The Matt Walsh Show

Episode 1733 – San Francisco BANNED "Racist" Algebra A Decade Ago. The Results Are Now In.
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Matt Walsh

Overview of the Episode

Matt Walsh’s episode centers on the failing state of the U.S. public education system, with a specific focus on how "woke" educational reforms—such as the removal of traditional math standards in San Francisco—have led to declining student performance. The episode also highlights a surprising “Mississippi Miracle,” where traditional methods yielded dramatic academic improvement, challenging progressive orthodoxy. Matt additionally covers recent news: a trans-identifying mass shooter in Canada, concerns about AI-induced job loss, the New York Times reevaluating its stance on marijuana legalization, and a digression on the recent Olympics and athlete activism.

Tone: Fiercely critical, sarcastic, and unapologetically combative towards progressive education, left-wing media, and “woke” initiatives, while cautiously hopeful regarding proven academic reforms in conservative-leaning states.

Key Points & Breakdown

1. Crisis in U.S. Public Schools

[00:00–07:00]

• Matt laments the recurring theme of American public school decline: abysmal proficiency rates, rampant absenteeism, rising violence, and a lack of accountability.
• Criticizes the reaction to failure: “We spend nearly a trillion dollars… and the results are objectively terrible.”
• Specific examples of decay include:
  • Only one-third of 12th graders are proficient in English, math “numbers are even worse.”
  • High rates of sexual misconduct by school employees.
  • Lack of student discipline and failure to report school violence.

Memorable Quote:
“We spend nearly a trillion dollars on our public school system every year. A trillion dollars. And the results are objectively terrible.” — Matt Walsh, [01:04]

2. San Francisco as a Case Study in “Woke” Education

[07:00–09:59]

• Walsh describes how, around a decade ago, San Francisco led efforts to:
  • Remove the Algebra requirement for 8th graders.
  • Stop failing students—allowing grade advancement regardless of achievement.
  • Turn grading and curriculum into “an exercise in racial equity.”
• Plays audio clips from news reports summarizing the push for social justice-oriented math and grade reforms.
• Pushback from math/science educators who deemed the changes “an insult, immoral, and foolish.”
• Effect on publishers nationwide, given California’s size as a textbook market.

Memorable Quote:
“Mathematics should be about numbers and calculating and not about politics, not about political indoctrination, not about turning children into activists.” — Matt Walsh, [04:50]

3. Walsh’s Analysis: The Real Reasons for Reform

[10:00–14:18]

• Argues that changes were not truly to benefit minorities, but to hide:
  • The failure of the public system to educate kids despite massive funding.
  • The role of family instability and discipline in student underperformance.
• Criticizes underreporting of violence (especially black-on-white violence), arguing it's hidden by schools/media to avoid federal penalties or accusations of racism.
• Draws a parallel with a legal case of a black judge’s leniency towards a black rapist.
• Claims these policies turned schools into “indoor fight clubs.”

4. Dropping Standards, Plummeting Results

[14:18–17:50]

• Points out a domino effect of academic standards being lowered not just in San Francisco, but across blue (Democratic-led) states:
  • Cites Massachusetts, where test requirements were dropped and scores nose-dived:
    • “The portion of students meeting expectations fell from half before the pandemic to 42% now. The portion of students who failed rose from 11% to 18%.”
  • Blames DEI initiatives and education policies for these outcomes.

5. The Mississippi Miracle

[14:19–26:00]

• Contrasts the above with Mississippi’s surprising academic turnaround:
  • 4th-grade reading scores rose from 49th to 1st; math from last to 16th in a decade.
  • When adjusted for demographics, Mississippi became #1.
• Key policies:
  • Rigid literacy gate at 3rd grade: If students fail a reading fluency test, they're held back.
  • Return to phonics: Shift away from “context clues” to direct phonics-based reading instruction.
• Parents and students, despite socioeconomic challenges, rose to meet higher expectations.
• Holds up Mississippi as proof that accountability and traditional methods work.
• Notes left-wing pushback: Critics allege test score gains are statistical trickery (holding back low performers means they don’t test as 4th graders). Matt rebuts these claims with evidence and expert citations, emphasizing Mississippi’s improvement is real, if not perfect.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Mississippi has struck one of the biggest blows against the leftist project in the past decade.” — Matt Walsh, [24:50]
• “It came about because the state of Mississippi recognized that everyone, including children, respond to incentives.” — Matt Walsh, [25:45]

6. Broader Implications and Takeaways

[25:45–27:08]

• Similar gains are spreading:
  • Louisiana: from 50th to 16th in 4th-grade reading since 2019.
  • Alabama: from 49th to 34th.
• Concludes traditional discipline and standards—not “equity” experiments—are the path to educational improvement.
• Asserts that some on the left want dysfunction in schools to maintain control.

7. Other Headlines Covered

(Brief recaps; deeper discussion of the Mississippi case is the show’s core.)

a. Trans Mass Shooter in Canada

[26:00–30:12]

• Reports and criticizes media/gov’t avoidance of gendered terms ("gun person") in describing a mass school shooting by a trans individual.
• Argues trans identity and its supposed "divorce from reality" correlates with high rates of violence.
• Promises further coverage in tomorrow’s episode.

b. AI & Job Loss Warning

[46:45–55:50]

• Discusses viral post by Matt Shumer ("Something Big is Happening") warning millions of jobs will soon be lost to AI.
• “We are basically in February of 2020,” with AI being the next civilization-altering pandemic.
• Shares personal experiments with AI understanding complex documents and creative works, expressing alarm at how closely AI mimics real understanding.
• Poses a dystopian scenario: “What if AI just takes over all the things that humans do… there are no jobs that we need to do anymore?”

Memorable Quote:
“I do believe that AI is a civilization level threat, probably unlike anything we've ever seen before.” — Matt Walsh, [50:45]

c. Marijuana Legalization—New York Times Walks It Back

[33:27–46:44]

• NYT editorial board admits previous pro-legalization position underestimated downsides—addiction, psychosis, increased usage, and health impacts.
• Walsh admits he was once in favor but has reversed his view; presents data linking marijuana to mental health issues, especially psychosis.
• Criticizes “religious faith” in marijuana’s harmlessness among users/advocates.

Memorable Quotes:

• “This is something that's been demonstrated scientifically many times. I mean, it's real. It just is.” — Matt Walsh, [40:29]
• “Marijuana users have this… religious faith in the substance.” — Matt Walsh, [43:11]

d. Olympic Activism and Curling Rant

[59:30–End]

• Criticizes U.S. Olympic curler for airing political grievances on the world stage, especially over police action in Minnesota.
• Lampoons curling as a "bar game" that shouldn’t be an Olympic sport, delivering a comedic, sarcastic riff on what constitutes “real” sports.
• General Rule: “If middle aged men with beer bellies can play at the highest level, it’s not a sport.”

Memorable Quote:
"If I as a 39-year-old man am not too old to take up your sport today and play it competitively, then it’s not a sport and it should not be in the Olympics.” — Matt Walsh, [61:55]

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “We spend nearly a trillion dollars on our public school system every year. A trillion dollars. And the results are objectively terrible.” — [01:04]
• “Mathematics should be about numbers and calculating and not about politics, not about political indoctrination, not about turning children into activists.” — [04:50]
• “Mississippi has struck one of the biggest blows against the leftist project in the past decade.” — [24:50]
• “I do believe that AI is a civilization level threat, probably unlike anything we've ever seen before.” — [50:45]
• "If I as a 39-year-old man am not too old to take up your sport today and play it competitively, then it’s not a sport and it should not be in the Olympics.” — [61:55]

Key Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | Description | |---------|-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | U.S. School Decline Overview | 00:00–07:00 | Setting the stage with public school crisis stats | | San Francisco Math & Equity Reforms | 07:00–09:59 | California's “woke” curriculum—and national impact | | Root Causes & Data Disguising | 10:00–14:18 | Hidden causes, violence, media blackout | | National Trends (Massachusetts, etc.)| 14:19–17:50 | Falling scores after dropping standards | | “Mississippi Miracle” Deep-Dive | 14:19–26:00 | Detailed story of Mississippi’s reversal | | Trans Mass Shooter in Canada | 26:00–30:12 | On the tragedy & media/gov’t handling | | NYT Marijuana Legalization Reversal | 33:27–46:44 | Reviewing the NYT’s changed position, user backlash | | The AI "Civilization-Level" Threat | 46:45–55:50 | AI’s impact, Walsh’s personal tests/concerns | | Olympic Athlete Activism & Curling | 59:30–end | Critique of activism/sport in Olympic curling |

Overall Takeaways

• Lowering standards and prioritizing equity over achievement has coincided with plummeting academic results across “progressive” states.
• Mississippi’s reversion to stricter standards and phonics-based instruction—against the national consensus—produced dramatic gains, even for historically marginalized students.
• The education establishment and left-leaning academics have tried to discredit these results, but the weight of evidence supports that return-to-basics reforms work.
• Broader cultural crises—from AI to drug policy to activist athletes—are tied to a lack of accountability, realism, and prioritization of core values.

Episode in One Sentence:
Matt Walsh delivers a scathing takedown of progressive education policies, highlights the stunning academic turnaround in Mississippi driven by traditional methods and accountability, and warns listeners about looming AI threats, the dangers of legal marijuana, and political posturing in sports—all in his characteristically combative, sarcastic style.