Posted on 03/10/2010 5:30:05 AM PST by reaganaut1
Sixty percent (60%) of Americans with children in elementary or secondary school say most school textbooks are more concerned with presenting information in a politically correct manner than in accuracy.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 28% of adults with children in the schools disagree and think most textbooks are more concerned with accurately providing information.
Among all Americans, regardless of whether they have children in the schools or not, 27% say accuracy is paramount, while 55% disagree and believe most textbooks are more concerned about political correctness. Eighteen percent(18%) are undecided.
Thirty-one percent (31%) of adults say most school history textbooks portray American history accurately. But 43% say most U.S. history textbooks are not accurate, and another 26% are not sure.
Again, those with children currently in elementary or secondary school are even more skeptical. Just 28% think most school textbooks portray U.S. history accurately, while nearly half (49%) say they do not. Twenty-three percent (23%) aren’t sure.
In July 2008, 75% of Americans said they were proud of their country’s history. In late November of that year, 72% said Americans were too concerned about being politically correct.
When asked who should have the final say on what textbooks are used in the classroom, 34% of Americans say teachers, but 24% say parents should have the final say. Fifteen percent (15%) prefer giving the final say on textbooks to local government. Nine percent (9%) each designate federal and state governments as the final word.
Among those with children in the schools, 28% say teachers should have the final decision on textbooks, but just 21% say that decision should be made by parents.
(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...
Home school. There’s a reason God wants parents to teach their kids.
Liberals run the education system in America. The quality of education has been in in free-fall for decades while the cost escalates.
“34% of Americans say teachers, but 24% say parents should have the final say. Fifteen percent (15%) prefer giving the final say on textbooks to local government. Nine percent (9%) each designate federal and state governments as the final word.”
LOL. So 55% of people say would should spend more money on this drivel. The same people who think the point of education is to indoctrinate our kids think we should do more of it. Then there’s this stat 34%+15%+9% are basically saying the same people who think PC is the goal want the people who made that all happen to keep control. Conclusion, people are asleep.
Stop taking someone else’s money to educate your kids!
I read my kids textbooks cover-to-cover and correct any PC, lefty propaganda.
My husband does that in his classroom every year. I keep waiting for him to get reprimanded, but so far no one has complained. He teaches in the middle school, that might be why; no teenagers looking to prove their brilliance.
YES — HOMESCHOOL !!! IF YOU CAN, BY ALL MEANS DO. WITH HELP OF A FAMILY MEMBER, HOMESCHOOL CO-OP OR YOUR A LOCAL CHURCH, BY A STAY AT HOME MOM OR DAD, ..... BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE — A DECISION YOU WILL NEVER REGRET.
from a 24 year veteran, who is eternally thankful for that freedom,
Mrs. Esopman
“Thirty-one percent (31%) of adults say most school history textbooks portray American history accurately. But 43% say most U.S. history textbooks are not accurate, and another 26% are not sure.”
That’s pretty much the liberal/conservative/independent divide, isn’t it?
When we began homeschooling , some people in our community were very upset (spouse is a teacher). They called the administration seeing if it was legal, demanded a meeting with my husband, etc. During that informal meeting, they stated that NO ONE should be allowed to homeschool...it’s just weird and wrong. What made me giggle is that these very same people are extremely conservative and constantly rail against government intrusion in our lives. They fail to see the irony in this.
Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI
My second grader’s school district has adopted the “Everyday Mathematics” program shown in this video. It is as bad as the lady is saying, even at the second grade level. My wife with a Bachelors degree and good grades, has a very difficult time helping him with the homework, because quite frankly this crap is hard to understand. All those old algorithms you grew up with, are not taught. They are replaced by alternative ways of finding the answer, that may work fine for math geeks who are proficient already in the old ways – but tossing away the old tried and true way and replacing it is a mistake in monstrous proportions.
His school district use to be one of the best in the State, but it has moved way down the list. Many other districts are also now teaching this, and it’s because the state wide test is based on this math.
The results are starting to come in, and the kids are failing the state wide exam. So what do they do? Return to the older books that worked? Nope. They lower the bar on the math scores for a given time, having the math scores be a smaller percentage of the total grade.
I wish we could afford a private school, there are some good ones in our area, but its impossible. And as far as home schooling, one of us would have to quit our job, and that is a “no can do” . We do after-school him though with books recommended by fellow Freepers facing the same situation.
Michelle Malkin did a editorial on the “Every Day Mathematics”.
Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic
By Michelle Malkin
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/11/28/fuzzy-math-a-nationwide-epidemic/
“.. 28% of adults with children in the schools disagree and think most textbooks are more concerned with accurately providing information.”
That’s Obama’s base right there.
Political Correctness is by definition not Truth.
It’s amazing that school districts will continue with a failed curriculum even when they know it’s hurting their students. I wonder if they have to sign some kind of contract with the curriculum provider stating that they will use it for a certain period of time.
My sister-in-law is a science teacher (private school now) and developed math and science curricula for her county’s public schools. My niece’s public school then decided to use one of these crazy math programs and a group of parents could not talk the board out of it. It was an absolute disaster. Long story short, they pulled my niece out and put her in a Catholic school with a traditional math curriculum. Best thing they ever did for her because she was getting very annoyed by the whole thing.
I’m tired of hearing kids don’t do well because it’s always “the parents’ fault.”
Many public schools are just deadly for many reasons, one of which is poor choice of reading and math programs. It’s unfair to put kids through that, and I believe many discipline problems arise because of poor curriculum choices.
We don’t need “longer school days and longer school years.”
Garbage is garbage.
Even within the system, as a parent, by the time you "worked for change," your child would have still wasted YEARS, even if you were somewhat successful (or even wildly successful) at making a positive change. Children don't get their childhood back again.
Have you read John Taylor Gatto's brilliant book, "Weapons of Mass Instruction." That tells a dastardly story.
If your children must remain in the system, you have an even tougher job -- their ability to lead and think are at stake. Read the history of the public school system - look at its founders, Horace Mann and John Dewey, and their goals and vision (if you can stand to look at the horrid truth). They sought to raise humanist followers and consumers. If you children remain in the government schools, you have to keep on top of all their schoolwork and maintain your relationship with them, so that you can attempt to undo the damage, or prevent it, if you're able.
Check out any of the Moore's works about homeschooling; they tell of a aerospace engineer woman who literally gave up a promising career as a future astronaut, in order to homeschool her children. Seems like a fair trade to me -- humanity lost a potentially great astronaut, but those children gained a priceless thing - their mom.
And the AP is worried about the content that Christian textbook publisher provide for homeschoolers.
They had no business calling your school district. How would they like it if you called their employer to complain about something they did with their kids. Maybe you should try it.
Do you have a link, please?
Here is the link to the news article
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,588260,00.html
The FR post
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2465713/posts
Link to Apologia FB that has several interesting posts and a radio interview
http://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld?ref=search&sid=1284170144.2419864436..1#!/apologiaworld?ref=ts
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