Education UPDATE: Texas ISDs Should Comply with Texas Social Studies Standards

HB 3403 by Leach serves notice to ISDs on Curriculum By Bill Ames Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas In 2010 the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted Social Studies Standards (TEKS) that provided balance to the leftist-ideological standards that had been in effect for ten years. These and other positive historical facts brought howls of indignation as well as bizarre insults from leftist educators politicians and the media.   The new standards include study of key pro-American ideals:

• The concept of American Exceptionalism;
• the Declaration of Independence Constitution Bill of Rights and the Founding Fathers; and
• the study and meaning of E Pluribus Unim" and In God We Trust".

Further the new standards require the teaching of important historical facts summarily dismissed by the liberal education establishment:

• The major military events of WWII
• A significant number of communist spies worked in FDR and Truman administrations
• The 1960s civil rights legislation was generally supported by Republicans opposed by Democrats
• The free enterprise system not government is responsible for Americas success and technological superiority

These and other positive historical facts brought howls of indignation as well as bizarre insults from leftist educators politicians and the media. For example an especially egregious editorial in the January 27 2010 Denton (TX) Record-Chronicle typified the vitriolic attacks condemning the SBOEs malignant stupidity".

A large and disruptive segment of the Texas State Board of Education is not only ignorant …..It is proudly and aggressively ignorant which goes beyond simple ignorance and ventures into the territory of malignant stupidity.   The boobs on the State Board of Education arent historians either. They arent even educators. For the most part they are bottom-feeding politicians who have adopted the popular demagoguery of the day and have ridden it to membership on a little-known but very important state board."

So much for rational debate. In spite of the opposition the new standards were adopted. On May 27 2010 current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons TexasInsider.org article SBOE Thanks for Social Studies Curriculum Update" included the following quotes:

The attacks on the State Board of Education ignored the transparent approach that the Board took toward developing curriculum standards for Texas school children misstated many of the changes that the Board proposed and sought to undermine the Boards diligent work to execute its constitutional and statutory obligations. The Board (members) should be applauded for their conscientious efforts. Texas school children will be the long-term beneficiaries."

Good so far.  But unfortunately there was and is no oversight as Texas 1200 school districts across the state develop or purchase their own social studies curriculum supposedly based upon the new standards. In my district American Exceptionalism was initially ignored.  Locally prepared lesson plans hint that the United States embargo of Japan justified the attack on Pearl Harbor significant post-WWI reparations justified WWII Nazi aggression and Japanese internment resulted from American racism. Some 900 small school districts purchased the controversial CSCOPE curriculum complete with its lessons that the Boston Tea Party patriots were terrorists and the 911 jihadists were freedom fighters. The College Boards controversial revised Advanced Placement U. S. history course (APUSH) includes clearly anti-American bias.  When a patriotic school board in Colorado banned APUSH the local teachers union recruited gullible students to take to the streets in protest.  When interviewed student protesters were not even aware of APUSH course content. A high school in New Mexico has recently designated communism" as its theme for senior prom. Last year the blog Campus Reform asked Harvard students if the United States or ISIS is the greater threat to world peace.  The students answer?  The United States. And dont forget that college professors across the country have signed a petition to ban the American flag on college campuses in support of misguided students at the University of California Irvine. Bottom line there is a nationwide ongoing agenda to erase all that is good about America from our schools. Contrary to all this anti-American negativity the will of mainstream Texans and the legislature is well documented in Texas Education code.

…..A primary purpose of the public school curriculum is to prepare thoughtful active citizens who understand the importance of patriotism and can function productively in a free enterprise  society with appreciation for the basic democratic values of our state and national heritage.

Not exactly what many school districts are teaching. The legislature needs to send a clear message to Texas public school districts......teach to the state standards. There are six elements in HB 3403 introduced by Texas State Representative Jeff Leach (right):

1. The public school curriculum reflects the  importance of patriotism United States citizenship and promotes an appreciation for our free enterprise system and basic democratic values;
2. Each historical event addressed in the public school curriculum meets a reasonable test of historical significance considering the limited amount of time available for instruction;
3. Each controversial issue addressed in the public school curriculum is presented in a balanced manner that reflects multiple viewpoints regarding the issue;
4. The public school curriculum reflects an overall tone that portrays the United States as a country that has overcome its mistakes and has emerged as the freest most democratic nation in the history of the world;
5. The public school curriculum shall include the concept of American Exceptionalism and the Celebrate Freedom Week program;
6. School district generated and purchased curriculum including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate social studies must be in compliance with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

Each year Texas public schools graduate some 300000 students into Texas society.  If we allow students to be indoctrinated to embrace the lefts social justice agenda rather than teaching our kids to be proud Americans the face of Texas will forever change. It is absurd that an overwhelmingly conservative state allows its tax dollars to support the liberal education establishments indoctrination of our future citizens. Ask your legislator to support Representative Jeff Leachs HB 3403. Bill Ames is an education activist who lives in Dallas. His book TEXAS TROUNCES THE  LEFTS WAR ON HISTORY"  (WNAenterprises.com) tells the story of his experience in developing Texas U. S. history standard in 2009-2010. Ames reviewed CSCOPE lessons as part of the State Board of Educations Ad Hoc Committee Project. His work in his local school district resulted in Board reviews of both its social studies curriculum and project based learning implementation as well as securing a superintendent commitment to modify the AP history course to be Texas standards (TEKS) compliant. He welcomes reader comments at billames@prodigy.net