American K-12 Textbooks

[Lonestar]

So, I download and listen to The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast for my car, and last weeks had an interview with a fella named Bill Bennetta from an organization called "The Textbook League".

I had already had a healthy amount of disrespect for High School history textbooks, just from personal expierience and reading Lies my Teacher Told Me in my Sophomore year of High School, and while I had a suspicion that creationism would have wedged itself into science textbooks on a larger scale since my HS days, I was surprised at some of the statements the fella made. Among them, Textbooks teach that Uranium is a synthetic element, that birds fly because of the Beronouli effect, etc.

Most disheartening, when asked "Is there anything we can do about this?" his answer was a simple "no". He then went on the explain how most people were ambivilant about the content of their kid's textbooks, and standards that the four biggest bookbuying states set (CA, TX, FL, NC) are rarely enforced.

A link to the fella's website is found here

But you can download the podcast in question here

Thoughts?

[Zkribbler]

Most disheartening, when asked "Is there anything we can do about this?" his answer was a simple "no".

Someone doesn't understand the nature of democracy.

--What you need is some rabble rousers to rouse up the rabble. Thousands of letters flow into the state legislature. Elections being decided on the textbook issue. Elected officials with "safe" seats being challenged because they ignored the needs of their state's children.

[chequita guevara]

They do, and the Kansas outlaws evolution and Florida declares only patriotic history existed.

[GePap]

This is why kids should read books other than text books.

[Odin]

Originally posted by GePap
This is why kids should read books other than text books.

A People's History of the US should be required reading for all high school US history classes!

[SlowwHand]

You seemed to come out anti-USA just fine on what you were taught.

[Odin]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
You seemed to come out anti-USA just fine on what you were taught.

"I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." ~ James Baldwin

[MrFun]

Re: American K-12 Textbooks

Originally posted by Lonestar

I had already had a healthy amount of disrespect for High School history textbooks, just from personal expierience and reading Lies my Teacher Told Me in my Sophomore year of High School

Dude, not only do I own the book Lies My Teacher Told Me, but I also own another book by the same author called Lies Across America.

[Gatekeeper]

Perhaps 10 to 20 years from now, when the U.S. education system — pervaded by "Intelligent Design" and other assorted pseudo-knowledge — turns out a generation of young adults truly unprepared to live, let alone compete, in a modern international world, will people realize the price they have paid for their ignorance.

Unfortunately, by the time that realization dawns, it will be a tad bit too late. America will have been relegated to second- or third-class status in terms of brain power. We shall lag behind the likes of China, India and perhaps parts of Europe. And that, my friends, will have an immediate impact in North America, an impact that will have a global ripple effect.

Long story short: Give your children a solid education, lest you want to see them achieve less and live more poorly than you did.

Gatekeeper

[Blaupanzer]

Rabble Rousing on the Right

Gatekeeper, is that really a Voltaire quote? Sounds similar to others I've heard.

That quote is right on point here, the "rabble" is already roused. Unfortunately, its much more right-wing than the consensus on this thread. In both Texas and Florida, special organizations with patriotic names monitor those texts to assure that the texts say what that group wants them to say. They have money to influence elections, an organized membership to write to the textbook makers, and a support structure based in the Christian right. They have their own media, headquarters, members on the official state textbook committees, and politicians that support their aims and their belief system. That's why the textbooks are so screwed up. The same loosely-affiliated group of "moral guardians" also has members on the California textbook committee.

Note, they are well organized but reasonably dicrete, no really nutty stuff is put in for fear of attracting the attention of the media and the public. This is NOT a conspiracy theory. The groups are not secret and are reported on fairly regularly, although nothing I can put my hands on here at work. They think they are doing the right thing, fighting the good fight against secular humanism.

They are wrong of course. Howard Zinn provides a useful alternative to the crap in high school texts. However, more than one teacher has seen their contract not renewed for straying from the party line, especially if recommending Zinn's People's History.

[Gatekeeper]

Blaupanzer:

Hmm. I found the quote on an online "quote" Web site some years ago. But because of that, I can't remember which Web site it was, or if it was a well-researched site (i.e. its quotes were accurate).

I'll be back later ... work now beckons!

Gatekeeper

[Imran Siddiqui]

A lot of people want to recommend Zinn... as if left wing history books (and I'm not saying it because I disagree, but Zinn himself comes out and says it in his introduction) will be the panacea. How about you also allow Paul Johnson's "History of the American People" (a more conservative history book) and have students read both at the same time to get both sides' views on things instead of just saying 'Zinn, Zinn, Zinn' (and before you say they already get a 'right wing' view on history, I'd say they get a watered down mythological view on the past, which has nothing to do with actual historical knowledge).

[Qwertqwert]

North Carolina is one of the 4 biggest bookbuying states? Why? How many people live there?

[Lonestar]

I don't think it's a matter of people living there as much as State school budgets. I imagine the reason why NY isn't in the top 4 is because they have other issues their schoolbudget has to deal with.

[Elok]

I've only read part of the first chapter of the Zinn book (the whole thing is available online somewhere, with his permission). I got to the part where he described pre-columbian America as a utopian paradise for the natives, at which point I burst out laughing and closed my browser. I'm told the whole thing is like that, which might make it worth reading just for fun.