For nearly a year and a half, the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has overseen a process of revising the state’s social studies standards—the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). On April 15, 2010, the board released its final draft of the TEKS.
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Teaching skills through content is a better pedagogy than forced memorization of names and dates. Please focus on teaching the skills of reading for content, critical thinking, writing, problem-solving and analysis so Texas students are better prepared for college. Give teachers and local administrations more room to teach to the students they have.
ReplyDeleteAs a faculty member in the Political Science Department of the SINGLE largest, stand-alone community college campus in Texas and who teaches more than 500 students annually, I must express grave concerns about some of the omissions/substitutions/deletions respecting the curriculum proposed. I will take issue with each individually:
ReplyDeleteSTANDARD:
Students analyze the impact of individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media on the American political system, evaluate the importance of voluntary individual participation in a constitutional democratic republic society, and analyze the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
My Comment(s):
The SBOE has incorrectly determined that the concept of democratic needs to be removed.
The term, democratic, from the root demos "common people," and “kratos " to rule.
It is inherently disturbing to me that because the word ‘democratic’ is found ‘offensive’ or perhaps ‘subversive’ by those who view it in a partisan light would be removed for this reason alone. It is both irresponsible and hardly serves to promote civic engagement if students do not understand the concept that our government is based upon rule BY the people. Of course, the inclusion of the word republic is both appropriate and accurate and I support this.
STANDARD:
Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise system within the parameters of this course and understand that this system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system
My Comment(s):
The SBOE has determined that students need to be analyzing the economic structure of the United States, but to merely identify this as ‘capitalistic’ or ‘free-market’ is disingenuous. We have, and have had a ‘mixed’ economic system. There exists NOWHERE in the world a pure capitalist system and to imply that the US is that is inaccurate. Even the most ‘conservative’ economists argue this is true. Richard M. Ebeling is Professor of Economics and the Ludwig von Mises Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College, who he clearly distinguishes the US system as inherently ‘warped’ in light of what true capitalism represents. http://www.fff.org/freedom/0193b.asp
And further, I find it curious that the SBOE has decided to ADD this language to the Government standards, but concurrently removed them from the Economics standards.
STANDARD:
(A) explain major political ideas in history, including the laws of nature and nature’s God, unalienable rights natural law, natural rights , divine right of kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government;
My Comment(s):
Having taken my course work in political philosophy, I am very familiar with the concept of natural law and natural rights; however, I have never encountered “nature’s god” in my studies outside of the coursework taken on Greek mythology. I am curious then, would the entity being referred to here be Dionysus or Pan? Either of these entities, according to the Greek mythology, could be construed as the god of ‘nature’. We certainly want to be accurate in the information we provide our students!
STANDARD:
C) explain how political divisions are crafted and how they are affected by Supreme Court decisions such as Baker v Carr.
My Comment(s):
It seems a bit half-hearted to only cover Baker without going the EXTRA step and discussing Reynolds v. Sims as a corollary.
[Part 2]
ReplyDeleteSTANDARD:
(F) analyze selected issues raised by judicial activism and judicial restraint;
My Comment(s):
Has the SBOE considered the ‘controversial’ topics that these ‘issues’ might include? Including decisions from that period of History some members would prefer not be discussed (i.e. Plessy v Ferguson, wherein the doctrine of “separate but equal” was established or the consolidated cases under Brown v Board of Education, where the Plessy doctrine was overturned? Griswold v CT, wherein a ‘right to privacy’ was established, or Roe v Wade, where it was expanded? It seems counterintuitive given the ideological proclivities of some members----
STANDARD:
10)(9) Government. The student understands the concept of federalism. The student is expected to:
(A) explain why the Founding Fathers created a distinctly new form of federalism and adopted a federal
system of government instead of a unitary system;
(B) categorize government powers as national, state, or shared;
(C) analyze historical and contemporary conflicts over the respective roles of national and state
governments; and
(D) understand evaluate the limits on the national and state governments in the U.S. federal system of
government.
My Comment(s):
Considering the inability of students to correctly articulate what federalism is in my college level courses, I should think more time might be spent ensuring they can as opposed to concerning them with the conflicts that are associated with it----It seems that to appreciate the conflicts associated with federalism, the students should be exposed to not only the Federalist Papers, but those opposing arguments presented by the Anti-Federalists----which do not seem to be required reading. Secondly there is no such thing as ‘national or state powers.’ The powers possessed by each level of government are more correctly identified as expressed, implied, reserved or concurrent powers
STANDARD:
(11)(10) Government. The student understands the processes for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:
(A) compare different methods of filling public offices, including elected and appointed offices, at the
local, state, and national levels; and
(B) explain analyze and evaluate the process of electing the Ppresident of the United States and analyze
the Electoral College . ; and
(C) analyze the impact of the 17th Amendment
My Comments():
If there is a concern that the students understand Amendments with respect to nationally elected office, then perhaps not only should they review the 17th, but also, Article VI, which states that “…..but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” as well as 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
[Part 3]
ReplyDeleteSTANDARD:
(F) recall the conditions that produced the 14th Amendment , and describe subsequent efforts to selectively extend some of the selective incorporation of rights in the Bill of Rights to the states, including the Blaine Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court rulings , and analyze its the impact on the scope of fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights and on federalism
My Comment(s):
I am at a loss as to understanding why the SBOE found it necessary to strike ‘selective incorporation’ as that is the accepted and commonly used terminology associated with the selective application of rights and liberties, through the use of the 14th Amendment.
STANDARD:
(F) recall the conditions that produced the 14th Amendment , and describe subsequent efforts to selectively extend some of the selective incorporation of rights in the Bill of Rights to the states, including the Blaine Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court rulings , and analyze its the impact on the scope of fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights and on federalism.
My Comment(s):
The Blaine Amendment is not even discussed in survey courses at the college level---I suspect they might only be encountered in a 2nd year law course; so I am at a loss as to why this is a ‘critical’ element worthy of coverage in a high school course. Even legal scholars construe this as ‘archaic’.
Christy Woodward Kaupert
Assoc. Professor, Political Science
San Antonio College
Parts of the proposed changes in the Texas Social Studies Standards are straight out of neo-Confederacy, in particular the Confederate Christian nationalist movement. I have an article online from the "Canadian Review of American Studies," Univ. of Toronto at this link.
ReplyDeletehttp://gis.depaul.edu/ehague/Articles/PUBLISHED%20CRAS%20ARTICLE.pdf
For example, the idea of Stonewall Jackson as a great Christian comes from the Confederate Christian nationalist movement.
Also, I understand that Lincoln is to be compared to Jefferson Davis, which is very neo-Confederate, something like Mildred Rutherford would do, a Lost Cause leader of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the early 20th century.