The Mathematics of the Military and Military Recruitment

The New York Coalition of Radical Educators (NYCORE) has developed a series of lesson plans to teach young people about the military and military recruitment.   The Mathematics lessons from this collection can be accessed below.   Sources used and Standards consulted are contained within the Lesson Plans.

 Who Serves?   A Comparison of the Demographics Between the Military and the General Population Author: Jonathan Osler

This multi-step activity asks students to compare demographic data of people in the military with demographics of the Zip Code or State where they are from. The goal is to look for any disproportionate relationships within the data, and to discuss possible causes and consequences for the imbalances. There is a variety of math that can be used in this lesson, but the focus is on data analysis through mapping, graphing, and statistical computations.

>>> Click here to download lesson plans for “Who Serves…” <<<

————————————————————-The Cost of the War in Iraq. How Does it Affect My Community? Author: Kari Kokka

This series of lessons has students study the cost of the War in Iraq to understand the impact that it has had on them and their communities. Students also work to come up with alternative models for spending this money for things like fighting world hunger and AIDS, or hiring more teachers for their city.

>>> Click here to download lesson plans for “The Cost of War…” <<<

————————————————————————————————————–

DATA AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The official website of the Army’s Office of Demographics: Click here

Additional Datasets for download:

• Demographic Data from 1,824 Recruitment Stations throughout the U.S. Download
• Demographics of the Military and the General Population by Brooklyn, NY Zip Code Short Version  Detailed Version (all 5 boroughs)
• Demographics of the Military and the General Population by U.S. State Short Version Detailed Version
• College, Jobs, or the Military? Enlistment During Times of War. Download

Additional Resources for download:

• Iraq Casualty Report, June 3rd 2006. Download
• Department of Defense, Selected Manpower Statistics FY04. Download
• Military Race Data 2003. Download
• The Population Bureau’s “America’s Military Population.” Download
• The Conservative “Heritage Foundation” report on who serves in the Military. Click Here

Additional Blank Maps for download (You will need to load these pages and then save them to see the maps, or right-click and save them directly from here… Option+Click on a Mac)

• Blank map of New York City without Zip Codes or with Zip Codes
• Blank map of Brooklyn by Zip Code
• Blank map of the Bronx by Zip Code
• Blank map of Manhattan by Zip Code
• Blank map of Queens by Zip Code
• Blank map of the United State by State

(Thanks to Evan Osler for making the blank maps)

Sample Graphs and Maps

• Map comparing Military Recruits per 100,000 persons (2004) and percent people of color, by Brooklyn Zip Code
• Scatterplot Graph comparing the Percent People of Color among Military Recruits and the General Population by U.S. State
• Pie Graphs comparing Percent People of Color among the General Population, Military Personnel, and Military Recruits in New York State

Filed under: activism, Ballot issues, counter-recruiting, cynthia mckinney, Education, Global Warming, reform, social & economic justice, US Politics Tagged: | book of the month, Uncategorized