Gates Foundation donates $1B to prioritize math education

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ALEX DANIELS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday that it is making grants of more than a $1 billion as part of a sweeping national plan to improve math education over the next four years. Its goal: to help students succeed in school and land well-paying jobs when they graduate, given research that shows the connection between strong math skills and career success.

The foundation, which has long drawn controversy over its education work, said that to put more money into math, it will cut grants to other subjects like reading, writing, and the arts.

The increased focus on math comes after the pandemic “wreaked havoc” on learning in secondary schools, and widened gaps based on race in student performance, with math scores among Black students falling more sharply than declines among white students, according to Bob Hughes, director of the Gates Foundation’s elementary and education grant-making program.

The foundation made the switch because it sees better math instruction in earlier grades as a key to helping students succeed in school and beyond. Students who pass an introductory course on algebra by 9th grade are twice as likely to graduate from high school and go to college, Hughes said.



FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2019 photo, Bill and Melinda Gates pose for a photo in Kirkland, Wash. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 that it is making grants of more than a $1 billion as part of a sweeping national plan to improve math education over the next four years to help students land well-paying jobs when they graduate, given research that shows the connection between strong math skills and career success. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, file)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/science-business-education-race-and-ethnicity-philanthropy-977224c2817cbb5dfa867fb81c3daccd

[Red State Prisoner]

1. Well

This is great. However, I'd argue that we need to focus a bit more on the humanities. This fixation on STEM is creating a cold, calculating, and, dare I say it, inhumane generation of citizens.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. At the moment the priorities should be Civics and Critical Thinking. Note that math enhances the lat

Note: Learning as much mathematics and tech as you can enhances critical thinking like nothing else.

But

The triad of learning is Math, Music, and Language.

The Science of Patterns
The Art of Patterns
Communication by Patterns

There is so much synergy when children and adults tackle all three at the same time.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. The CONspiracy theories on the right paint Gates allied w WEF & Soros to depopulate the Earth

WEF = World Economic Forum

They think that Putin is fighting the "globohomo" Zelensky to protect christian values against the WEF/Soros/Gates who want to drasticly depopulate the world by killing 90% of humans.

Plus for some time, the Common Core curriculum Gates is behind is vilified as satanistic indoctrination into radical leftism and hastens the impending collapse of white european christian values and heritage which they equate with civilization.

[Maraya1969]

4. Learning math and being able to do complex problems really helps in a lot of ways

First just by being able to accomplish this is great for a child or anyone's self esteem and second, learning how to reason is one of the skills that our newest generations need. Especially when there is so much fake news around.

I think even the simple skill of "checking your work" to see if you made a mistake of an extra zero or that the answer just doesn't make sense is a great skill to use over your lifetime.

[Dorn]

5. Why not *TAX* non-degreed Bill and let education professionals decide?

Oh, I forgot -- if you have mony yu are jist mores smartly than so called expertes. Daah

[ruet]

6. How About He Just Keeps His Money...

and tells everyone to fuck off? Jeebus Christo, this place sometimes.

[Dorn]

10. "His" money, I guess that means screw me and help him

Sometimes I think many people believe they will become billionaires some day. I pay a higher percent tax than Bill so yeah let us screw me.

[melm00se]

7. Every academic group thinks that

their aspect of education is more important than others.

But, like many things in life, balance is what is important. A well balanced education is key.

As I have reminded students:

History, Language Arts and foreign languages are important not because you will sit around with your buddies and over a few beers talk about importance of the Roman arch and opus caementicium's impact. Nor will discussions like that put food on the table but they will sure as hell make them more interesting.

I mention the fact that everyone in my classroom knows someone who knows and talks about one thing and will bend all conversations back to that one thing.

When they nod and say yes, I ask is that someone with whom you want to spend a lot of time?

They shake their heads "no".

I then go on and tell them that folks in the business world don't want to spend a lot of times with people who only talk about business but those who can contribute more than just this quarter's financial results any more than you want to listen to someone discuss, for the 75th time, the latest and greatest cheat codes for Assassin's Creed.

[70sEraVet]

8. I applaud the Foundation for trying to bring our students out of the Educational Doldrums.

But as a nation, we still allow states like Texas to have their own f'd up textbooks, so they can raise a population of brainwashed ignoramuses (ignorami?)

[GreenWave]

9. Good thing I just changed my name to Prioritize Math Education.

I should be on Easy Street in no time.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Math is so last-century. AI means no more math except for geniuses

The rest of us can sit and drink soda with fries and cheeseburgers all day because soon AI will cure cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease. A life of leisure awaits those born at the opportune time.

[turbinetree]

12. Well Gates that really nice but I think this country needs people in congress that are not fascist

that think Math, Science and anything else that comes out of a book they want to ban and burn....just ask the woman making millions called Mom's for Liberty what they think of your plan.....

[burrowowl]

13. Also he is a big supporter of Charter Schools

and is really against Public Education.
I don't like him for a multitude of reasons.

[turbinetree]

14. I agree ........and people put him on this educational pedestal all the time....

like he never went to a public school ........

[PlanetBev]

15. Math was my worst subject

But I made my way through life very well without it.
I’ve known plenty of idiots who excel in math.

How about prioritizing history and civics? Maybe we could save this country from going fascist.