here’s What’s in It

California’s New Math Framework Doesn’t Add Up

Analysis and Critique of California Math Frameworks Revisions (CMF)

UC Berkeley, Stanford Professors Face Controversy, Debate State Math Curriculum

California Students Are Struggling in Math. Will Reforms Make the Problem Worse?

The Divider: Jo Boaler of Stanford Is Leading the Math-Instruction Revolution. Critics Say Her Claims Don’t Always Add Up.

Jelani Nelson is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley.

Tom Loveless is an education researcher and former senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Show Notes:

California Math Framework

California Adopts Controversial New Math Framework. Here’s What’s in It

California’s New Math Framework Doesn’t Add Up

Analysis and Critique of California Math Frameworks Revisions (CMF)

UC Berkeley, Stanford Professors Face Controversy, Debate State Math Curriculum

California Students Are Struggling in Math. Will Reforms Make the Problem Worse?

The Divider: Jo Boaler of Stanford Is Leading the Math-Instruction Revolution. Critics Say Her Claims Don’t Always Add Up.

Previous Episode

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On the latest episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Laura Meckler about her new book, Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity. Nat and Laura discuss integration, busing, and detracking; the Van Sweringen brothers; the limitations of good intentions; the internet's effect on journalism; the racial achievement gap; belonging; what it's like writing about your hometown; what history can teach us about education policy; and more.

Laura Meckler is a national education writer for The Washington Post.

Show Notes:

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