Texas Education Board at it again...

[Adios]

This however, made me lol

"The State Board of Education must enforce basic democratic values of our state and nation"

In other news, the Chinese State Education Commission must enforce the basic Marxist values of the People's State, the Reich Ministry for Science, Education, and Public Instruction of 1930s Germany must enforce the basic volkisch values of the National Socialist State and the Education Ministry of the Papal States must enforce the basic Christian values upon which the Vatican is based.

I mean, alternatively, the BoE could just try educating people.

[Adios]

Here's a fun little place.

http://clergygonewild.com/home

[Cramulus]

hooo boy this is a huge waste of breath

the texas board of ed does not need to publish a list of topics that textbooks shouldn't discuss. They've already done that by generating controversy around those topics! Publishers don't really want to talk about controversial topics, it makes their books harder to sell.

The texas board of ed state standards, called the TEKS, are actually pretty well put together for ESL kids. Luckily, that's the only part of the TEKS that my job involves.

Social studies are another kettle of fish

check this out: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=2147485019
that's the latest revisions to the TEKS social studies standards.

Here's some language which just made it in for this year's TEKS -- some of you may be amazed by how politicized this is!

-Students identify and discuss how the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have either met or failed to meet the ideals espoused in the founding documents.

-identify and describe the effects of government regulation and taxation on economic development and business planning

-define a multicultural society and consider both the positive and negative qualities of multiculturalism;

-analyze identify reasons for and the impact of selected examples of civil disobedience in U.S. history such as the Boston Tea Party and Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay a tax. (boston tea party was added this year.. note that the only examples of civil disobedience explicitly named seem to center on right wing talking points)

[Cain]

Althought it must be said the language of those questions is fairly neutral and leaves open the possibility of arguing the point either way, within the narrow confines of popular American political debate.  As politicized questions go, I've seen far worse and those are ones I'd be happy to ask in a class I was running (for the right age group).

[Thurnez Isa]

I'd answer them.
Unfortunally I don't think the teacher would like my answers

[Cramulus]

the standards are left relatively vague because they are up for debate, but keep in mind they are used by generally conservative teachers. This language serves as a green light for them to inject their political opinions into the syllabus.

[Cain]

True, but that's the case for pretty much any class in which political questions are asked, if the teacher is so inclined. 

[Elder Iptuous]

that doesn't seem so odd for a social studies class, IMO.
and i recall just those sorts of discussion points in the textbooks i had over a dozen years ago.

(holy shit.... over a dozen years ago!  )

[Cramulus]

most state standards are not nearly as specific

for example, here's some of illinois' social studies standards:

http://www.gis2gps.com/standards/social/political/political.html

here's new york's elementary level Soc.studies state standards:

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/pub/sscore1.pdf


they are much more broadly worded and far less politicized

[BabylonHoruv]

I'd answer them.
Unfortunally I don't think the teacher would like my answers

That's what I was thinking.  I wouldn't be surprised if the board tries to legislate the correct answers to those questions.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I like how civil disobedience in the Civil Rights Movement isn't mentioned. I mean, Rosa Parks?

I also like how people consistently miss the point of the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to the Tea Act.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I also like how people consistently miss the point of the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to the Tea Act.

Teh point was FREEDOM!!!
            \

[Thurnez Isa]

I also like how people consistently miss the point of the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to the Tea Act.

Teh point was FREEDOM!!!
            \

I think it had something to do with Marxist Nazis

[Cain]

The Islamofascist crypto-Communist progressive government of King George William Frederick HANOVER III (secretly born in GERMANY) had been oppressing the British-American white male Christian colonists for too long and had to be resisted.  Obviously.

[Jenne]

The education community is (finally) up in arms about this.  Though, disdain really doesn't faze these types out in Texas and Arizona.  They just keep fucking their shit up, they don't give a rat's ass what others think about it.