By Terrence Stutz / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN Should Texas high school students study the importance of famous actors John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart both Republicans in American history classes? Should fourth-graders be taught about their countrys democratic society or republican form of government when they receive instruction in citizenship? And are students in U.S. history classes being exposed to too many liberal figures and not enough conservatives who made significant contributions?
Those and hundreds of other potentially divisive questions await the State Board of Education as it prepares to rewrite the curriculum standards for social studies classes.
After finishing up their work earlier this year on new science standards an issue that sharply divided the board because of divergent beliefs on human evolution board members will hold their first public hearing today on social studies standards with U.S. history taking center stage.
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 nations culture war.
There is so much more ground to cover that people have strong feelings about said board member
Geraldine Miller R-Dallas.
My main concern is to make sure we dont try to rewrite history.
Board member Mavis Knight D-Dallas agreed that completing work on the new standards over the next few months will be a very difficult exercise.
Some board members and some groups have indicated there will be a fight over many of these standards and I believe there will be a fight much as I would like to avoid it.
Much of the groundwork for the debate was laid by a panel of six experts who were appointed by the board to help guide drafting of the standards by writing teams of social studies teachers and college professors.
Three of the experts were appointed by Republicans aligned with social conservatives while the other three were appointed by Democrats and other Republicans considered more moderate.
While the latter three experts have generally supported the work of the writing teams the three appointed by social conservatives have proposed significant changes including a greater emphasis on the role of religion in the establishment of the U.S. and its political system.
Evangelical minister Peter Marshall urged the board to require that students be taught that a period of heightened religious activity in the American Colonies in the mid-1700s called the Great Awakening helped unify the Colonies and push them to seek independence from Great Britain.
The leveling effect of the Gospel preaching ... created a revulsion against the superior attitudes of British aristocracy and a revolt against British tyranny Marshall wrote in his recommendations. Marshall not a school curriculum expert is president of Peter Marshall Ministries in Massachusetts a group that proclaims to be dedicated to helping restore America to its Bible-based foundations.
Another adviser appointed by social conservatives was David Barton president of Aledo-based WallBuilders a group that challenges the legal separation of church and state.
Besides proposing a greater emphasis on religion in teaching U.S. history Bartons 87-page document pointed out that liberals far outnumber conservatives among the historical figures included in the current proposed standards for American history.
In a document submitted to the board this month he suggested that actors John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart be substituted for the late Texas congressman Henry B. Gonzalez as an example of someone who made significant political or social contributions in the United States.
Barton a former vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party noted that Wayne and Stewart who also were Republicans advocated Americanism admiration for the Constitution and respect for the military.
Barton and Marshall pulled back from earlier criticism of labor leader Csar Chvez as an important figure after leading Hispanic groups vigorously objected but they are still pushing hard for changes in numerous other areas of the standards.
Miller said that while she recognizes the importance of Judeo-Christian values in the U.S. she is concerned about overkill on religious topics.
Im not sure the Great Awakening had the impact they say it had in our countrys founding. I thought the Founding Fathers were more concerned about religious freedom she said.
Reflecting the views of other board members Miller also said she doesnt want to see the panel get into a situation where it has to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to every historical figure being considered for inclusion in the curriculum.
I dont want to micromanage the standards she said. Thats why we put experts on the writing teams.
The social studies requirements will remain in place for the next decade dictating what is taught in government history and other social studies classes in all elementary and secondary schools. The standards also will be used to write textbooks and develop state tests for students.
The Texas Freedom Network a nonprofit group that battles Christian conservatives over church-state issues said the experts appointed by social conservatives lack the proper credentials to be writing the curriculum and were mainly appointed because they mirror the far-right agenda of certain members.
They are providing cover for those board members to drag our kids classrooms through the cultural wars again said Kathy Miller the Freedom Networks president.
Jonathan Saenz of the Free Market Foundation which supports the efforts of the social conservatives said the experts are highly qualified and will make sure key issues in the study of history and other subjects are protected.
Weve seen in the past where a group of Austin liberals tried to rewrite curriculum standards to reflect their views he said.
Some areas of likely debate in proposed revisions to the states social studies standards:
Names: A proposal would delete former U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez of San Antonio and substitute John Wayne Jimmy Stewart or Cecil B. DeMille in American history for high school students under a section on significant political and social leaders in the U.S.
Form of government: In a section on the importance of effective leadership in citizenship instruction for fourth-graders the U.S. form of government would be described as republican instead of democratic.
Holidays: Christmas and Rosh Hashanah would be restored to a listing of significant religious holidays for the five major religions in a sixth-grade course studying world cultures. A writing team proposed deleting both leaving Easter and Yom Kippur as the chief holidays for Christianity and Judaism.
Religion: Fifth-graders would be required in history to study the Great Awakening a period of heightened religious activity in the mid-1700s and how it unified the American Colonies and helped bring about the American Revolution.
Rights: The individual right to keep and bear arms; and an individuals protection of private property from government takings would be added to the list of important individual rights in a fifth-grade citizenship class.
Conservatives: In a list of significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals in high school history talk show host Rush Limbaugh and the National Rifle Association would be included. Already proposed are former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum and the Moral Majority.
•Today State Board of Education members will question their appointed curriculum experts and representatives of writing teams that prepared the first draft of the new standards.
•Writing teams will use input from the board to refine the standards before a public hearing on the final draft in November.
•Board members will formally vote on the standards in January.
•Once the standards are adopted they will remain in place for the next decade governing what is taught in history government and other social studies classes and providing the basis for textbooks and student tests.
tstutz@dallasnews.com
