Texas Board of Ed sets textbook standards - conservative ones. Libs wring hands

[Fatman]

I'm providing two articles for comparison. Note the first one just bemoans the injustice, the second one gives more reasons for the decisions. And for good measure, I'm including a snippet from the NY Times, just to show how far their standards have fallen. See if you can find the error. The tone of the NY Times article was leaning a little left, but certainly not as bad as this first one:

Texas ed board vote reflects far-right influences
By APRIL CASTRO, Associated Press Writer April Castro, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 12, 11:41 pm ET

AUSTIN, Texas – A far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded Friday in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics lessons that will be taught to millions of students for the next decade.

Teachers in Texas will be required to cover the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers, but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the separation of church and state. Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

"We have been about conservatism versus liberalism," said Democrat Mavis Knight of Dallas, explaining her vote against the standards. "We have manipulated strands to insert what we want it to be in the document, regardless as to whether or not it's appropriate."

Following three days of impassioned and acrimonious debate, the board gave preliminary approval to the new standards with a 10-5 party line vote. A final vote is expected in May, after a public comment period that could produce additional amendments and arguments.

Decisions by the board — made up of lawyers, a dentist and a weekly newspaper publisher among others — can affect textbook content nationwide because Texas is one of publishers' biggest clients.

Ultraconservatives wielded their power over hundreds of subjects this week, introducing and rejecting amendments on everything from the civil rights movement to global politics. Hostilities flared and prompted a walkout Thursday by one of the board's most prominent Democrats, Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi, who accused her colleagues of "whitewashing" curriculum standards.

By late Thursday night, three other Democrats seemed to sense their futility and left, leaving Republicans to easily push through amendments heralding "American exceptionalism" and the U.S. free enterprise system, suggesting it thrives best absent excessive government intervention.

"Some board members themselves acknowledged this morning that the process for revising curriculum standards in Texas is seriously broken, with politics and personal agendas dominating just about every decision," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates for religious freedom.

Republican Terri Leo, a member of the powerful Christian conservative voting bloc, called the standards "world class" and "exceptional."

Board members argued about the classification of historic periods (still B.C. and A.D., rather than B.C.E. and C.E.); whether students should be required to explain the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its impact on global politics (they will); and whether former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir should be required learning (she will).

In addition to learning the Bill of Rights, the board specified a reference to the Second Amendment right to bear arms in a section about citizenship in a U.S. government class.

Conservatives beat back multiple attempts to include hip-hop as an example of a significant cultural movement.

Numerous attempts to add the names or references to important Hispanics throughout history also were denied, inducing one amendment that would specify that Tejanos died at the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Another amendment deleted a requirement that sociology students "explain how institutional racism is evident in American society."

Democrats did score a victory by deleting a portion of an amendment by Republican Don McLeroy suggesting that the civil rights movement led to "unrealistic expectations for equal outcomes."

Fort Worth Republican Pat Hardy, a longtime teacher, voted for the new standards, but said she wished the board could work with a more cooperative spirit.

"What we've done is we've taken a document that by nature is too long to begin with and then we've lengthened it some more," Hardy said, shortly after the vote. "Those long lists of names that we've put in there ... it's just too long.

"I just think we failed to keep that in mind, it's hard for teachers to get through it all."

Texas School Board's Vote Could Make Nation's History Textbooks more Conservative

March 12, 2010
Terrence Stutz

AUSTIN, Texas – In a move that is expected to inject more conservative-friendly language in school textbooks across the nation, the Texas Board of Education passed new curriculum standards for U.S. history and other social studies courses Friday.

The board's influence extends beyond the state because Texas is the one of the largest purchasers of school textbooks in the United States, The New York Times reports.

The tentatively approved curriculum would, among other things, question the assumption that the Founding Father's wanted a secular government and tout the superiority of American capitalism. The board also consistently voted down attempts to include more references to Hispanic role models in American history.

The vote came after three days of intense debate, with a final skirmish over how to teach the Battle of the Alamo.

Board members tentatively approved the new standards 11-4 after three fractious days of debate that touched on civil rights, religion, politics, music and a host of other topics that will be covered in the new requirements for classroom instruction and textbooks.

Four of the five minority members on the board opposed the long list of standards, citing in particular the inadequate coverage of blacks and Hispanics in U.S. and Texas history.

All 10 Republicans and one Democrat, Rene Nunez of El Paso, voted in favor of the proposal.

"I cannot go back to my community and say I participated in perpetrating this fraud on the students of this state," said board member Mavis Knight, D-Dallas, one of the four negative votes.

Knight charged that some board members - primarily social conservatives - "manipulated" the process to insert their own political and religious views into the document, "whether or not it was appropriate."

On the other side, board member Terri Leo, R-Spring, called the standards a "world class document" that will stand out across the nation.

She also took exception to complaints by minority members, saying the board "has included more minorities among the historical figures than ever before" in the standards.

Before the final vote, board members clashed over an amendment to include in the history standards a requirement that students learn about the Tejanos who died in the Battle of the Alamo.

"These people fought alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie," said Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi. "They were there, yet we have ignored their names for a long time in our textbooks and schools.

"They deserve their place in history."

Pat Hardy, R-Fort Worth, questioned the need for the requirement, noting that no Hispanics were considered leaders at the Alamo.

"They were just among the other people who died at the Alamo. It would be awkward to say that teachers and students should identify people who died at the Alamo," she said.

That drew a quick retort from Berlanga: "What did James Bowie and Davy Crockett do that the Tejanos did not do?

"This is a disservice to the Hispanics who fought alongside the others at the Alamo, those who have long been recognized in our history."

In the end, Berlanga's amendment was killed, and the board instead required students be taught "about the 189 heroes who gave their lives" in the famous battle.

Minority board members also attempted to add hip-hop music to a list of musical and cultural movements that have influenced U.S. history - but that motion failed by one vote.

Opponents cited the often graphic lyrics in hip-hop as making it inappropriate for Texas students.

A final public hearing and board vote on the social studies standards will occur in May.

Curriculum standards adopted by the board will remain in place for the next decade, dictating what is taught in all Texas schools and providing the basis for future textbooks and achievement tests.

Texas standards often wind up being taught in other states because national publishers tailor their materials to Texas, one of the biggest textbook publishers in the nation.


Source: (c) 2010, The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.

From NYT (A version of this article appeared in print on March 13, 2010, on page A10 of the New York edition) Spot the error? 5th grade lesson...

In recent years, board members have been locked in an ideological battle between a bloc of conservatives who question Darwin’s theory of evolution and believe the Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles, and a handful of Democrats and moderate Republicans who have fought to preserve the teaching of Darwinism and the separation of church and state.

Since January, Republicans on the board have passed more than 100 amendments to the 120-page curriculum standards affecting history, sociology and economics courses from elementary to high school. The standards were proposed by a panel of teachers.

“We are adding balance,” said Dr. Don McLeroy, the leader of the conservative faction on the board, after the vote. “History has already been skewed. Academia is skewed too far to the left.”

Full NY Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html

[twyacht]

Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

Wow, wouldn't want students to get taught that.

leaving Republicans to easily push through amendments heralding "American exceptionalism" and the U.S. free enterprise system, suggesting it thrives best absent excessive government intervention.

Oh, the horror!!!

Conservatives beat back multiple attempts to include hip-hop as an example of a significant cultural movement.

Huh? Still shaking my head on that one....

In addition to learning the Bill of Rights, the board specified a reference to the Second Amendment right to bear arms in a section about citizenship in a U.S. government class.

Can't have young minds learning about THEIR Rights.....That many gave their lives, and fortunes for..

***next article***

Four of the five minority members on the board opposed the long list of standards, citing in particular the inadequate coverage of blacks and Hispanics in U.S. and Texas history.

Wasn't Feb. Black History Month??? I'm still waiting for White History Month,...

Minority board members also attempted to add hip-hop music to a list of musical and cultural movements that have influenced U.S. history - but that motion failed by one vote.

How about the significance of Our National Anthem, or the 1812 Overture???

Texas "squeaked" out with this one, but some of the news reports I heard, and my own 14 year old son, (turns 15 on Fri), school books, especially history, is SHAMEFUL.

They covered WWII in 4 DAYS!! , Civil War covered in the same time. , Labor Unions and their creation, a week, Civil Rights Movement, a week or more. Didn't even cover WWI, Skimmed over Korea and Vietnam in one class, JFK and Lincoln were shot, covered in a class session,.....

BUT WE NEED TO INCLUDE HIP-HOP??

I have to stop and go pull weeds or something, this is another reason why this country is at the brink...

[Rastus]

It's good to have conservative rep in Texas, but as a point it would be better to have local schools make the decisions....not states and not "The State". 

[tombogan03884]

 I am glad to see some of the most egregious distortions corrected, but I agree with Rastus, the school system should be controlled at the county level.

[twyacht]

Sadly it has become the corporate bottom line of publishers, and editors, to get books through. Texas is a large publishing state, that many other states, follow.

The counties that, I agree, should set curriculum course study, are out gunned by the almighty dollar. Additionally, although Texas and other states may be Conservative, the local municipalities, etc,... are very liberal.

Florida is a prime example.

I have a 1912 school book of "Our Country", It is written at a college level of vocabulary, but was issued to grade school kids.

Sadly, most middle school, and high school kids would have to get out their IPhone Webster app. to comprehend God's English, used in this book.

Jay Leno's man on the street inrweviews, at college universities, asking 8th grade Civics questions, are consistently answered wrong.

Like who is the Sec. Of State, name one SCOTUS Justice, Who was POTUS during the Civil War, etc,....

Sad....

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