How Convenient
Tea parties issue demands to Tennessee legislators » The Commercial Appeal
The material calls for lawmakers to amend state laws governing school curriculums, and for textbook selection criteria to say that “No portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership.”Fayette County attorney Hal Rounds, the group’s lead spokesman during the news conference, said the group wants to address “an awful lot of made-up criticism about, for instance, the founders intruding on the Indians or having slaves or being hypocrites in one way or another.
So what does this really mean–besides the obvious implication that history in school is not about facts but propoganda? Before students figure out the truth, it means that only perfect people can serve their country and achieve great things. Any eight year old who has told a lie to his mom may as well give up the idea of becoming president.
However, sooner or later the students will figure out the truth and then what? Do something important enough, particularly in public service, and it doesn’t matter what you do in your personal life? We already have plenty of examples of supporters of “family values” who have had affairs and have been caught with prostitutes. And there are a few who have taken the next step and don’t believe certain laws don’t apply to them that they have broken any laws. Do you think it’s any coincidence that most of these people are also the one’s who support changing the laws as demanded by the Tea Party?
One final thought, the use of the word “majority” is disturbing. It suggests that we it’s okay to whitewash the inconsistencies of Thomas Jefferson but Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, or Caesar Chavez. How convenient…
Some people aren’t interested in the truth
Erroneous history textbook ‘Our Virginia’ to be pulled from Fairfax schools
Since the errors were discovered in both Five Ponds Press books, the Virginia Department of Education has announced plans to amend its textbook adoption process, and Del. David L. Englin (D-Alexandria) introduced legislation that would require publishers to vet their textbooks with independent experts before submitting them to the state.
Unfortunately, this won’t necessarily do any good if your State Board of Education wants to believe that thousands of African Americans fought for the south or doesn’t want to include Thomas Jefferson as an Enlightenment thinker.
What do they teach in government classes anyway?
Guess who said the following:
“What am I, not supposed to have health care?” he said. “It’s practicality. I’m not going to become a burden for the state because I don’t have health care, and God forbid I get into an accident and I can’t afford the operation. That can happen to anyone.”
No, not one of those socialist, business-hating, Obamacare supporters. It’s Rep. Michael Grimm, Republican of New York who ran against the Affordable Care Act. Someone, please explain this to me.
More Evidence of Education System Failure from Corpus Christi
Wanna bet she thinks 25% of our budget goes for foreign aid instead of less than one percent?
Your Turn – Jan. 2, 2011 – San Antonio Express-News
Money sent to foreign countries should be discontinued until our debt has been paid.
Because government assistance is a bad thing…
Eliminating the class size limit would eliminate up to 12,000 teacher jobs. But according to Florence Shapiro, it’s really about local control.
Education Week: Texas Battle Looms on Class-Size Limit
“It would give flexibility to superintendents. It strengthens local control and gives them the opportunity to save some dollars,” she said, noting that school officials could decide to keep some classes at 15 students and others at 22 or 25.
Well, she’s got to say something. It was her constituents that were up in arms about UT’s top ten percent rule since their kids couldn’t get into UT while poor minorities or kids from rural schools were. What do you think is going to happen when her constituents find out that their schools are going to be laying off teachers even though they moved into the neighborhood because of the it’s quality schools?
Not that I feel sorry in the least for her constituents. These are the same people who elected Perry and have cheered every time he points out that Texas is doing great because businesses and voters like our low tax rates. In the meantime, the amount of state funding for public schools has been decreasing. And Texas can’t even get help from the federal government because last time Perry used the money to fund other state services instead of education.
Yep, elections have consequences…
Another failure of the education system?
Do students even read Orwell’s 1984 any more? Or is everyone okay just living it?
The Washington Monthly
But it’s the speed with which the right-wing shift occurred that’s truly impressive. It was, after all, April 2009 when Upton characterized climate change as “a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions.” That was last year. It was 2007 when leading Republican presidential candidates not only acknowledged global warming, but endorsed credible proposals to combat the crisis.
Graduation Rates for Four Year Schools
Notice anything about the following sentence?
We compare here the graduation rates at four-year colleges for the six years ending in 2008 with the rates for the six years ending in 2003.
This is showing the six year graduation rate for four year colleges. This now the standard for evaluation purposes. It’s not for financial aid or scholarship purposes, though. So what is Harvard’s four year rate? According to the CollegeResults.org website, it’s 87.8% in 2008. Now this is still a pretty good rate but it does place them at the 17th spot in rankings. I know, all those darn engineers taking extra time to graduate. Right.
Shouldn’t there be truth in advertising?
More evidence of the failure of the education system
They remember the lesson on civic participation but fail miserably at civic knowledge. Now everyone together, say it-filibuster.
Your turn – Monday, December 20, 2010 – San Antonio Express-News
Candace King’s Dec. 14 letter said: “Texas Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison and the rest of the heartless Republican senators showed how callous they are by denying health coverage to 9-11 firefighters, EMTs, police and other emergency responders.”I can’t let this pass without reminding King that the Democrats gained control of the House and the Senate in November 2006 election and the White House in November 2008.
More evidence of the failures of our education system
9/11 Responders blame the Democrats for not getting their health bill passed.
The assumption is based on an idea — Congress operates by majority rule — that should be true but isn’t. For much of the country, procedures like “filibusters,” “secret holds,” and “cloture votes” are completely foreign. Indeed, it’s very likely this contributes to public disgust with Congress — when majorities can’t even vote on their own priorities, a lot of folks throw up their arms in frustration and assume the Democratic majority is incompetent. Pointing to procedural abuses — which are the actual heart of the problem — only sounds like excuses to those who have little patience for legislative tactics.This, in turn, creates an added motivation for Republicans to keep up their obstructionism.
What really bothers me is that the founder of an organization that seems to lobby for the group is unaware of how the senate actually works.
It is the culture
The “it’s the culture” argument, fails to acknowledge, however, that the Chinese/Asian value of education is not just about hard working and respectful students. The culture is also responsible for the adoption of a coherent and effective curriculum—one that requires well-written and logically sequenced textbooks and good solid instruction.
As long as parents are more willing to put time and money into supporting football teams and proms over making sure their kids have an effective math curriculum–it is the culture.