THIS is why every school board election is IMPORTANT whether you have kids or not! Worth reading in its entirety. Is this truly a 2014 proposal not 1914?!? Jefferson County was the largest district in Colorado (by enrollment) for almost 40 years until Jan, 2014 when Denver passed them by a smidge. Full text of the JeffCo School Boards proposal that was approved on 09/18/14. That vote was not officially recorded after concern was voiced about legality of changing AP History because AP class curriculum is set nationally. This approval prompted the walkouts by students & sickouts by teachers, closing 2 schools on Friday. The committees purpose is utterly disturbing: Board Committee for Curriculum Review. The committee shall be seated by the Board. Each director may nominated up to three candidates for the committee and the entire board then will vote to select the nine (9) members of the committee. The charge to the committee is to review curricular choices for conformity to JeffCo academic standards, accuracy and omissions, and to inform the board of any objectionable materials. The committee shall regularly review texts and curriculum according to priorities that it establishes, however, at any time, the Board may add items to the list for review. The committee shall report all comments (majority and minority) to the board in writing on a weekly basis as items are reviewed. Board members may move for discussion or action on items reported when matters warrant public discussion or action. The committee’s initial projects will be a review of the AP US History curriculum and elementary health curriculum. Review criteria shall include the following: instructional materials should present the most current factual information accurately and objectively. Theories should be distinguished from fact. Materials should promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights. Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law. Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage. Content pertaining to political and social movements in history should present balanced and factual treatment of the positions. And if that is not enough, one of the members defined, on the record, the justification for the instructions: School board member Julie Williams, who authored the proposal, said people have misinterpreted what she’s trying to do. She said she’s not trying to eliminate the facts of U.S. history but shares the concerns conservatives nationally have outlined – that AP History casts some parts of history in a negative light, such as the bombing of Hiroshima and slavery. ... And the referenced concerns conservatives have outlined: UPDATE 6 - Background information from Samer: media.collegeboard/... The short version is that it now emphasizes CRITICAL THINKING rather than rote memorization of facts. And critical thinking is, of course, an enemy of modern conservatism. The RNC has come out against the new curriculum, saying, in a resolution, that its a radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nations history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects. Two other two conservative groups, American Principles in Action and Concerned Women for America, sent an open letter to the College Board asking that the new framework be delayed. If you dont want to give that site traffic, heres the jist: As you know, there is a rising tide of opposition to the AP U.S. History Framework. Concerned citizens and elected officials are increasingly alarmed at the direction it will take our schools, our teachers, and our high school students. . . . The new Framework inculcates a consistently negative view of American history by highlighting oppressors and exploiters while ignoring the dreamers and innovators who built our country....The new Framework continues its theme of oppression and conflict by reinterpreting Manifest Destiny from a belief that America had a mission to spread democracy and new technologies across the continent to something that “was built on a belief in white racial superiority and a sense of American cultural superiority.” . . . The new Framework repeatedly ignores the heroism and sacrifices of America’s servicemen and women. It goes on to complain about supplanting state power to set curriculum standards.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:09:42 +0000
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