Tennessee Education Department Defends Top Official Amid Conservative Criticism Over Math Instruction

The Tennessee Department of Education is defending a top official accused of advocating for the elimination of advanced math courses and believing that "math is racist."

After a conservative textbook commission member and conservative media expressed concerns about the department's new chief of preparation and performance, Rachael Maves, the department addressed a letter to lawmakers this week.



In an email obtained by The Tennessean, Charlie Bufalino, assistant commissioner of policy and legislative affairs for the department, told top lawmakers, "Rachael joined the Department because of her strong ideological alignment with the Administration's education priorities and her commitment to setting high educational standards for all students." "The headline that one of the [d]epartment's employees feels math is racist is completely false."