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Texas ranks at bottom among border states on standards for Mexican history (cry me a rio)
http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/060606/sta_060606058.shtml ^ | Tuesday, June 6, 2006 | Associated Press

Posted on 06/06/2006 12:33:12 PM PDT by WestTexasWend

DALLAS (AP) - Texas ranked lowest among the nation's four southern border states in its standards for teaching Latin American and Mexican history, according to a national study released Monday.

The study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said on a scale of zero to 10, Texas scored a five - just above the national average of 4.2.

California, meanwhile, scored a 10. Arizona scored a six and New Mexico scored an eight, said Walter Russell Meade, a senior fellow for the council on foreign relations who conducted the study based on a review of state education standards.

"It's likely that the state of world history education is a little worse than the standards since there isn't required testing," Meade said. "The subject might not be getting the kind of emphasis that it deserves."

Pat Hardy, a member of the state board of education and a history and geography teacher for the Weatherford Independent School District, disagreed with the analysis.

She said Texas uses a "spiraling curriculum" to teach world history which has more depth than most states because it introduces concepts at different levels and expands on them later.

"They have to understand that our standards are written in strands," Hardy said. "Students have been exposed all along the way to all aspects of the history, the government, the economics, the culture of the world. I think it's brilliant. The Fordham Institute doesn't know jack about teaching."

But at least one Texas lawmaker said the state still needs to increase its standards.

"It's a sad commentary that Texas, a border state, that's history is so intertwined with Mexico and Latin America, ranks so low on the scale," said Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes.

Many states fared even worse than Texas, where Hispanics made up about 35.3 percent of the populace in 2003, according to the U.S. Census.

Thirty states have vague education standards for world history and Latin American and Mexican studies, said Michael Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

Alaska, Idaho, Missouri and Montana each received a score of zero for having "superficial or cursory" standards on how to teach World History.

"It's as if many states were not aware that there are countries and cultures south of the Rio Grande," Petrilli said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: alamo; aliens; goliad; gonzales; immigrantlist; sanjacinto; texas; texashistory; texasindependence
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To: Hodar

Thought you'd find this interesting.


21 posted on 06/06/2006 12:51:08 PM PDT by zlala ("History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid." -Dwight D. Eisenhower)
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To: WestTexasWend

"Texas ranks at bottom among border states on standards for Mexican history."

I wonder how the border territories of Mexico rank on standards for United States history....


22 posted on 06/06/2006 12:52:25 PM PDT by EyeGuy
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To: EyeGuy

Depends on whether they get any points for the much edited, highly revised version of the facts they teach those few children who get a chance to attend school for any length of time.


23 posted on 06/06/2006 12:54:55 PM PDT by Jeff Head (www.dragonsfuryseries.com)
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To: WestTexasWend
"They have to understand that our standards are written in strands," Hardy said. "Students have been exposed all along the way to all aspects of the history, the government, the economics, the culture of the world. I think it's brilliant. The Fordham Institute doesn't know jack about teaching."

Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.

hehehehehehe

24 posted on 06/06/2006 12:55:02 PM PDT by The_Victor (If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
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To: WestTexasWend

Who cares about Mexican history?

Gheesh.

Kids need to be taught that it borders our country, and that millions of Mexicos citizens are living here illegally.

Spend the rest of the time teaching kids about our history and how we need to protect our heritage by keeping undersireables from Mexico out.


25 posted on 06/06/2006 12:55:40 PM PDT by dman4384
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To: WestTexasWend
Shouldn't it be "Lloras un río"?
26 posted on 06/06/2006 12:56:01 PM PDT by FortWorthPatriot (Semper Fidelis)
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To: Jeff Head; tx_eggman
Let's see...The Mexican 1824 Constitution, it's betrayal, Santa Anna, The Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto and the surrender of Santa Anna. Texas as a nation 1836 to 1845 and then the US-MExican War starting in 1846 once Texas joined the Union. The defeat and occupation of Mexico and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

That history was taught me as a child in Texas...and it said all that needed to be said IMHO.

Damn straight. When I was in Jr. High, we called it "Texas History".

27 posted on 06/06/2006 12:58:15 PM PDT by SpinnerWebb (It's time to play Cowboys and Muslims)
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To: WestTexasWend
Texas ranked lowest among the nation's four southern border states in its standards for teaching Latin American and Mexican history, according to a national study released Monday.

We don't teach German history either. Or Czech ... or Asian ...

28 posted on 06/06/2006 1:00:22 PM PDT by al_c
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To: WestTexasWend
I know that my great uncle 4 times removed, Erastus "Deaf" Smith fired the first shot at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was surprised because he was still in bed with a mulatto prostitute. She is the meaning of the famous song "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Deaf was just back from burning a bridge, and as a result Santa Anna was trapped in the area and captured the next day wearing woman's clothing. Probably one that Yellow Rose's dresses.

Deaf was a little pissed, as he had recently helped bury the burned bodies of those who defended the Alamo, including Richard Miller, another of my ancestors.

Remember the Alamo, indeed.
29 posted on 06/06/2006 1:05:22 PM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Free Iran! WARNING! Forbidden Cartoon: *-O)) :-{>. . . .)
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To: FortWorthPatriot
Shouldn't it be "Lloras un río"?

You don't habla Spanglish?

30 posted on 06/06/2006 1:06:33 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana (Don't fall for the soft bigotry of assuming all Hispanics are pro-amnesty. www.dontspeakforme.org)
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To: WestTexasWend
The Fordham Institute doesn't know jack about teaching

Spoken like a true Texan. Yee Haw!

31 posted on 06/06/2006 1:07:00 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: al_c

Although there is a good deal of German and Czech cultur here. Visit Muenster or West sometime.


32 posted on 06/06/2006 1:07:09 PM PDT by rahbert
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To: ncountylee
So that's what administrators are paid for. Inventing new ways to say nothing.

No it means you do things a little at a time. First the very broad outline, at a level the kids can understand, then more details and more sophistication later. Just because a term isn't familiar to the general public, or is used differently in a particular profession or area, doesn't indicate it means nothing.

What do you know about positive and negative feedback for example. The way those words are used in popular culture are not what they originally meant in the engineering and science community.

33 posted on 06/06/2006 1:11:02 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: Ptaz
History education is often slanted to the preferences of the instructor.

Ouch! You must have been in my high school history class. According to the time spent on it, the most important event in US history was the Seneca Falls convention for women's rights in 1848. It got more time than WW I and WW II combined.

34 posted on 06/06/2006 1:12:05 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (Never ask a Kennedy if he'll have another drink. It's nobody's business how much he's had already.)
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To: VOA

Seems like the Texans did a pretty good job of writing Mexican history though. (at least the part that counts)


35 posted on 06/06/2006 1:14:07 PM PDT by newcthem (When are our congress-men going to start getting paid in Pesos?)
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To: hispanarepublicana
Aren't we one of the only states that teaches as many years of Texas history as we do?) Well of course, but that's because they only teach a bit of it as part of US History. They teach the history of their own states. Sometimes it's quite a chore to dreg up enough to fill a single year or semester. In Texas it takes, what 2 or 3 years at different grade levels. There's so much Texas history to teach.
36 posted on 06/06/2006 1:14:11 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: SpinnerWebb; Jeff Head; tx_eggman
That history was taught me as a child in Texas...and it said all that needed to be said IMHO.

--and it's the same program that Texas is using now.  It's what I've just gone over with my daughters per a State of Texas home-schooling program.

A couple of things about this "study" are beginning to smell.  One is that it's not available for us to download so we can make our own evaluation.  The other is that there's a different study that is available, also this year and also by the same institute, ranked Texas at the top.

37 posted on 06/06/2006 1:14:13 PM PDT by expat_panama
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To: SaxxonWoods

38 posted on 06/06/2006 1:14:23 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: El Gato

And even then, from what I understand, it's just an overview! (I immigrated to Texas.) Texas history is *still* something that people discuss here, and debate the finer points of.

I believe that at least one of the state universities offers a degree program in Texas history.


39 posted on 06/06/2006 1:17:56 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: MeanWestTexan
*any Roman Catholic who thinks 90% of what passes for Catholicism in Mexico is actually Roman Catholic --- or even generically Christian --- is mistaken. It's thinnly-veiled native pagan religion with the various Saints/Virgin Mary/Jesus veneered on top.

You do realize that the Church is heavily suppressed in Mexico. Not as heavily as after the last revolution, but suppressed none the less.

You would prefer they were Muslims perhaps. There are Muslim "recruiters" working in Southern Mexico, and making some inroads, trying to convince the peons that they were robbed of their Islamic heritage when the Castillians and Andalusians kicked the Muslims out of Spain. They don't mention that the last kicking was in 1492, or thereabouts.

40 posted on 06/06/2006 1:18:16 PM PDT by El Gato
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