The anti-CRT movement reaches math textbooks

Florida rejects 54 math books for critical race theory; Ukrainian defenders hold out in Mariupol.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Florida rejects math books for critical race theory

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

• On Friday the Florida Department of Education rejected 54 math textbooks evaluated for the next school year, claiming they taught critical race theory (CRT) and other “prohibited topics.” [Guardian / Oliver Laughland]
• The move was the latest in an ongoing national battle over schooling, and one that’s been particularly intense in Florida, whose House passed a bill in February making it easier to ban books. [Danielle J. Brown / Florida Phoenix]
• 41 percent of the 132 math books submitted by publishers failed to meet state standards or incorporated “prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including [CRT].” Most of the rejected books were for elementary students. [National Public Radio / Ayana Archie]
• Critical race theory is an advanced academic framework taught at the collegiate and graduate levels that investigates the ways in which racism is embedded in the US systems. Although K-12 schools don’t teach CRT, Florida lawmakers banned teaching it last year. [Washington Post / Valerie Strauss and Lindsey Bever]
• The Florida education department didn’t provide any examples of text containing objectionable material, prompting calls from Democrats and education officials to release the information. [Axios / Rebecca Falconer]
• More restrictions on what can be tough in Florida schools may be coming: Last month, lawmakers passed the Stop WOKE Act, limiting workplace or classroom teaching that makes a person feel responsible for historical injustices based on their identity. [USA Today / Melissa Pérez-Carrillo]

Ukrainian defenders hold out in Mariupol

• On Monday, Ukrainian defenders vowed to fight to the end in the southern city of Mariupol after refusing a Russian ultimatum to surrender. [CNN / Ivana Kottasová]
• Under brutal siege for weeks, the strategically important city is now almost entirely under Russian control. Only an estimated 500-800 Ukrainian troops in the city’s steelworks stand in Russia’s way. [BBC]
• According to the city council, at least 1,000 civilians are hiding underground in shelters beneath the steel factory amid fierce bombing. A Russian victory would give Moscow control of the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. [Reuters / Maria Starkova and Pavel Polityuk]
• Meanwhile, at least seven people were killed and 11 more injured in Russian rocket strikes on the western city of Lviv— the first wartime deaths in that town. [Washington Post / Hannah Allam, Annabelle Timsit, and David L. Stern]

On Monday, a federal judge in Florida struck down the mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes — potentially ending it. [New York Times /  Charlie Savage and Heather Murphy]

• Veteran hip-hop pioneer DJ Kay Slay, 55, died on Sunday after a long battle with Covid-19. [People / Nicholas Rice]
• On Friday, the Biden Administration announced it would resume selling oil and gas leases despite needing to reduce them to meet climate goals. [Axios / Ben Geman]
• Vice President Kamala Harris is on a Wordle streak — but her phone’s security keeps her from sharing her wins with anyone. [The Ringer / Claire McNear]

  Support our journalism

Reader contributions help keep newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work with a one-time gift today.

“[Gov. Ron DeSantis] has turned our classrooms into political battlefields and this is just the beginning.”

[Florida Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-FL) responds to rejected books / Twitter]

Michael Lewis on why Americans distrust experts

Sean Illing talks with writer Michael Lewis about why it is that Americans are so good at producing knowledge, but so bad at identifying and utilizing that knowledge — the central issue of the new season of his podcast "Against the Rules."

Read more from Vox

Who killed the expanded child tax credit?

How to handle a lopsided friendship

What if the future of work is exactly the same?

How to build a better battery

How to fight the affordable housing and climate crises at once

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.