In a high tech age that has seen the creation of artificial intelligence by computers, we are also seeing the creation of artificial stupidity by people who call themselves educators. —Thomas Sowell

Marta Shafferin, an English teacher at Oroville High School in California, exemplifies the misguided priorities plaguing modern education. She is another self-hating White liberal who believes that traditional academic standards—like math and proper English—are racist, and she refuses to teach her students accordingly.

Shafferin claims, "Public education is an institution that upholds lots of problematic systems in our society like White supremacy and misogyny and colonization." But what does math have to do with any of this?

Teachers like Shafferin contribute to the academic failure of many California students, particularly minorities, by rejecting objective standards and focusing on race-based grievances. Instead of addressing their own shortcomings, they deflect blame elsewhere.

She states, "I try to undermine that B.S. in my classroom as much as I can. These are all made-up rules. They're arbitrary. They were created by Westerners in power."

Academic Performance at Oroville High School

Oroville High School has 983 students, 58.4% non-White, in 2022. The school’s proficiency scores are abysmal: only 25% of students are proficient in math, 53% in reading, and 33% in science. Proficiency indicates passing; non-proficiency means failing. By this standard, most OHS students are failing, yet the school boasts a 94% graduation rate. This discrepancy reveals a stark truth: many California diplomas, including those from OHS, border on fraud. The consequences of this academic dishonesty become evident in college, where students are woefully unprepared for higher education demands.

Test Scores at Oroville High School 2022
U.S. News calculates these values for schools based on student performance on state-required tests and internationally available exams on college-level coursework (AP® and IB exams).
College Readiness Index: 9.6/100 | 58.4% non-White | 983 students | Graduation Rate: 94%
Subject School District State
Mathematics 25% 22% 30%
Reading 53% 55% 60%
Science 33% 27% 30%

Marta Shafferin’s Race-Centric Teaching Philosophy

A December 5, 2022, report from Fox News highlights Shafferin’s approach:

We study linguistics and the rules that we actually use to communicate instead of the made-up rules that White supremacy created for when we write papers and stuff, which is what scholars call the 'language of power.'

As an educator, I am constantly worried if I'm the problem. What do I mean by that? Well, public education is an institution that upholds lots of problematic systems in our society like White supremacy, and misogyny and colonization, etc. Well, let's look at how we write essays [where we] start with an introduction that includes a thesis, always cite your sources, use transition words like 'however’ and ‘therefore.' These are all made-up rules. They were created by Westerners in power. Which got me thinking, what if I started my school year with a unit honoring how we talk rather than teaching students how to write properly.

Shafferin’s rejection of fundamental skills leaves students unprepared, as evidenced by OHS’s low proficiency scores. Her focus on race over rigor mirrors a broader trend in California education—now they even want to remove math requirements for college degrees.

California’s Remedial Math Crisis

A PBS report by Hari Sreenivasan, titled "Many college students struggle to pass remedial math. Do they need to?" explores this issue:

Colleges created remedial education classes to ensure students were sufficiently prepared for more advanced material. But increasingly, there's a sense that remedial courses are hurting the prospects of the students they are intended to help. As a result, some California colleges and high schools are rethinking their approach to teaching math—with encouraging results.

The report notes that only one in four remedial math students passes after two years—a direct consequence of their non-proficient high school education. For minority students, the numbers are worse: only 2% of Latino students and 1% of Black students in low-level remedial classes pass college math within two years. One student complained that his inability to do math—stemming from a fraudulent high school diploma that ignored his lack of proficiency—prevented him from earning a business degree.

California legislators have passed laws requiring community colleges to offer alternatives to remedial classes, such as statistics courses. But as Sreenivasan observes, these alternatives often resemble "group therapy" to address students’ "phobias of math" rather than teaching actual skills:

Some parts of it almost seem like a bit of group therapy when you're trying to deal with their phobias of math... The intense scrutiny of remedial math in California colleges has led some high schools to rethink their math curriculum.

An example of this new approach involves students discussing topics like, "Are vegetarians more likely to drink water rather than juice?" instead of learning algebra or geometry. Daniel Gavrilovic, a teacher, explains:

What we see in traditional math, you know, draw X and Y, Y equals M, draw—what's the slope, what is the intercept of the Y-axis, right? So they have a visual for the function. Now, in this class is, you're doing the same thing, but now that data visualization actually has a story behind it. There's meaning behind the visuals.

Student Reagan Logan adds, "With the story, we can actually come up with things that we're interested in. So, you put your life into math, and make it better."

This approach is academic fraud. It prioritizes feelings over facts, cheating students—particularly unqualified minorities—out of a real education. If one cannot do the work, then no degree should be awarded.

With California’s statewide math proficiency at 30%, schools should focus on graduating students who meet rigorous standards, not indulging in race and gender ideology.

Marta Shafferin, a teacher at Oroville High School in California, known for her race-centric teaching approach.

Fig. 1: Marta Shafferin, a teacher at Oroville High School whose race-centric approach undermines academic standards.

These students deserve better. Two plus two still equals four, regardless of cultural narratives.

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