Texas Adopts Conservative High School Curriculum

[rockdawg21]

I love this state!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37271857...ife/?GT1=43001

Texas OKs changes to school texts
Critics claim conservatives trying to politicize education

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Board of Education on Friday adopted new social studies and history guidelines for Texas classrooms that some critics said was an attempt by conservatives to rewrite history.

The board gave the curriculum a more conservative bent by dictating how political events and figures will be taught to some 4.8 million primary and high school students in Texas and beyond for the next decade.

The standards also will be used by textbook publishers who often develop materials for other states based on those approved in Texas.

The board took separate votes on standards for high schools and kindergarten through eighth grades. The final vote was 9-5 on each set of standards.

The debate has brought national attention, including testimony from educators, civil rights leaders and a former U.S. education secretary.

During the monthslong process of creating the guidelines, conservatives have successfully strengthened the requirements on teaching the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers and attempted to water down rationale for the separation of church and state.

The standards will refer to the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

Conservatives also won the fight to include new direction to world history teachers to emphasize the "benefits" of the free-enterprise system through the ages.

Conservatives say the Texas history curriculum has been unfairly skewed to the left after years of Democrats controlling the board.

Many educators have blasted the proposed curriculum for politicizing education. Teachers also have said the document is too long and will force students to memorize lists of names rather than thinking critically.

[NateR]

I think it's more of an attempt to eliminate the Progressive-Liberal, historical revisionism that has plagued our nation's education for the last 100 years.

Although I have to laugh at the irony of Liberals actually having the gall to accuse Conservatives of trying to rewrite history.