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Education in Texas

U.S. History Class in Texas

If you read Pharangula you know it's one of his pet topics. Now they have moved from science to social studies.

Just a few quotes from the article:

Three reviewers, appointed by social conservatives, have recommended revamping the K-12 curriculum to emphasize the roles of the Bible, the Christian faith and the civic virtue of religion in the study of American history. Two of them want to remove or de-emphasize references to several historical figures who have become liberal icons, such as César Chávez and Thurgood Marshall.

The conservative reviewers say they believe that children must learn that America's founding principles are biblical. For instance, they say the separation of powers set forth in the Constitution stems from a scriptural understanding of man's fall and inherent sinfulness, or "radical depravity," which means he can be governed only by an intricate system of checks and balances. The curriculum, they say, should clearly present Christianity as an overall force for good -- and a key reason for American exceptionalism, the notion that the country stands above and apart.
"America is a special place and we need to be sure we communicate that to our children," said Don McLeroy, a leading conservative on the board. "The foundational principles of our country are very biblical.... That needs to come out in the textbooks." (emphasis mine)

Am I wrong to think these people are just plain sick. And my husband wonders why I told him he was not allowed to take a job in Texas after graduation no matter how much it pays.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dawn K on July 16, 2009 at 12:21pm

Forgot one quote I meant to include.

Rev. Marshall, who preaches that Watergate, the Vietnam War and Hurricane Katrina were God's judgments on the nation's sexual immorality.

Permalink Reply by Joseph on July 16, 2009 at 7:56pm

The really sad point about all this is that Texas accounts for almost 10% of textbook sales across the country. With this in mind textbook publishers can't just ignore the "standards" that Texas requires, and it would be too expensive to to produce different versions for everyone else.

School systems all over the country are at the mercy of the lunatics in power in the Texas Dept of Ed.

Permalink Reply by Dawn K on July 19, 2009 at 1:50pm

True. This is why this issue should interest all of us. Until I heard about this it would not have occurred to to me to look closely at my kids text books. Now as they get older I will. Unfortunately it will be hard for me to tell what might have been left out, but at least I can address any overt bias to christianity.

Permalink Reply by Angie Jackson on July 17, 2009 at 7:09pm

*ouch* I may be moving next month from FL to MN. I expect fantastic improvements in the schools.

Permalink Reply by Julie N. W. on July 19, 2009 at 1:34pm

There's just so much wrong with this I can barely even think straight. Putting aside the separation of church and state (in this case, public schools), where does he get off on saying that "Christianity is... a key reason for American exceptionalism." Oh, I know! Maybe it was the use of Christianity/religion to justify the white Western superiority, making it OK to use slaves to help build some of the wealth in this country! I'm sure everyone here could think of many many more examples of how Christian principals made this country great!

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