Religion
Related: About this forumMore on RW Fundie's KKKurriculum for American Schools
More snips from the curriculum Jindal OK'd for Louisiana voucher schools. Quoted from this link.
(On Edit: Check out the last one about Armageddon, and tell me with a straight face that, with beliefs like this still current, and a stockpile of nukes, that there shouldn't be a religious test to hold public office or be an officer in the military - one which weeds out anyone who believes the Book of Revelations prophecy is a good and desirable end.)
- Only ten percent of Africans can read or write, because Christian mission schools have been shut down by communists.
- "the [Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross... In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians."
- "God used the 'Trail of Tears' to bring many Indians to Christ."
- It "cannot be shown scientifically that that man-made pollutants will one day drastically reduce the depth of the atmosphere's ozone layer."
- "God has provided certain 'checks and balances' in creation to prevent many of the global upsets that have been predicted by environmentalists."
- the Great Depression was exaggerated by propagandists, including John Steinbeck, to advance a socialist agenda.
- "Unions have always been plagued by socialists and anarchists who use laborers to destroy the free-enterprise system that hardworking Americans have created."
- Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential win was due to an imaginary economic crisis created by the media.
- "The greatest struggle of all time, the Battle of Armageddon, will occur in the Middle East when Christ returns to set up his kingdom on earth."
cbayer
(146,218 posts)That is not to dispute that LA is proceeding with a significant voucher program - it is. But I think his take on this (and other things) is pretty OTT.
daaron
(763 posts)then why dismiss it's author? Based on what criterion, I'm curious?
cbayer
(146,218 posts)(example: Right-Wing Crazies Who Fight Witchcraft and Demons Are Taking Over a State Near You"
And the title of this very piece is actually:
The Loch Ness Monster Is Real; The KKK Is Good: The Shocking Content of Publicly Paid for Christian School Textbooks
I am not dismissing him, just proceeding with caution, as his use of hyperbole seems to be for shock value and too extreme.
Also, I don't like alternet at all and tend to be skeptical about much of what is posted there.
No insult meant to you, I just think this kind of extremism can often do more harm than good because it can be too easily shot down.
daaron
(763 posts)The articles are frequently reprinted from elsewhere, with new badly misleading headlines. I've definitely noticed that. Hate that. Esp. when it's just a question that doesn't even relate to the article. Definitely not any worse than DUser headlines, though, which often cross the border of opaque to "Wha-a-a-t?" Doesn't necessarily reflect the content of the article, however - authors have no power over headlines.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Also, they often repackage bigoted and conspiracy based material. Overall, their editorial policy is very lax, to put it mildly.
That's why I generally approach anything from that salt with a great deal of skepticism. I'm not denying that Louisiana's decision regarding vouchers is not real and cause for concern, just this guy's take on it.
daaron
(763 posts)than picking apart his writing. He's clearly on the same side of the issue as us, so intend to support him, is all. I like to think of it as literary solidarity. Then maybe next year AlterNet writers will support DU, again, if it has to fight off another lawsuit.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Hopefully we will hear more about this from more legitimate sources.
Igel
(35,320 posts)Then again, he's quoting from 1995. And while somebody said "the content's the same" I don't think that rises to the assertion that no detail's been altered.
The biology blip cited is on its 3rd edition (although, oddly, I can't find the date of publication); a lot of the modules are on the 4th edition. I doubt this is the Soviet practice of reprinting a work with the same plates and nonetheless calling it a new "edition".
The poster's claim is that this is the curriculum that's approved strikes me as probably wrong. There's a difference between approving a set of standards, approving a set of textbooks that come up to those standards, and approving a school's certification.
My school is in Texas. The chemistry standards are set by the state. We must teach those--at a minimum--to be certified. Exactly how to implement them is a bit of a mystery at times, but the standardized test and released test questions are a guide.
The textbook we use is recommended, meaning that it must cover, to the minimum required extent, those standards. It exceeds those standards in some areas--environmental issues. (Because California requires more of this.) My school teaches that additional material. Neither the standards nor the textbook nor the district's curriculum mention superacids (non-aqueous acids/bases in general). But one teacher does talk about them.
In fact, the textbook is just recommended. It's not required. It's easier to show compliance with standards if we use a recommended textbook. I've heard of classes that used no textbook. Just lecture notes and team-prepared materials. I'm not sure if we could use a non-approved textbook, but if you don't need to use a textbook at all I suspect it would be okay.
In principle, it's fine to teach the Arrhenius acid/base theory and then turn around and say it's a crock. As long as you teach the theory and they know it and understand it and can apply it. You must teach the standards. Anything extra is extra. The standards aren't intended to be all-encompassing (although if you're kids aren't the greatest and the standards go on and on, they easily can take up every minute of class time plus some).
I'm guessing that the Louisiana charter schools are certified because they teach what the standards require. That they teach other stuff is beside the point. Granting certification doesn't approve their curriculum, it's just saying they make it through the gate.
(And, yes, I've seen some silly things taught in public schools.)
dimbear
(6,271 posts)When you group beliefs together in books, they're remembered as equally real.
That's why it's so precious that the KJV mentions unicorns.
Also Nessie is good for Scottish tourism.