Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 07/18/2009 11:59:46 AM PDT by crazyhorse691
In ultra-green Portland, textbooks offer superficial take on global warming
While visiting Portland recently, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood proclaimed that "Portland is the green capital of our country." Well, maybe when it comes to streetcars and light rail, but not when it comes to the public school curriculum.
Today's most pressing environmental issue is climate change. James Hansen, chief climatologist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, warns of "a potential for explosive changes with effects that would be irreversible -- if we do not rapidly slow fossil fuel emissions over the next few decades." Climate change, noted environmental writer/activist Bill McKibben declares, is "the one overarching global civilizational challenge that humans have ever faced."
And yet the textbooks used in the Portland area -- texts that are playing a larger and larger role in the curriculum -- adopt a Rush Limbaugh-like skepticism toward global warming.
In Oregon, high school students take only one required class devoted to the state of the world: Global Studies. The textbook for this course in many area school districts -- Portland, Beaverton, Reynolds, Tigard-Tualatin, Sherwood, among others -- is "Modern World History," published by McDougal Littell, a subsidiary of the giant Houghton Mifflin. "Modern World History" buries its discussion of climate change on Page 679. The second of its puny three paragraphs devoted to the issue begins, "Not all scientists agree with the theory of the greenhouse effect."
This is simply false.
French mathematician and physicist Joseph Fourier discovered the "greenhouse effect" in 1824, and today no scientist disagrees with it. The textbook writers likely intended to say that not all scientists agree with the theory that the climate is changing as a result of human-created greenhouse gases. But even if we forgive the book's sloppy scholarship, why are Portland-area schools endorsing material that calls into question the human role in global warming?
The rest of the book's three paragraphs is little better. Acknowledging that the Earth's climate is "slowly warming," the Global Studies textbook tells students that, "To combat this problem, the industrialized nations have called for limits on the release of greenhouse gases. In the past, developed nations were the worst polluters." They still are. Per capita greenhouse gas emissions of the wealthy nations far exceed the emissions of any of the so-called developing countries. Instead, the textbook turns poor countries into eco-villains: "So far, developing countries have resisted strict limits."
Remember, this is not one of those tattered textbooks of yesteryear. This book is copyright 2007 and was adopted by Portland during Vicki Phillips' tenure as superintendent. (Portland purchased these books for all high schools, whether or not teachers wanted them.)
And it's not only social studies texts that adopt a ho-hum attitude about global warming. In the widely used Pearson/Prentice Hall textbook "Physical Science: Concepts in Action," high school students don't meet the concept of climate change until Page 782. The few paragraphs on the human causes of climate change are littered with doubt. The section begins: "Human activities may also change climate over time." May? And then in boldface as the key to the section: "One possible climate change is caused by the addition of carbon dioxide and certain other gases into the atmosphere."
Possible climate change? The text is thick with a mealy language of "might," "could" and "may": "Carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles, power plants, and other sources may contribute to global warming."
Last year, NASA's Hansen said the CEOs of large fossil fuel companies should be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature for spreading disinformation about climate change. Hansen said these distortions would end up in school textbooks. He could pay a visit to schools in the USA's supposed "green capital" to find evidence for his indictment.
What makes all this even more troubling is that increasingly school districts regard the textbooks not as curricular supplements but as the curriculum itself. In fact, after about 25 years as Global Studies, Portland administrators renamed the course Modern World History, adopting the exact name of the McDougal Littell textbook. And Portland Public Schools' Office of Teaching and Learning has announced the development of uniform course guides built around the textbooks, along with assessments to make sure that teachers toe the line.
Recently, I met with Portland's high school social studies specialist Rick La Greide to talk about what students should learn in Global Studies/Modern World History. La Greide showed me the list of "eligible content" for the course assessments -- i.e., material that might end up on districtwide tests for students. It's a laundry list that includes Social Development, Nationalism, the Industrial Revolution, the Chinese Revolution of 1911, the Mexican Revolution of 1911-17, World War I, the Russian Revolution of 1917, Nazism, the Holocaust, Japanese Expansion and Indigenous Populations, among other topics. Although the list includes a broad category called Physical Environment, there is no mention of arguably the most pressing issue of our time: global warming.
Because the school district plans to build a common teaching guide and "set of assessments" around this content, it will encourage a wide and shallow curriculum, one that seems designed to keep students away from urgent environmental concerns.
Fortunately, many teachers and schools have not waited for official approval to teach about climate issues. For example, last April, Sunnyside Environmental School, a public school in Southeast Portland, held a weeklong, schoolwide teach-in for its middle school students that featured speakers, discussions, a writing contest and a field trip to the Bagdad Theatre to watch the PBS "Nova" film "Extreme Ice."
And teachers at Franklin and Lincoln high schools, as well as LEP High (Leadership & Entrepreneurship) and Trillium charter schools have also taught innovative curriculum on the implications of our warming planet -- highlighting the stark inequality that those who are most immediately at risk from climate change are the least responsible for its causes.
But this important teaching takes place in spite of, not aided by, school district leaders. How can this change? Individual teachers will continue to create imaginative and relevant curriculum in their own classrooms, but teachers alone cannot transform the curriculum. This will require parents and activists demanding that children encounter lessons on today's environmental challenges -- especially climate change -- that go well beyond the biased and simple-minded descriptions in district-adopted textbooks. And while we're at it, let's find alternatives to these Exxon-friendly materials.
We can't count on multinational curriculum corporations like Houghton Mifflin to provide educators with cutting-edge resources about issues that matter. School districts need to abandon the top-down, textbook-as-truth model of curriculum development in favor of creative grass-roots efforts like those piloted at Sunnyside Environmental School. As the bumper sticker says: Think Globally, Act Locally.
The climate activists of tomorrow are in school today. If Portland is, in fact, to become the green capital of the country, all of us need to pay more attention to what's going on in our classrooms.
Bill Bigelow began teaching high school social studies in Portland in 1978. He is the curriculum editor of Rethinking Schools magazine and can be reached at bbpdx@aol.com.
The textbooks take on global warming are much more grounded in reality than the author of this article. A few mistatements, but far better than what the hysteria that Bill thinks should be in them.
Marxism is our nation's most serious threat. Government K-12 schools are the Marxists’ **most** powerful weapon against the United States.
So....Is reforming the government K-12 schools the answer? NO! NO! NO!
Government K-12 schools must be abolished!
It is impossible to reform socialism. Government schools were a socialist scheme from their beginning in the mid-19th century to produce compliant workers for the fascist state. They are succeeding admirably in that goal.
Conservatives! If you are serious about saving our nation, we **must** set up a system of tuition-free, private, conservative schools, so that every child in this nation can have access to a conservative education. And...We MUST SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT K-12 SCHOOLS. They are nothing more than Marxist indoctrination camps!
Sure,that’s what we need, science texts based on bumper stickers arguments.
Possible climate change? The text is thick with a mealy language of "might," "could" and "may"...What's the beef? It sounds like they're quoting IPCC "science" or algore's bloviating.
Well, could it possibly be because of the massive amounts of scientific global warming hoax evidence?
LOL! I think this is really good news -- I would have expected Portland (and indeed Houghton Mifflin) to be on the cutting edge of political correctness . . . maybe the cutting edge is moving?
News flash to the author -- teachers do not choose el-hi books. Textbooks are selected by the powers that be on the state level; there may be one book or several approved, and school districts have to use approved books. To get on state approval lists is obviously important to educational publishers -- i.e., Houghton Mifflin wouldn't be doing this if there weren't a market in enough states.
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Ah, yes, a social studies teacher knows all about science. NOT! Has he ever had a private sector job, or has he been sucking at the Gubmint teat for 30+ years?
The "environmental science" currently taught in schools is left-wing propaganda.
“We MUST SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT K-12 SCHOOLS. They are nothing more than Marxist indoctrination camps!”
And that’s just a start. What about 95% of the universities, and all “journalism” schools? That’s when the Marxism REALLY gets going!
Couldn’t write the article without a gratuitous slap at Rush Limbaugh? Eff him!
*Andrew Freedman, an environmental journalist and columnist at the Washington Post, believes the American Meteorological Society erred in giving Hansen its 2009 Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal: “By citing his ‘clear communication of climate science in the public arena,’ they may have actually sanctioned his political advocacy. Such advocacy... threatens to paint the AMS as having a political agenda too.” Other AMS members have also criticized the award.
*Physicist Freeman Dyson is strongly critical of Hansen's climate-change activism. “The person who is really responsible for this overestimate of global warming is Jim Hansen. He consistently exaggerates all the dangers... Hansen has turned his science into ideology.”
*After Hansen's arrest in West Virginia, New York Times columnist Andrew Revkin wrote: “Dr. Hansen has pushed far beyond the boundaries of the conventional role of scientists, particularly government scientists, in the environmental policy debate.”
And also because Portland has 11.5% unemployment rate, together with the 12.2% rate.
However, a measure of the green envirowakos success can be seen in the 20% unemployment rate for Orogon loggers.
It’s like they stop pretending to be interested in objectivity. IF you assume global warming should be covered in Portland high schools, one would think the science of the process would be covered in the Earth Science classes.
“Global Students” is the term used today in schools in place of the more old school “history” and “geography” to reflect the fact that we’re now teaching the culture of the region that shaped the history.
From the perspective of teaching students about “global studies” the important point is that there IS debate over global warming. It doesn’t matter who will ultimately proved right. The important point is that the fact of there being a debate shapes the culture and progression of society.
"Barack!"
What about 95% of the universities, and all “journalism” schools? That’s when the Marxism REALLY gets going!
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If our nation’s college and university classrooms were filled to the brim with students who were well prepared to defend their faith and their nation’s founding principles, their Marxist professors would whither before their righteousness. The Marxist professors would be like the Wicked Witch of the West. “Help me! I’m melting!”
While I agree with you that our universities need reform, most of the emphasis should be placed on shutting down the government K-12 Marxist indoctrination camps and opening conservative ( Christian and non-Christian) private schools.
Yes,...Conservatives are fully capable of multi-tasking, and we should not neglect our colleges and universities. We should begin by pushing for privatization of our state colleges and universities. Conservatives should develop organizations that would credential people with rigorous exams so that students could spend the most minimum time necessary in college or on a campus. Students should be permitted to take these exams at any age. ( My own kids started college at the ages of 13, 12, and 13.) This would help reduce the number of people attending college.
Conservatives could also open new conservative colleges.
On the K-12 level:
Conservatives should start education foundations that would award grants to individual conservative teachers. The conservative teachers would open one-room schools, mini-schools, virtual schools, tutoring centers, and homeschool co-ops. All of these would be tuition-free. The foundations would certify the teacher, test the students, and approve the curriculum.
By doing this, conservatives would rob the government schools of the three things they need: students, state money that is attached to these students, and the votes of the parents ( family, friends, and neighbors, as well). The conservative foundations could also organize the parents into highly effective PACs that would work to shut down governemnt K-12 schooling. ( Look at the political effectiveness of homeschoolers.)
The brick and mortar concept should be abandoned. It is expensive, and with today’s technology highly inefficient and archaic. ( Again my homeschooled kids started college at 13, 12, and 13.) Also...Brick and mortar schools resemble prisons. Do conservatives really want students to learn how to be good prisoners of the state? I don’t think so.
Yes, it can be done! If Harvard ( just one college among many) has a 35 BILLION dollar endowment, surely conservatives could save our nation by endowing K-12 education.
Finally, forget churches!
There are too many government teachers, their families, and school vendors sitting in the pews. Few ministers have the testosterone to bite the hand that puts money in a collection plate.
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