TFN Insider will be blogging today from the Texas State Board of Education hearing on proposed new social studies curriculum standards. The Dallas Morning News provides a good preview of the expected debate over the standards. Money quote:
“Unlike science, where most of the debate was over evolution, the list of items to be discussed for social studies is long, ranging from which historical figures should be covered in class to what role Christianity and the Bible played in the founding of the nation. And with an elected board that reflects political tension over social issues, the process is sure to play out as yet another front in the nation’s culture war.”
The meeting begins at 9 a.m., with the social studies item third on the agenda. Click here for more information about the debate.
UPDATE: The Houston Chronicle and Austin American-Statesman also have good previews of today’s meeting. We particularly liked the following quote in the Statesman from John Fea, a history professor at Messiah College, a Christian school in Pennsylvania. Fea spoke about ideologues who are trying to revise the standards in a way that supports their arguments that the Founders intended to create a distinctly Christian nation based on conservative Christian biblical principles:
“Students are not learning history. They are learning the facts about the past that suit some larger agenda, a cultural and political agenda. My best advice would be to respect the historians, respect the voice of historians and try to keep politics out of the teaching of history.”
We agree.
Maybe I’m just a dumbass or something. I can’t find any streaming live video of the SBOE meeting—unless maybe my computer is preventing sownlaods of some pop up tha is necessary to access it. Any ideas—or maybe I went to the wrong link spot?
Thanks TFN. I had to download Real Player—thought I had it but did not.