NY Times: Politicized Curriculum in Texas

[marmar]

Politicized Curriculum in Texas
Published: May 25, 2010


The social conservatives who dominate the Texas State Board of Education backed down last week from a few of their most outrageous efforts to tilt the state’s social studies curriculum. They dropped a proposal that President Obama be referred to as “Barack Hussein Obama” and lost in their efforts to rename the “slave trade” the “Atlantic triangular trade,” a clear attempt to downplay slavery’s horror and spread the blame.

The changes they did force into the standards for such subjects as history, government and economics were bad enough and bear no relationship to neutral pedagogy. The original curriculum standards were drawn up by teams of teachers and scholars who spent nearly a year on the huge undertaking. The board eagerly exercised its power to amend those requirements.

In what looks like an effort to justify injecting more religion into government, it voted to require students to examine why the founding fathers protected religious freedom — and how that approach contrasts with “separation of church and state.” The board also required third graders to “explain how government regulations and taxes impact consumer cost,” presumably to get them off to an early start in fearing government. Older students will have to “evaluate efforts by global organizations to undermine U.S. sovereignty” and, under an earlier change, analyze the “unintended consequences” of such programs as the Great Society and affirmative action.

These new requirements are more than symbolic. They can determine what is taught in the classroom, included on standardized tests, and written about in textbooks, many of which are sold in multiple states. We can only hope that sensible teachers will find a way to teach their subjects as understood by mainstream scholars. Students in Texas deserve an education free of ideology.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/opinion/26wed4.html?src=mv

[treestar]

1. They'll have to stay in Texas for college too

They will have a hard time getting in elsewhere!

[callous taoboy]

2. required third graders to “explain how government regulations and taxes impact consumer cost,”

These people are bat-shit crazy. No third grader is going to understand this. Hell, some of my third graders think the mayor runs the state, the president runs our town, and the governor is about as useful as a sharp stick in the eye (well, they got the last one right).