Woke Stanford 'math equity' professor under scrutiny for alleged 'reckless disregard of accuracy' in research

Stanford University is reviewing a recent complaint against math professor Jo Boaler, alleging she is guilty of “reckless disregard for accuracy” in her work. The school has not yet launched a formal investigation into the matter. 

The complaint, submitted on March 20, alleges that “Dr. Jo Boaler has engaged in reckless disregard for accuracy through citation misrepresentation.”

It additionally “asks that Stanford investigate, and if the allegations are confirmed, take appropriate disciplinary action” and provides “52 instances of alleged citation misrepresentation in Dr. Boaler’s work.”

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It alleges that Boaler has “demonstrated a pattern of ‘reckless disregard for accuracy,’ by engaging in multiple instances of citation misrepresentation,” which is defined as “misrepresenting the findings and/or methods of a cited reference.”

The complaint states that “Dr. Boaler’s work, containing these claims, is quite influential in math education — in California and nationwide. Boaler was recently cited as the third most influential education researcher in 2023,” and that “Dr. Boaler was one of the authors . . . of the recently adopted . . . California Math Curriculum Framework (CMF).”

“Dr. Boaler is considered to be the most frequently cited research author in the CMF,” it continues. 

“Dr. Boaler’s work, and the claims in her work, which has influenced the CMF, could, in turn, affect the math education of up to 6 million California k-12 public school students,” the complaint explains.

“[D]ue to the potential impact and influence Dr. Boaler may have upon the math education of CA K-12 public school students . . . it is imperative to investigate the allegations of citation misrepresentation in Dr. Boaler’s work,” the complaint continues.

A spokesperson for Stanford said that “Stanford takes such allegations seriously and considers them accordingly,” and that “[t]he first step is to determine if the matter is one properly resolved in scholarly debate rather than through a formal university process,” according to The Stanford Daily. 

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Boaler is a “math equity” advocate. Her work has allegedly influenced public schools in San Francisco to drop algebra as a requirement for middle school students, a decision that may have hurt students’ academic success.

Boaler also champions replacing Algebra II with data science for high school students as a way to achieve “equity.”

Campus Reform has contacted Stanford University and Professor Jo Boaler for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.