Being ‘bad at math’ is a pervasive concept. Can it be banished from schools? [Video]

Math education leaders have long said children should not be labeled “bad at math,” even if they struggle mightily with the subject.

Such a classification is racist, sexist, classist, inaccurate, and—worst of all, they say—lasting. Many Americans who absorbed such messages in their youth continue to define themselves this way decades later, The 74 reports. 

And they pass along those insecurities to their children, as if math competency is an innate trait and not a learned skill. This sort of old-school thinking has, for generations, sidelined students of all types, including girls, racial minorities, and those who come from impoverished communities, math equity advocates say. Pushed away from STEM at an early age, they learn to count themselves out of lucrative opportunities. 

“The highest point that they can reach is drastically diminished if they are put on these lower tracks,” said Marian Dingle, a veteran teacher and head of TODOS: Mathematics for All…