Context and balance often found lacking [ More on the US Textbook Scandal ]

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | March, 28, 2004 | By George Archibald

[TaxRelief]

The latest editions of the most widely used social studies textbooks across the country are full of errors and politically correct bias, reviews show.

Publisher McDougal Littell's high school "World History: Patterns of Interaction" blames explorer Christopher Columbus for "the beginnings of an era of widespread cruelty and bloodshed" in the Americas, but fails to mention Aztec, Mayan and Toltec Indian practices of forced labor and cutting out hearts of opponents while they were still alive.

[TaxRelief]

They promise to correct their mistakes; They refuse to believe they are undermining the education of America's kids; They've repeatedly placated the press with their virtually useless "open-book initiative"; Too many undereducated teachers rely on textbooks that misinform and deconstruct.

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This passage from Glencoe's "Global Insights" actually celebrates communism in China and it's contribution to equal rights for women:

Under China’s 1950 constitution, the Communists introduced major changes for women. The constitution declared, "Women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of political, economic, cultural, social, and family life. Men and women enjoy equal pay for equal work."
br> China’s marriage law also gave women the right to own property and to keep their family name. Today, Chinese women have become more independent. Almost all women work outside the home, and many hold high-level jobs in the Communist party or as factory managers. The government has set up day-care centers and nurseries so that young mothers can be free to work outside the home. (While their children are brainwashed in a government institution.)

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Does anyone really wonder why the intellectualism (not intelligence) of some of America's young adults is at an all time low? Does anyone really wonder why a portion of the next generation has lost all fear of totalitarianism, socialism, fascism and communism?

Wisconsin Schools Review (Warning pdf file, worth downloading!)
Texas Public Policy Foundation Social Studies Textbook errors list Parent resource (excellent) pdf

[farmer18th]

HOMESCHOOL

[TaxRelief]

HOMESCHOOL

With which Social Studies textbooks at the High School level?

[LS]

SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! "A PATRIOT'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES" will be coming out in NOVEMBER from Penquin from yours truly and Michael Allen.

This is a one-volume, CONSERVATIVE (I'd say, "honest") U.S. history trade book that will double as a text (we wanted to avoid a "text" label for sales reasons).

Penquin is really going to market this. I'm serious---they are going to give it both barrels. All Freepers, stop complaining about "no history books on the right" and support our book (and make us rich!)

[TaxRelief]

Thread for the first article in the series (March 28, 2004)
Textbooks flunk text by George Archibald.

[TaxRelief]

What "grade" level is it not?

[Green Knight]

The good thing about homeschooling, I imagine, is that you can use whichever you like. Though that's just a guess. But even if you can't, the other good thing about it is that you can supplement that textbook education with other sources. You can point out to your kid how so and so parts are full of it, whereas in a public school, it's unlikely or nil that any public school teacher would even come close to telling the students just how loaded their history books are.

Anyway, homeschooling certainly appeals to me, especially after reading crap like this. Though I'm not married nor do I have kids, so thankfully that decision is a good long way off.

[Green Knight]

I refuse! You, sir, are an irredeemably corrupt and contemptible person for wishing to pursue monetary success. Shame on you!

/Socialist response

Anyway, no need to feel shameless. I appreciate your bringing it up, and I'll check out your book whenever possible. :)

[Bahbah]

"They refuse to believe they are undermining the education of America's kids."

I disagree. I think they know exactly what they are doing.

[TruthConquers]

Don't use textbooks! Go to a wide varity of homeschooling sources to find other ways to teach history.

Greenleaf Press

Well Trained Mind

Happy hunting!

[Bahbah]

I am going to try and overcome my "oldtimers" forgetfullness and remember to look for this in November. I hope you do get rich.

[farmer18th]

With which Social Studies textbooks at the High School level?

I wouldn't use any textbooks. I would stick to primary sources--journals, newspaper accounts, autobiographies. (I admit these can be tough resources to collect; when I first started buying up history books, I found that the average retail bookstore has more biographies of Marilyn Monroe than they do copies of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography). It can, however, be done. If you use a history textbook for the early republic, you might try www.interloc.com or www.abebooks.com to find textbooks that were written prior to 1900. Some of those are really good.

[longtermmemmory]

Where are the competing books? It is pointless to condem these texts without a competing text book.

Remember the name of most social studies teachers is "Coach".

Teachers don't think, they follow these books. Parents need to know these books are crippling their child's future. Perhaps the same parents who want vouchers can support accuracy in texts. Does the SAT even consider history of the USA. Perhaps it should.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Libertina]

No mention that socialism is based on a belief that man must be forced by government to support others, said San Antonio history teacher Scott K. Harris

The text devotes 47 pages to communism , 18 pages to socialism, but just four pages to capitalism

That pretty well sums it up...

[Green Knight]

At what age should kids be sat down and told the facts about the Marxist, extreme left?

Not sure. What age do they teach kids about the Holocaust? Whatever that is, it's probably a good age to teach kids about the 110,000,000 innocent people put into the ground by the Communists.

[longtermmemmory]

Homeschooling does NOT solve the problem. It is not our own children who are the issue. The rest of the children in the schools will grow up learn doublespeak, be indoctrinated by GLSEN and when your one child grows up to vote, they will be washed out by 100 ignorant voters who think hitlaries socialist ideas are as american as watermellon pie.

[TheDon]

Separation of school and state bump!