Posted on 03/07/2010 10:21:23 AM PST by LS
All: I'm scheduled to appear on three separate Fox shows tomorrow and Tues., including Fox and Friends twice about the upcoming Texas curriculum controversy. I think I have a handle on it, but I'd especially like Texas Freepers to weigh in, especially with any very recent developments I should know about.
Is there still a move to make all U.S. history instruction start at 1877, or has that been killed?
Are they still seeking to remove Christmas to make room for a Hindu holiday?
I can’t offer you any advice on the Texas situation but I can say “Knock ‘em out Larry!!”
Houston Chronicle
January 13, 2009
Texas will not compete for a potential $700 million in federal grant funding for schools, Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday, because it could give Washington too much say in deciding what the state’s students should learn.
.................................
Texas Curriculum
January 11, 2010
In 2010, Texas school districts will be faced with new open source textbook materials,
also known as online content. The transition to digital content represents a dramatic
step forward for Texas classrooms. But the same oversight, review and regulation that
the state has always used with print materials should apply to digital and online content
as well. To continue reading, click here
Click here to learn about Innovations in Reading Instruction
Click here to learn about Publisher-Developed Instructional Programs
Click here to learn about New English as a Second Language Materials
“Open Source” Textbooks Are Reason for Grave Concern
Here is what I found... good luck!
http://thedailycougar.com/2010/02/26/panel-examines-reform-of-states-social-studies-curriculum/
Thanks, Larry
Great job, what time?
Pray for America’s Freedom
Thanks. Helpful.
Wow, very cool. The reason that Texas should NOT take the bait of federal money is that it will drive what textbooks we use in our schools...and that is a MAJOR factor, if not the top factor, in the decline of American Education.
Math is something I know a bit about, and here are a couple of things to look at:
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/11/28/fuzzy-math-a-nationwide-epidemic/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI
The bottom line is that curricula like Everyday Math is so BAD...that parents are FORCED to get their kids remedial help (either teaching the kids themselves, tutors, or after school learning centers...which you might note ONLY use traditional methods). Therefore, we DO NOT want to burden parents with this additional expense (or time needed), when the kids should be learning in school, instead. It’s just too expensive for Texas parents...and many parents, particularly minority parents, cannot even get their kids the help they need to counteract these programs, and their kids simply do worse and worse.
This is a start...I’m sure I’ll come up with more today.
As far as I can tell, they did the science (and math?) last year, including the big evolution/creation debate. This year it’s social studies.
Bummer...but if you can get them on math, it’s much easier to argue.
LS...that was in North Carolina only, not Texas/nationally.
Are you certain? Some Texas people told me otherwise.
montag is correct
it is not Texas who wants to start American History at 1877.
When you consider how mostly still conservative Texas is it becomes obvious Texans would not want to short change the founding of the country.
We may have some who would like to include creationism in the curriculum but we don’t have anyone who wants the history our founding left out.
North Carolina is looking at doing that however
I think the feds should set a minimum standard of what kids should be taught as merely a guide. Anything in excess should be at the states’ (or parent for homeschooling) discretion. The Dept of Education should be seriously downsized and the money divided up among the states by what percentage of the US population lives in each state.
I think the feds should set a minimum standard of what kids should be taught as merely a guide. Anything in excess should be at the states’ (or parent for homeschooling) discretion. The Dept of Education should be seriously downsized and the money divided up among the states by what percentage of the US population lives in each state.
My daughter lives in North Carolina and she knows this is the change they wanting to make there......unfortunately too many parents don’t have a clue as to the ramifications of this. When told how it could affect their childrens education in the long run they just shrug and think people are just over-reacting to change...
This is why I personally get upset over today’s younger people...my grandkids are great and claim to be conservative and yet their views are very different than mine...it’s all in what they grow up with as being the “norm”. When I was their age I certainly never would have predicted the world as it is today..........
Sorry...got off on a rant there...but I have only heard of history after 1877 in NC...have you googled to see if it is anywhere else?
FOX was reporting this morning that the Board of Education will consider history beginning only in 1877 and no one is sure what part Perry is going to play in all of this. Not sure of any sources to go to but perhaps they know something we don’t. My grandchildren go to private schools and the parents have a huge say so about what is taught and their history course includes study of a long time before 1877.
I’d recommend that you call Brian Russell who is in a run-off for State Board of Ed.
I’d recommend that you call Brian Russell who is in a run-off for State Board of Ed.
Fine. Do you have a number?
Texas and textbooks are very important for the entire country.
The large markets of Texas and California pretty much determine what textbooks are available to the smaller markets.
It is cost prohibitive to tailor textbooks to each state.
Lynn Cheney used to do a lot of stuff with textbook revisionism. Back when Reagan was president and I didn’t even know who she was, I found an abridged article by her in Readers Digest from I think the Wall St Journal.
It’s the only thing I ever cut out and saved, and it’s basically about how so much is left out of history texts because somebody is always insulted. It inspired me.
I read a book by Diane Ravitch about how both the left and right so waters down literature as to destroy its value. Here is also an interesting article.
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2004/july04/history.html
This is a subject that interests me very much. Years ago I began homeschooling because my son brought home a Steck-Vaughn AMERICAN geography book where all they could do was talk about Africa and the Aztecs, and they chose a person from each region of the country to teach geography - incredible choices like Rosa Parks, Elinor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, John Muir, Sequoya.... not that they weren’t remarkable people, but is the list a little... one-sided?
Also his history book. The chapters on the pilgrims started out with that they didn’t allow women’s rights, and there was no mention of religion at all.
I decided I didn’t want my kids learning that kind of history.
Beginning Sept 2010 middle schools are going to be permitted to teach only history going up till 1860.
All the US history after that date is set aside for 9th-12th grade.
I went ballistic asking how are the students expected to understand the events of today if they have no background on the events that lead to it.
Our curricula is broken into four main standards.
1. civics, government, human rights
2. geography, people, environment
3.economics, innovation, technology
4. history, culture, perspectives.
By 8th grade these areas are to be covered.
I. Standard 6.1 US History America in the World
* Three Worlds Meet (beginning to 1620)
*Colonization & Settlement (1585-1763)
*Revolution & Reform (1754-1820)
*Expansion & Reform (1801-1861)
*Civil War& Reconstruction (1850-1877)
II. Standard 6.2 World History/Global Studies
*Beginning of Human Society-Paleolithic and Neolithic ages
*Early Civilizations & emergencfe of Pastoral Peoples (4000-10000BCE)
*Classical Civilizations of the Mediterranean World, India & China (1000BCE-600CE)
*Expanding Exchanges & Encounters (500 CE-1450CE)
III. Standard 6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century.
* Recognize causes and effects of prejudices on individuals, groups, and society
*Recognize the value of cultural diversity as well as potential for misunderstanding.
Let me tell you I let them know that it would be extreamly difficult to follow that last standard without teaching the time periods between the 1920-2001.
There was an idiot in the paper today who said, “30% of the people in Texas believe dinosaurs and humans existed at the same time”.
Don’t bring that up.
What time will your interview be aired?
In certain parts of England they are also cutting their History. Starting at 1700.
Tought luck about that 1215 thing.
Here is a link to what is required right now per TEKS http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/index.html
The dreaded TAKS tests are based on these required skills.
I would imagine that the textbooks would follow those required TEKS.
I haven’t heard a word about the change regarding US history.
Will be rooting for you LS.
Try these websites and (possibly) you may be able to contact the (elected, but volunteer, unpaid) SBOE members:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3803
http://votekenmercer.com/ Won a tough Primary against a convenient Republican who was backed by Red McCombs - no one knows why. He faces a Democrat in November.
http://www.joaniemuenzler.com/ (This is one of those twilight zone stories. http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/86675592.html Joanie lost to a man that doesn’t seem very bright. None of us can figure the results of this Republican Primary, not at all. The man actually told local reporters that some one handed him an application and promised he’d get paid. He won’t say who gave him the promise. His qualifications? He claims that he’s qualified because he ran for office in college student government.
The only clue is that some anti-Republicans crossed over to skew our Republican Primary results http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/03/texas_sboe_wingnuts_lose_prima.php)
I believe that there is still ongoing controversy about the final form of our Social Studies TAKs, our minimum standards or knowledge set, but our kids will be taught about Christmas, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Day here in Texas.
http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/03/texas_sboe_wingnuts_lose_prima.php
It was probably these guys.
I have a costumer, a younger man, who was asking me if I read the Bible. I said yes and he went on to say how he always laughs when people start talking about things that happened 1 million years ago.
I stopped him there, telling him I wasn’t a New Earther. He seemed really disappoint.
I’m not saying it’s an impossibility but, from what I’ve seen and researched, it isn’t very likely.
Was it on a local Fox atation ? if so what city in Texas? If it was a Texas coty Fox station that can easily be checked
I watch local Fox in Dallas and it was not on here.
I have never read or heard Texas is considering this but I did read North Carolina is
Are you sure Fox said it was Texas doing this? ( starting American History at 1877?)
Could it have been the national Fox broadcast?
OOOOH, what you said!
I’ve long held that it looks like the Lord used evolution, that we don’t know the time line other than that Man was probably a special creation, and to assume that the Earth is only 6 thousand years old is to assume that the Lord built lies and deception into it. (Adam and Eve probably didn’t have belly buttons, but they sure didn’t have the equivalent of an appendectomy scar - a physical manifestation of a false history - at their creation.)
In other words, the Lord showed Moses what happened and he did his best to tell us. The Judeo-Christian tradition has been able to accept the literally Earth-shaking idea that the world is not flat and the sun doesn’t revolve around us. We can take the knowledge that time did not begin a few days before the Fall.
yep, I know what you mean. I did an analysis of one elementary school book and there were literally equal numbers of words given to European settlers, Indians, and AFRICANS in 1600!!! OUtrageous.
Between 6:30 and 7:00 am tomorrow. The Tues. segment will be different, and I don’t know when the Tues. segment will run; then a second, different interview will run Tues. night sometime.
Amen.... to what you said.
Setting my DVR. I’m sure you’ll do great.
Is that Eastern Time?
Why not start American History in 1900 not 1873? That will give the students less stuff to have to memorize.
Texas Freedom (and I use the term loosely) Network shenanigans?
Yeah, just got this information from some Texas people. Thanks.
Yessir.
I don’t know about Texas, but the NC move to make high school history begin with 1877 has apparently been killed.
It was national FOX. The local FOX station is marginal at best so never listen to it.
Guess some of us who are more mature in years have a little problem with what constitutes history. I started living it in 1942 so what we studied in school was a relatively short period of time compared with what kids need to study now. Another reason for grandparents to spend time talking with the grandkids about the “olden days”.
Grams
thanks
and you are certain they said the state of Texas was trying to do this versus the state of North Carolin?
NC has been in the news for considering this but I have not heard one word about Texas considering this.
If you google it there are articles mentioning North Carolina but none mentioning Texas
Could you have misheard it? Which Fox program was on when you heard it?
This is pretty important and should be verified
Was early this morning and the female reporter indicated that the Texas Department of Education would be addressing the issue this week - I believe beginning Wednesday. They spoke about the impact that Texas’ educational decisions have on the rest of the nation because of the large number of students we have. It was on the FOX national news channel, not our local FOX. Before 9 a.m. central time. Remember thinking at the time that I needed to check FR to see if anyone else picked up on it and to alert my neighbors who have kids going to the public school. Sorry I can’t be more specific but that’s all I remember.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.