The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Texas

[Cooter Brown]

Everyone should take notice, since most textbooks used around the country are heavily influenced by the State of Texas since they are one of the industry's largest customers...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124753078523935615.html#mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

Curriculum changes recommended by reviewers appointed by social conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education:

* Replace Thurgood Marshall with Harriet Tubman or Sam Houston. In first grade, students are expected to study the contributions of Americans who have influenced the course of history. Rev. Peter Marshall, a reviewer, calls Thurgood Marshall -- who as a lawyer argued Brown v. Board of Education and later became the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court -- a weak example.

* Replace references to America's "democratic" values with "republican" values Reviewer David Barton suggests swapping out "republican" for "democratic" in teaching materials. As he explains: "We don't pledge allegiance to the flag and the democracy for which it stands

* Include more study of religious revival movements Evangelist Billy Graham should be included on a list of transformational leaders of the 20th century and students in fifth and eight grades should study the colonial-era religious revival known as the Great Awakening as a force "in shaping a national identity," suggests reviewer Daniel Dreisbach, a professor of public affairs at American University.

[Marlow]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

Curriculum changes recommended by reviewers appointed by social conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education:

But if we adopt those recommendations, students will turn out as STUPID as the people who proposed them.

[paulthefan]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

Curriculum changes recommended by reviewers appointed by social conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education:

But if we adopt those recommendations, students will turn out as STUPID as the people who proposed them.

are you suggesting that the present public school curriculum is producing brilliant kids

[Daisy]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

are you suggesting that the present public school curriculum is producing brilliant kids

I think Marlow was speaking in relative terms.

[lonewolf]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

[are you suggesting that the present public school curriculum is producing brilliant kids

I don't know why some public schools are so lousy or how to fix those that are. I am aghast when Leno does his Jaywalking and interviews History teachers who don't know who US enemies were in WWII...and that is one of the tougher questions these dolts cannot answer.
I don't know if public schools are producing brilliant kids or if they were already brilliant but not all public schools are bad.
Not to brag but.....Ok, to brag, I have had three children and three grandchildren attend/graduate public HS and State Universities. All apparently got pretty good educations. One JD, three MA, one MS, two summas and three magnas, six scholastic and two athletic scholarships, five into successful professional careers and one still in college closing in a BS summa.prep for MD.
Too early to tell about the four year old and eight year old.
Not that I am a proud dad/grandpa or anything.... but ,as Pego says, one of the few perks of reaching our age is we don't have to apologize anymore..

[Marlow]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

Not to brag but.....Ok, to brag, I have . . .

I would posit that has less to do with educational excellence and much more to do with genetics and parental nurturing, which when you think of it, is true in MOST circumstances. A 'common' public education (or even lack of one) won't prevent you from succeeding, and a prestigious private education doesn't guarantee it.

[SQUACKEE]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

Not to brag but.....Ok, to brag, I have . . .

I would posit that has less to do with educational excellence and much more to do with genetics and parental nurturing, which when you think of it, is true in MOST circumstances. A 'common' public education (or even lack of one) won't prevent you from succeeding, and a prestigious private education doesn't guarantee it.

I remember reading somewhere that a guy named Lincoln went to a one room school house with no computers!

[paulthefan]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

I would posit that has less to do with educational excellence and much more to do with genetics and parental nurturing, which when you think of it, is true in MOST circumstances. A 'common' public education (or even lack of one) won't prevent you from succeeding, and a prestigious private education doesn't guarantee it.

Exactly, and whether your textbook suggest Thurgood Marshall or Harriet Tubman is more essential, whether it suggests democratic values or principles of a republic are more essential, whether social/religious revivals are under appreciated or not makes not a dimes worth of difference. Let the locals choose their texts. In the end the local culture determines education outcome.

[bad hammy]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

A 'common' public education (or even lack of one) won't prevent you from succeeding, and a prestigious private education doesn't guarantee it.

You should know! :P

[SQUACKEE]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

A 'common' public education (or even lack of one) won't prevent you from succeeding, and a prestigious private education doesn't guarantee it.

You should know! :P

Bah da bing POW!

[Pego]

Let the locals choose their texts. In the end the local culture determines education outcome.

Are you seriously suggesting this? A leader of polygamist enclave in Utah will determine history texts, a schoolboard of a remote logging town will determine what is correct physics...? There should not be educational standards? If a few mothers decide there was no speciation, that should be taught as standard biology? You criticize status of the public education a few posts above and this is your solution?

[Marlow]

Re: The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History Classes in Tex

A 'common' public education (or even lack of one) won't prevent you from succeeding, and a prestigious private education doesn't guarantee it.

You should know! :P

yeah . . . sigh . . . I was gonna mention this guy I know - he went to one of the best HSs on the planet; one of the best universities on the planet; and ended up hanging around with teenagers and posting drivel on some internet site . . .

[Daisy]

You criticize status of the public education a few posts above and this is your solution?

Why are you rolling in the mud Pego?

[paulthefan]

Let the locals choose their texts. In the end the local culture determines education outcome.

Are you seriously suggesting this? A leader of polygamist enclave in Utah will determine history texts, a schoolboard of a remote logging town will determine what is correct physics...? There should not be educational standards? If a few mothers decide there was no speciation, that should be taught as standard biology? You criticize status of the public education a few posts above and this is your solution?

Pego, dont roll around in red herrings. Polygamy is against the law, a law that is enforced. We live in a republic where states can make laws to govern their teaching curriculum just as Texas has. If you want a Federal education standard like "no child left behind" it will be most successful if focused on the basics, reading, writing and arithmetic. Having national standards on whether Harriet Tubman and Billy Graham are well represented is a fools errand best left to Daisy and Cooter.

[Daisy]

Having national standards on whether Harriet Tubman and Billy Graham are well represented is a fools errand best left to Daisy and Cooter.

I just teach people to think, the content comes along for the ride.