Proposed Texas textbooks are inaccurate, biased and politicized, new report finds

[56ktarget]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/12/proposed-texas-textbooks-are-inaccurate-biased-and-politicized-new-report-finds/?tid=pm_pop


When it comes to controversies about curriculum, textbook content and academic standards, Texas is the state that keeps on giving.

Back in 2010, we had an uproar over proposed changes to social studies standards by religious conservatives on the State Board of Education, which included a bid to calling the United States’ hideous slave trade history as the “Atlantic triangular trade.” There were other doozies, too, such as one proposal to remove Thomas Jefferson from the Enlightenment curriculum and replace him with John Calvin. Some were changed but the board’s approved standards were roundly criticized as distorted history.


There’s a new fuss about proposed social studies textbooks for Texas public schools that are based on what are called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Scholarly reviews of 43 proposed history, geography and government textbooks for Grades 6-12 — undertaken by the Education Fund of the Texas Freedom Network, a watchdog and activist group that monitors far-right issues and organizations — found extensive problems in American Government textbooks, U.S. and World History textbooks, Religion in World History textbooks, and Religion in World Geography textbooks. The state board will vote on which books to approve in November.


Ideas promoted in various proposed textbooks include the notion that Moses and Solomon inspired American democracy, that in the era of segregation only “sometimes” were schools for black children “lower in quality” and that Jews view Jesus Christ as an important prophet.


Here are the broad findings of 10 scholars, who wrote four separate reports, taken from an executive summary, followed by the names of the scholars and a list of publishers who submitted textbooks.

[William Tell]

Coverage of key Christian concepts and historical events are lacking in a few textbooks, often due to the assumption that all students are Christians and already familiar with Christian events and doctrine.
Lol! they get in trouble with the same people for to much, and to little teaching of Christianity:)

[56ktarget]

Breadth vs depth.

[pessimist]

Breadth vs depth.

holy crap dude...i've had my fair share of negative rep, but you're on a completely different level. haha

[Natural Citizen]

I've always found "teaching Christianity" to be a non sequitur. How does one teach what is also sold as "faith"?

[William Tell]

Public school is Marxism, so I oppose it. Public schools are just commie reeducation camps. But the Texas textbooks don't sound as bad as I would assume.

[56ktarget]

I must have missed the part in our textbooks where they advocate for Marxism.

[William Tell]

I must have missed the part in our textbooks where they advocate for Marxism.

Public education is the 10th plank of the Communist Manifesto written by Marx.

[MelissaWV]

I've always found "teaching Christianity" to be a non sequitur. How does one teach what is also sold as "faith"?

Christian historical events. You can --- and should --- teach about Christianity in its proper contexts in classes, but not as a promotion or demotion of the faith. I'm not entirely sure how you accurately teach a class on history or art or science or politics without mentioning Christianity's role therein. The Crusades? Holy Roman Empire? The Church funding or fighting various events shaped the course of history. Charitable hospitals and organizations assisted with medical advances. Rebellion against church teachings in one form or another led to war, exploration, founding of new settlements. I'm not saying that Christianity needs to be the biggest deal ever, but how do you skip all of these things when trying to provide an accurate, unbiased lesson plan?

[Natural Citizen]

Christian historical events. You can --- and should --- teach about Christianity in its proper contexts in classes, but not as a promotion or demotion of the faith. I'm not entirely sure how you accurately teach a class on history or art or science or politics without mentioning Christianity's role therein. The Crusades? Holy Roman Empire? The Church funding or fighting various events shaped the course of history. Charitable hospitals and organizations assisted with medical advances. Rebellion against church teachings in one form or another led to war, exploration, founding of new settlements. I'm not saying that Christianity needs to be the biggest deal ever, but how do you skip all of these things when trying to provide an accurate, unbiased lesson plan?

Well. As I was saying elsewhere, there exists a phenomenon where a-historical "facts" are offered up (on a variety of platforms beyond education) in a way that is often used as a mechanism for conversion.

Is this something that you want to debate or discuss? Or are you just answering my question on the fly? I did not expect you to participate in a thread like this. Plus you baffle me, woman.

[Ender]

I must have missed the part in our textbooks where they advocate for Marxism.

Read much?

[Ender]

Public education is the 10th plank of the Communist Manifesto written by Marx.

Yep. Public schools came into being to help kids become compliant factory workers.

[thoughtomator]

Christianity is integral to the development of Western civilization - you can't accurately teach the history of the US and its progenitors without also teaching a lot of the history of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation, and the aftermath thereof.

[TaftFan]

If schools taught Austrian economics and Constitutional originalism our country would be much better off.

[Natural Citizen]

you can't accurately teach the history of the US and its progenitors without also teaching a lot of the history of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation, and the aftermath thereof.

Ok. Let's assume, just for shits n giggles, that everyone who frequently debates in the Peace Through Religion thread is a teacher. Now...Can you imagine for a second the lessons on the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation, and the aftermath thereof in a room full of young people who are easily influenced? All self professed biblicists, btw, which, itself, retains a very broad and differing definition. Would you agree that given this phenomeon thatthere exists the reality of inaccurate, biased and politicized history lessons?

[Natural Citizen]

Christianity is integral to the development of Western civilization - you can't accurately teach the history of the US and its progenitors without also teaching a lot of the history of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation, and the aftermath thereof.

Also, one should consider that book writers and teachers are or profess to be very geo-political thinking people and so when it comes to teaching the "accurate" history of the country we fiddle with the issue of the different and often opposing practices of Christianity in other countries. which goes back to what I was saying about conversion.

Of course, I'm not disagreeing with you that Christianity is integral to the development of Western civilization. It is. But aside from inaccurate, biased and politicized books, we also have inaccurate, biased and political people presenting what is certainly to be a moral or personal spin in the classroom. How does one vet these teachers regardless of whatever book they're supposed to be teaching from?

[56ktarget]

Uhh what? "Western" civilization only began to surpass "Islamic" civilizations when they rejected or downplayed Christianity. Funny how you ignore the entire period of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance.

[56ktarget]

Read much?

The 10th tenet of fascism is the suppression of labor power. I guess by your criteria everyone on RPF is a fascist.

[MelissaWV]

Well. As I was saying elsewhere, there exists a phenomenon where a-historical "facts" are offered up (on a variety of platforms beyond education) in a way that is often used as a mechanism for conversion.

Is this something that you want to debate or discuss? Or are you just answering my question on the fly? I did not expect you to participate in a thread like this. Plus you baffle me, woman.

Answering your question on the fly :) I don't think for a moment that you're unaware of Christianity's inexorable link to historical events and developments (good and bad) throughout our meager little mouse fart of an existence.

[Christian Liberty]

If schools taught Austrian economics and Constitutional originalism our country would be much better off.

I agree, but I don't think there's any way public schools could teach austrian economics, that would mean having to teach that public schools shouldn't exist:p

[William Tell]

Answering your question on the fly :) I don't think for a moment that you're unaware of Christianity's inexorable link to historical events and developments (good and bad) throughout our meager little mouse fart of an existence.

:):D:eek:

[William Tell]

The 10th tenet of fascism is the suppression of labor power. I guess by your criteria everyone on RPF is a fascist.

What do you mean? Is anyone here opposed to free association?

[Ender]

The 10th tenet of fascism is the suppression of labor power. I guess by your criteria everyone on RPF is a fascist.

Do you even know what "labor power" is?

[erowe1]

Since it's about public school, I assumed that I was going to agree with the thread title. But reading that quote in the OP, I can't see why any of the things they say about the Texas textbooks are bad. Including something about John Calvin in a section on the Enlightenment is a doozy?

[otherone]

Uhh what? "Western" civilization only began to surpass "Islamic" civilizations when they rejected or downplayed Christianity. Funny how you ignore the entire period of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance.

http://www.thegraphicrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CorrelationCausationFinal1.jpg

[MelissaWV]

If that graphic were accurate, the rain would come when the umbrellas were accidentally left in the car or at home.

[erowe1]

Uhh what? "Western" civilization only began to surpass "Islamic" civilizations when they rejected or downplayed Christianity. Funny how you ignore the entire period of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance.

Western civilization didn't reject or downplay Christianity in the Renaissance and Enlightenment.

[56ktarget]

Western civilization didn't reject or downplay Christianity in the Renaissance and Enlightenment.
I'm sure Jefferson didn't neuter the New Testament either.

[Southron]

Here are 2 of their findings.


Most U.S. history textbooks do a poor job of covering the history of LGBT citizens in discussions of efforts to achieve civil rights in this country.

Elements of the Texas curriculum standards give undue legitimacy to neo-Confederate arguments about “states’ rights” and the legacy of slavery in the South. While most publishers avoid problems with these issues, passages in a
few U.S. history and government textbooks give a nod to these
misleading arguments.

[Anti Federalist]

And the textbooks of, say NYC or California are not, am I right?

Why would any sane parent of left or right persuasion, subject their children to the government indoctrination centers?

[RabbitMan]

The vast, vast majority of Public School Textbooks come from Texas, not NYC or California. This is why people care.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Uhh what? "Western" civilization only began to surpass "Islamic" civilizations when they rejected or downplayed Christianity. Funny how you ignore the entire period of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance.

Oh, brother. Next you'll be saying the majority of Washington's Army were a bunch of atheists.

You know, North Korea is an official atheist state (because if people worship God, they might not be worshiping the Kim family). Is that atheist paradise?

[Philhelm]

Well. As I was saying elsewhere, there exists a phenomenon where a-historical "facts" are offered up (on a variety of platforms beyond education) in a way that is often used as a mechanism for conversion.

Is this something that you want to debate or discuss? Or are you just answering my question on the fly? I did not expect you to participate in a thread like this. Plus you baffle me, woman.

I agree with MelissaWV. Even in literature, which has heavily referenced Christian ideas, stories, etc., it is good to have a basic understanding of Christianity.

[Philhelm]

Do you even know what "labor power" is?

Manifesto Man's super power?

[erowe1]

The vast, vast majority of Public School Textbooks come from Texas, not NYC or California. This is why people care.

The OP wasn't about textbooks that come from Texas, just textbooks that are approved for use in Texas.

The ones approved for use in NYC and California are sure to be worse. But the group that lodged the complaints in the OP would probably love them.

[Natural Citizen]

I agree with MelissaWV. Even in literature, which has heavily referenced Christian ideas, stories, etc., it is good to have a basic understanding of Christianity.

Yeah, I know. I wasn't really disagreeing with inclusion of it in some way. However we want to word it.

The issue that I have with this particular thing is that it's an area where if you give the wrong people an inch they'll start packing up for the mile haul right away. These are most often politically driven people and groups who want to sneak in there for political purpose. And that is a very dangerous thing to allow to happen. These are special interests that don't always share concern for education in the way that they advertise.

Of course, the flipside of this is that I have and still do sit on science and tech boards and share seats with people of faith. And it's the darndest thing because these people are some of the smartest people who have the best interests of the various education/instruction infrastructure in mind. It's not a politically driven kind of thing.

[DamianTV]

Oh, brother. Next you'll be saying the majority of Washington's Army were a bunch of atheists.

...

Not that Im gonna defend him, or N.K., but would it make any difference if they were? Should atheists be treated differently than other people?

[fr33]

Removing Jefferson from the history books. That's a new Texas legacy. All Texans should be ashamed. Ben Franklin and Madison are still highly featured in those books.

[fr33]

Christian historical events. You can --- and should --- teach about Christianity in its proper contexts in classes, but not as a promotion or demotion of the faith. I'm not entirely sure how you accurately teach a class on history or art or science or politics without mentioning Christianity's role therein. The Crusades? Holy Roman Empire? The Church funding or fighting various events shaped the course of history. Charitable hospitals and organizations assisted with medical advances. Rebellion against church teachings in one form or another led to war, exploration, founding of new settlements. I'm not saying that Christianity needs to be the biggest deal ever, but how do you skip all of these things when trying to provide an accurate, unbiased lesson plan?
Jefferson's contributions are being removed. He was a Christian but since he bucked the trend of organized religion, some of his contributions are being withheld. It's a form of statheism.