A billionaire heiress who recently gave a staggering $250,000 to a super PAC supporting socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani is also financing a nationwide push to overhaul how children learn math — and critics are calling it a dangerous experiment in political indoctrination.
Liz Simons, the daughter of late hedge fund titan Jim Simons, oversees the Heising-Simons Foundation, a philanthropic powerhouse with an endowment approaching $1 billion. In recent years, her foundation has directed millions into what supporters call “racial justice in math” and what opponents deride as “woke math.”
The approach seeks to weave social justice and equity concepts into math instruction, from highlighting income disparities in graphing lessons to using word problems that incorporate LGBTQ themes or racial inequality. While California and several progressive districts have embraced the curriculum, conservative states like Florida have outright banned it.
Simons’ Influence
The debate over woke math is colliding with the high-stakes New York City mayoral race. Mamdani, a democratic socialist and state assemblyman, has already pledged to halt charter school growth, expand universal pre-K, and eliminate selective middle school admissions — steps he says are meant to desegregate classrooms.
Though Mamdani has not directly addressed woke math on the campaign trail, Simons’ donation has fueled speculation that her educational agenda could shape his policies.
“This megadonor may impact his chancellor choice or NYC’s math curriculum,” warned Yiatin Chu of the Asian Wave Alliance. “Woke math lowers the bar without closing achievement gaps. We hope Mamdani doesn’t undo the progress we’ve made.”
Jean Hahn, a Queens parent, was blunter: “This teaches kids how to be political activists, not how to do math.”
A Growing Movement
Simons inherited billions after her father — the famed mathematician-turned-financier who built Renaissance Technologies — died in 2024 with an estimated fortune of $31 billion. Since then, she and her husband, Mark Heising, have expanded the reach of their foundation, targeting education reform as a priority.
Among the largest beneficiaries: the Racial Justice in Early Mathematics Project at Chicago’s Erikson Institute, which has received $1.7 million since 2023. In March, the group collected $800,000 to train teachers, develop lesson plans, and distribute toolkits focused on “racial justice in math.”
Other grants include:
- $900,000 for small teacher stipends to incorporate racial justice themes into early math.
- $665,000 to Arizona’s Illustrative Mathematics for diversity-driven lesson design.
- $630,000 to San Francisco’s Tandem Partners in Early Learning.
One Virginia program funded by Simons asked K–2 students to count book characters by race and chart the results. Critics argue the exercise reinforced identity politics more than math skills.
Academic Results in Question
Despite millions invested, evidence of success remains murky. A RealClearInvestigations review found “no credible research” proving that woke math improves outcomes. In fact, Virginia schools — where some of these programs were piloted — ranked last in math recovery nationwide between 2019 and 2024.
In Chicago, where Simons-backed initiatives have been most aggressive, less than 20% of public school students meet grade-level math standards.
“The gaps remain. Students of color are not catching up to their peers,” Chu said. “Lowering the bar only hurts them more.”
Political Fallout
For Mamdani, who has built his brand on railing against billionaires, Simons’ $250,000 donation presents a political paradox. On one hand, it turbocharges his campaign, giving him a financial edge in the crowded race. On the other, it ties him to a controversial educational philosophy that could spark backlash among New York parents already weary of failed reforms.
Mamdani’s campaign declined to comment on whether he supports woke math. Representatives for Simons also did not respond to inquiries.
Meanwhile, Mamdani’s opponents are seizing on the story. “It’s hypocrisy,” one rival strategist told The Post. “He says billionaires shouldn’t exist, then cashes a check from one who wants to rewrite our kids’ math books.”
As the November election nears, the issue threatens to become a flashpoint — not only about Mamdani’s vision for New York schools, but about whether woke math represents equity or indoctrination.
