A billionaire heiress, Liz Simons, who contributed $250,000 to a PAC supporting Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, is being connected to a movement advocating for ‘woke math’ in public schools. Critics claim the initiative, which blends social issues into math education, seeks to instill socialist values in children. The Heising-Simons Foundation, co-founded by Simons and her husband, Mark Heising, has provided $1.7 million to the Racial Justice in Early Mathematics (RJEM) Project at the Erikson Institute, aiming to address systemic racial inequities in education.
The project, established in December 2019 under the leadership of Dr. Jennifer McCray and Dr. Danny Bernard Martin, focuses on identifying racial injustices in early math education and fostering discussions about systemic racism. The Erikson Institute’s January 2023 press release highlighted the project’s objective to equip educators with practices that promote racial justice in classrooms. Simons’ foundation, which also promotes climate and clean energy initiatives, emphasizes its mission to enhance education for young learners and support human rights.
Mamdani’s recent victory in securing the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor has drawn attention. Despite his far-left policies, he has received support from prominent Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. However, other Democratic leaders, including Rep. Jerry Nadler and Sen. Chuck Schumer, have approached Mamdani’s candidacy with caution. The controversy surrounding the ‘woke math’ program has sparked debate, with critics questioning its effectiveness and intentions in shaping the next generation of leaders.
As the debate over education reform intensifies, the role of private philanthropy in shaping school curricula remains a point of contention. The involvement of wealthy donors like Simons underscores the broader implications of such initiatives on public education and ideological influence in classrooms. The response from the Heising-Simons Foundation and Mamdani’s campaign to these accusations remains pending, as the ongoing discourse continues to shape the debate over educational equity and ideological influence in public schools.