| The first draft of the new Social Studies Curriculum put out by the State Board of Education's panel of "experts" initially seemed to exclude any of the bad ideas that we feared would appear.
Oh, except for possibly teaching Republican Party ideology.
Texas high school students would learn about such significant individuals and milestones of conservative politics as Newt Gingrich and the rise of the Moral Majority - but nothing about liberals - under the first draft of new standards for public school history textbooks.
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The first draft for proposed standards in United States History Studies Since Reconstruction says students should be expected "to identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals, such as Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly and the Moral Majority."
Gingrich helped lead House Republicans to their 1994 takeover of Congress and became House speaker. Schlafly founded the conservative Eagle Forum and became a leading opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment aimed at formalizing women's equality with men. The Moral Majority formed in the late 1970s as an evangelical Christian organization that influenced politics and public policy for decades.
I'll be honest, I had never heard of Phyllis Schlafly before this article. And although Newt Gingrich is probably an important figure in American history that deserves examination, his inclusion stems only from a decision that reeks of political party bais.
Thankfully, not every Republican on the board is in line with teaching about the conservative movement from a partisan slant. Terri Leo (R-Spring) commented, "It is hard to believe that a majority of the writing team would approve of such wording. It's not even a representative selection of the conservative movement, and it is inappropriate."
As Leo alluded to, teaching the conservative movement is one thing, and teaching conservatism is quite another. The recommended curriculum proposes the latter.
There are other Republicans on the board, like Ken Mercer, who think they can teach conservatism by adding liberal activists to the "names to recognize" list. They think this will placate Democrats. Mercer even suggests trying to appease the group he is most afraid of, but it won't work:
Among liberals to include, Mercer would nominate the National Education Association, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood and the Texas Freedom Network - a group that says it promotes "religious freedom and individual liberties to counter the radical right."
"We don't think it's appropriate to be listing groups and people in the standards just because they're conservatives or liberals," said Kathy Miller, the group's president. "The state board should simply stop putting politics ahead of our kids' education and putting teachers in the position of indoctrinating students with political agendas."
The road to an updated Social Studies Curriculum is a long one, and this is likely just one bump that we will encounter. To obtain school syllabi that teach accurate history, we need to continue keeping an eye out. Subtle additions like this one are to be expected. |
