Hillary Clinton could be cut off from Texas social studies program

Texas high school students would no longer be forced to learn Hillary Clinton's role as the first woman to be elected to the presidency by a major political party, according to the proposed program standards, approved in advance by the National Board of Education.

Also eliminated from the proposed standards for social studies: Barry Goldwater, 1964 Republican presidential candidate, first candidate in the Jewish presidential election of a major party and considered the founder of the modern conservative movement.

In addition, Texas public school students would no longer be required to learn more about Helen Keller, a disability rights advocate, who was the first deafblind person to graduate from university.

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The council has also tentatively approved the reinstatement of the wording that the committees appointed by the council recommended deleting, including references to Moses in the lessons on America's foundation and heroism at the Alamo. The council has also softened slavery language as a cause of civil war.

Earlier this year, the board appointed faculty committees and other education professionals to recommend large volume reductions in social studies content as the 5.4 million students in public schools from Texas have to learn. Similar to previous efforts to rationalize social studies, the process has raised concerns that the council has allowed liberal and conservative bias in historical events such as civil war and the founding of the United States.

The council approved Friday most of the recommendations made by the committees.

The heroism of Alamo

In response to a Conservative outcry, Council members reiterated the requirements students learn about a letter that William B. Travis, the Alamo Commander, wrote asking for help during the siege. Alamo in 1836.. "A committee appointed by the board of directors had offered students to learn more about the Battle of Alamo, the most famous military engagement in Texas history. , and eliminate the letter and references to heroic defenders. Learn more about the Alamo without knowing its supporters and the Travis letter.

"As chairman of the board of directors, I honestly felt that board members would understand that heroism was really important … as iconic as Alamo," said the president. from the board, Donna Bahorich, to R-Houston.

Although many Democrats wanted slavery to be the cause of the civil war, the Republican-dominated council voted to maintain sectionalism and state rights as "contributing factors" to the war. The council, however, added that the expansion of slavery was the central cause of the civil war.

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"In too many places in the document, from Moses and religion to civil war and beyond, board members are again rejecting the advice of teachers and academics and rewriting standards to promote their personal beliefs, Dan Quinn with the Texas Freedom Network.

Bahorich said the process is not political and that the public has until November, when the council will take a final vote, to give its opinion on the standards of the social studies program. . "We pay particular attention to all returns from wherever they come," she said.

Against the recommendations of one of the committees appointed by the council, Republican members have also succeeded in restoring references to the influence of Judeo-Christianity on the founding of the country and on certain legal concepts such as the trial by a jury of peers . Republican council members also reinstated Moses in the curriculum as an influence in writing American founding documents.

Clinton Suppression

The proposed elimination of Clinton, Goldwater and Keller did not spark substantive discussions among board members or the dozens of people who spoke at the council on Tuesday.

Elementary or secondary school students are invited to learn these figures, among other things, in lessons on examples of "civility", but the committees recommended that they be removed to spare teachers for several minutes of lessons or to remove irrelevant information. .

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Bahorich stated that the committees used a fair rubric to assess the importance of these numbers in social studies curricula, including measuring their influence, their impact on underrepresented groups and their views. Clinton scored five goals on 21, Goldwater a zero and Keller a seven.

A committee also recommended removing the late Evangelist Billy Graham, but another committee, led by council in June, restored the reference. Graham scored four points.

"Keep in mind that if Clinton and Keller or Alamo advocates are in the norms, that does not mean that students will not learn them. Teachers and textbooks can and will continue to teach about them, "Quinn said. "But focusing on disagreements about these details hides the important problem that the board is not even getting big ideas because they are more interested in using standards to promote their personal and political views. . "