Posted on 05/22/2010 5:36:10 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
SACRAMENTO – On a 9-5 partisan vote, the Texas State Board of Education today finalized approval of several extreme right-wing curriculum changes. Due to the number of public school students in the state, the changes in Texas could drastically influence textbooks throughout the country as publishers often develop materials based on the standards of larger states.
"The idea that politicians in another state can control the content of our textbooks should trouble all Californians," said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). "The social science curriculum should be based on facts and not political ideology."
Next week, the California Senate is expected to pass legislation authored Yee to make certain California textbooks are not subject to the ultra-conservative curriculum changes recently made in Texas. Specifically, SB 1451 will require the California State Board of Education to review all social studies textbooks used in the state to ensure that they have not been changed as a result of textbook changes in Texas.
"While some Texas politicians may want to set their educational standards back 50 years, California should not be subject to their backward curriculum changes," said Yee. "The alterations and fallacies made by these extremist conservatives are offensive to our communities and inaccurate of our nation´s diverse history. Our kids should be provided an education based on facts and that embraces our multicultural nation."
Among the curriculum changes expected to take affect in Texas are: reducing the scope of Latino history; encouraging students to question the legal doctrine of separation of church and state; terms such as "capitalism" replaced with "free market;" labeling civil rights programs that protect women and people of color as having adverse "unintended consequences;" emphasis on "the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s," including favorable mentions of the Eagle Forum, Moral Majority, Heritage Foundation, the National Rifle Association and New Gingrich´s Contract With America; more positive portrayal of Cold War anticommunism; removal of third-party presidential candidates; labeling Confederate General Stonewall Jackson as a role model for effective leadership and a statement from Confederate President Jefferson Davis to accompany a statement from President Abraham Lincoln; and to include country and western music among nation´s important cultural movements while dropping hip-hop from the same list.
"These curriculum changes are completely unacceptable," said Yee. "Our children deserve better."
At least we know who to blame now. LOL!
Senator Leland Yee (PH.D.) represents San Francisco and San Mateo County.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a master’s from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. in Child Psychology from the University of Hawaii.
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Connect the dots
What a joke. As a former curriculum director, I assure you that California has dictated the content of many public school texts for years. Any large state that has statewide textbook adoptions has publishers scrambling to design texts for them. For years California has pulled the textbook market to the left. Now they cry when another state tries to right the ship.
And we all know how well the California Education system is working, I mean they really are putting out highly educated students right. If anyone here ever wastes their time by visiting Mexifornia, assume everyone you meet under 40 is DUMBER THAN DIRT, AND THE PROUDEST MORON YOU WILL EVER MEET. You will be right 90% of the time and never disappointed. I will say this for Publik Skewl Gradjewets, They can put a Condom on a cucumber faster than anyone on the planet, they start teaching Condom Placement in the 2nd grade. Sadly thats all they teach.
Ping
This has all got to stop and now! There are many more of us than there are of them. It is time to do much more than talk among ourselves.
Hey California! Design your own textbooks. You’re rolling in the good times. You can afford it!
There is only one solution to this problem, and it’s really quite simple - abolish the government school system. Education and government don’t mix. If all schools were private, then parents could choose the school that matched their values. In exchange for a tax credit, companies would fall all over themselves to provide tuition and books for poor kids.
As long as there are government school systems and compulsory attendance, these fights will continue.
I remember the standards of 50 years ago and they were very good. California should wish for those standards.
That's what the smaller states have been saying about California for years!
It’s a step in the right direction, anyway.
>>”The idea that politicians in another state can control the content of our textbooks should trouble all Californians,” said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). “The social science curriculum should be based on facts and not political ideology.”
Next week, the California Senate is expected to pass legislation authored Yee to make certain California textbooks are not subject to the ultra-conservative curriculum changes recently made in Texas.<<
Huh? Man speak with forked tongue! Really, do any of these politicians have a brain that tells them to watch out for ridiculous statements?
Oops, assumed they actually had a brain. Come to think of it, they have no heart or courage. True Scarelionmen.
” extreme right-wing “ is Socialistspeak for mainstream, middle America, the will of the people.
“”While some Texas politicians may want to set their educational standards back 50 years,” - that’s before the Socialist/Communist/Nazis got a grip on America and it was a free, prosperous and exceptional country, friend to every non-tyranny in the world and supplier of many of their needs - the only worldwide empire in history that wasn’t exploiting other countries for its own benefit but sharing its wealth and expertise.
Anyone apologizing for that has reversed values and an agenda the American people don’t want.
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