Are America’s Textbooks Too Liberal?

No they are not too liberal!

No, American textbooks aren’t too liberal. Too much of reality is already kept out of them. Giving them this political slant is just wrong. Hopefully teachers will present the truth regardless of the garbage they fill the books with.

Way too socialistic and pro-big government and full of half-truths, distortion and outright lies.

yes

Anything to help get rid of the liberal slant, the better.
People are tired of the liberal bias, and you don’t have to look at anything other than recent elections and tv ratings.
Want to see liberalism at its best? Look at the wasteland called Kalifornia!

This man is influencing textbooks for the whole country? That’s insane. Why are textbook companies caving to his right wingnut views? He fails in his home work and leaves out parts of history and the only thing he can say is I made a mistake? There should be someone checking his paper before he turns it in. What crazy way to do business.

Union members teach this stuff. Unions hate conservatives. Sure, how liberal could the books be? *sarcasm*

Yes, I do believe that text books today are entirely too liberal. It’s bad enough that the “theory” of evolution is being taught as fact when it has never actually been proven. After looking at the history book of my nephews and comparing it to my history book,there is a definite lean toward liberalism and brainwashing of the younger generation. Reminds me of the 60′s when it was wrong to trust anyone older than 30. Sad thing is,this is not only being taught in some school books but in the media and commercials our children are watching on TV. Our society is literally and “liberally” going down the toilet.

I think textbooks are too liberal. Their views are imposed on the history of our past distorting the values, priorities, and the focus of our historical leaders on the decisions and the events of America’s past.

No the textbooks in the US are not liberal. Sorry, but the conservatives have forgotten there is such a thing as separation of Chuch and State. And now we have people trying to skew the ideas one way to the other. Of course if we go to where conservatives want to lead us Lincoln was all wrong and the Emancipation Proclamation was an error, the Civil Rights Movement was a mistake, and we should be living in a world circa 1800. Seems that the rest of the world is bypassing the US in intelligence, no wonder we seem to be letting this country go to the boondocks.

yes way too liberal

As a future history teacher in Texas, I am APPALLED at what Don McElroy is trying to do with the state social studies curriculum. First of all, McElroy is a dentist, not a historian. Second of all, how is trading a so-called liberal bias for a conservative one fair? Why would you take out historical figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Cesar Chavez, W.E.B. DuBois, and Shirley Chisholm? It’s a shame when you’re charged with having a liberal bias when you educate students about important members of the civil rights movement. Especially when less than ten percent of your district is white in places like Dallas. Ridiculous.

The textbooks have become liberal over the years because liberal authors/ publishing companies have rewritten the true history of America by leaving out important portions of original historical accounts when these accounts were rewritten. Example, in republishing the story of Squanto, it was reprinted exactly as it was originally written except that two words were left out. Original writing said he “prayed to God” but the rewritten version was he “prayed”. This is one technique for rewriting original historical accounts to accomplish the liberal goal of leaving God out of everything in our country.

In the science arena, there are many areas stated as fact in books, when they are really faith…this would be fine if they were mentioned as beliefs, but when mentioned as fact, they are making a religious and not scientific. Theory’s like the big bang, the age of the earth and many evolution beliefs are taught as complete fact despite their unproven nature.
Given that creation science isn’t even mentioned, but scorned, I would say they’re not “too liberal”, they’re just liberal.

Yes, definitely textbooks are too liberal. They are missing the whole point of the History of the United States

YES They are too liberal. Our nation was founded on religious principles. Just look at all the religious inscriptions on all of the nations memorials in Washington DC and the nations capitol buildings. This should be mentioned in history text books.

Of course they’re too biased when the imput that carries weight is fundamentally biased! If someone wants to claim fair and balanced, they are far right, no one is right but them, Fox right wingers.

Historically, politics stayed out of historic facts. In today’s super-charged environment in the battle between the parties, now we are specifically trying to modify the facts to bend thinking more conservatively. Sounds like we have the do nothing party facing off with the communist party!

Yes, they are way too liberal. That is why my daughters are home schooled. My son, however, has to attend public school so he can participate in sports. His teachers don’t like us because we have him exempted from a lot of assignments and teaching. Like it or not, evolution is a religion because it hasn’t been proven as a fact. If the schools are going to teach one religion, they should teach them all. Otherwise, aren’t they discriminating? Oops, I forgot that conservative Christianity is the only thing it’s okay to discriminate against.

Yes, school books are too liberal.
The guy is in TEXAS. TEXANS voted
him in. In TEXAS you can tell the
truth! Hurray for this guy! The
real nuts are the people who criticize
him and TEXAS for telling the truth.
The truth ain’t always pretty – but it
is the truth never the less. If any
other state doesn’t like it – let them
print their own textbooks.

Yes they are liberal! they must be stoped if we want to save this country from self destruction. bring back the structure and the fondation and morals in wich this country was founded. wake up! america and take control of what is right.

Yes, The local school boards decide which textbooks will be used for teaching students. As we know it is easy to re write history. We can write a book and make history whatever we like.

Textbooks should be liberal just as the Constitution is. It was written to include all types of people with all types of religious beliefs. Our textbooks should not reflect a bias toward one or the other.

Yes, the textbooks are too liberal despite the battles waged by conservatives on behalf of 90% of Americans to keep the books truthful and accurate. Your show this evening proved that the liberal media will always show only their viewpoint. Living in Texas and closely watching these meetings, which you haven’t, I’m seen the liberals on this board try to remove the word Christmas, the name of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington (not even sure why), the mention that this country was founded on Christian principals, & the list goes on. Yet, you failed to report this information…mmmm, wonder why? Oh, I know! You Are The Liberal Media.

Too liberal? Are you kidding me? someone needs to stop Don McLeroy from erasing and distorting our history. This man is dangerous as far as I am concerned. Admitedly rushing to tie up deadlines therefor not reporting history accurately. He’s already been voted out, that should say something. Kick this man out. Don’t let him do any more damage to our history or our future.

Are you insane? No, the textbooks are not too liberal.
I grew up in the Texas Public Education System and it is horrible. We were taught to take tests. Most of the stuff we learned was offset by the two months we took in preparation for taking the states assessment tests.
It wasn’t until I got into college that I learned a lot of what I learned in school was either a) wrong, b) didn’t go into enough detail or c) half-right half-wrong.
And that was before the right wing religious fanatics got ahold of the books I learned from.
I have to say that I am absolutely terrified of what the children are learning now.
We are going to be the laughing stock of the world in education.
One thing you should have mentioned Nightline is that Texas has ENORMOUS dropout rates. We are also placed 49th in the nation in educational scores.
Now, the religious fanatics are trying to Whitewash history:
“The board had rejected an effort to include the names of two Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients and one black recipient in lessons for a world history class, but agreed to revisit the amendment for an American history class. It also approved an amendment that deletes a requirement that sociology students “explain how institutional racism is evident in American society.”
“I mean we’ve already been whitewashing all of social studies up to this point and now we’re doing it in sociology?” Democratic board member Mary Helen Berlanga said after Republican Barbara Cargill’s amendment was proposed. “You’ve got to leave some integrity in this.”
The amendment was adopted on a 10-5 party line vote.”
“Berlanga, who has served on the board since 1982, walked out of the meeting after reviewing upcoming amendments involving the inclusion of Hispanic names in the standards.
“I’ve had it, this is it,” she said. “I’m leaving. We can just pretend this is a white America and Hispanics don’t exist.””
“A party-line vote defeated an amendment by Democrat Mavis Knight of Dallas that would have required students to study the reasons “the founding fathers protected religious freedom in America by barring the government from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion above all others.”
The board agreed to strengthen nods to Christianity by adding references to “laws of nature and nature’s God” to a section in U.S. history that requires students to explain major political ideas.
They also agreed to strike the word “democratic” in references to the form of U.S. government, opting instead to call it a “constitutional republic.”
The board also added a reference to the Second Amendment right to bear arms in a section about citizenship in a U.S. government class and agreed to require economics students to “analyze the decline of the U.S. dollar including abandonment of the gold standard.””
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/mar/11/state-board-of-education-member-walks-out-of/

Amy, who complains about “are kids are being brain washed” could benefit from a better education herself.

Yes, very liberal, just like ABC News.

Absolutely not. The Texas School Board of Education has been an embarassment in that they have been on a quest to remove scientific facts and replace them with religious speculations. Fortunately, after recent elections, several will not be returning, but sadly, they will not take their positions until 2011. The damage caused by these right wingers has already been done.

YES !!!!!!!!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ?

In history books, I think it is a disservice to students to not acknowledge different viewpoints, comparatively. However, it concerns me that religion/ creationism could creep into science textbooks, b/c that is not science and interferes with separation of church and state.

Yes, America’s school textbooks and curriculums are slanted with liberal ideals and our nation’s founders beliefs have become distorted. Evolution is taught basically as fact, not the theory it is. Modern science discoveries point to the opposite – where are the fossils of animals who died in an evolutionary phase, adapting from one creature to a “higher” one?

History textbooks tend to be too conservative. They continue to justify, or at least imply, that the Europeans who came to this continent did acceptable things to the native population and the land. They even fail to point out the recent historical damage the USA has done around the world.
Explanations of slavery, internment camps, reservations, manafest destiny, eminent domain and such without even implying the wrongness of such acts is implied justification. We continue to break our agreements around the world, befriend evil dictators, take advantage of the weak, and fail to provide for the welfare of those within our own borders, but these things are not mentioned at all.
This is revisionist history at its worst. Rather than worrying about the political bent of textbooks, it would be nice just to have them contain the truth for a change.
Unless the children learn the truth, they will not see a need for change, let alone be prepared to work for it. This is the damage caused by textbooks that are promoted by special interests.

If you actually pay attention you will discover that most textbooks are too liberal. Your story might indicate that these people are trying to make too conservative but that’s likely because they are fed up with the clearly liberal bent on most textbooks. The fact that so many want to omit that fact that religion and faith paid a large role in the lives of many of the founders of this country is indicative of the liberal influence.

Yes, they are way too liberal. The recent “hub bub” about reducing the coverage of the Revolutionary Years in American History for High School is ludicrous! The High School years are the ones you remember the most, and having emphasis on the basis of the founding of this country in High School American History is imperative.
This is just more liberalism being forced on us and reducing the patriotism and independence that has been so important and made this country so strong!! The Foundation of this country MUST be taught to our children in order to preserve our Freedom! There is already way too much “socialism” in this country already!
Americans fought for their freedom from tyranny because of the need for religious freedom and because of taxation without representation, and they declared that freedom in 1776, fought for it and won. They had to fight for it again in the War of 1812. This history needs to be emphasized, not de-emphasized!!
Our government representatives today are not listening to us on a number of different fronts, and they should!! THIS IS AMERICA, LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE, OUR LANGUAGE IS ENGLISH, and if our American Flag and patriotism offends anyone, they have the right and freedom to leave this country! Americans are tired of “political correctness”! BACK TO THE BASICS, and stand for the Flag and what it means!!! Our predecessors have fought for that freedom in a number of wars beginning with the Revolutionary War!

I blame the book publishers for selling their souls to get an order!
I find it incredible that these few people can change history to suit their own religious/ political views. It is no wonder that our students are falling behind the rest of the world!

NO, not even close. Our Republican overlords have had their hands in it too long. But if raising idiotic, poorly educated Americans is what they want, then they will most definitely succeed with McLeroy and others in charge (I mean look at the spelling and grammar on these comments, hello!).
I think textbooks and curriculum should be decided by experts in the respective fields, not by a two-bit, evangelical, fundamentalist dentist and his posse.

I have two children in public school and I would conclude that it is liberal in content. For example, there is a political cartoon in my daughters book. It shows a white guy saying “it’s time to reclaim America from the illegal immigrants” and an American-indain replying “i’ll help you pack”. There were no other examples of polital cartoons that kids would have any idea what was ment.

Textbooks have a definite liberal slant with the strong Christian influence of the early settlers minimized or eliminated. We are all for a balance of the historical facts, not elimination of what principles the founders followed.

I am astonished at people actually saying textbooks are too liberal! Textbooks should be FACTUAL and contain accurate accounts of history, proven science and be written by those who are scholars not dentists with a conservative, religious agenda. He did say he wanted his Christian values reflected. I suppose it doesn’t matter that we have a separation of church and state in the US. Sorry, but religion has no place in public schools. For those who are under rocks for the last 30 years: we are a diverse nation and not everyone is Christian.

America’s textbooks are NOT too liberal! I was outraged to hear that Mr. McLeroy’s group had tried to block FACTS, such as (1) Thurgood Marshall being the first Black man to serve on the Supreme Court, and (2) attempting to ban references to Chavez from being included in the school books. This reeks of racism. Mr. McLeroy’s group also attempted to include justifications for the abuses of the McCarthyism era. How can these members of our society live and operate in half-truths? By telling historical “fairy tales,” teaching only half of our history, and telling our young people WHAT to think rather than HOW to think and make decisions, we are ultimately dumbing down an already faltering educational system that currently focuses on test-taking skills rather than how to learn. It’s startling to realize that such closed-minded, prejudiced individuals have such power and control over our educational systems. The “facts” of our existence in history can apparently be erased due to the abuse of power of just a few people. It’s very sad. And it’s scary.

They’ve been liberal for so long that people don’t realize it. Important things have been left out or changed to please the left. If history books were accurate and history taught accurately, liberals would understand what separation of church and state means. But as long as their propaganda is taught this country will continue to go toward socialism and our freedom will be lost.

Absolutely not. If anything, they downplay the hardships people have undergone in history. And those historical figures (ie, John Adams, for example) who fought for true democracy and peace have been presented too vaguely! Very little is said about slavery and the realities of that horrific experience! And God forbid people know that Lincoln was bi-racial. And what about discussing at length the horrors that followed the Native American. They are considered pre-history; essentially, they don’t exist in American history books. Most children will go through 12 years of school and not really know how we “Americans” got here, and whose land we stole to settle it. And look at Kansas! They teach creationism… there is no evidence that proves it even happened. Evolution has been proven a million times over. Like John said, there is much of reality that is all ready kept out of them! How can anyone say they are too liberal?? I might agree with McElroy’s stance on some level, but I know that those new history entries will not be presented for what they are. The anti-communist movement in the fifties – that was evil, but I can guarantee the political right won’t present all the nasty facts that reveal what that movement was really doing. Why would they? I guess it depends on where and who you are in the world. It is sad that most people can not look at the truth behind the horrors in our history, simply because they can’t step out of themselves for two minutes and be in another’s shoes for a while. The world would be a kinder place.
What disgusted me most, was that this guy, McLeroy, sounded so uneducated, admitting at least twice that he had made mistakes in these books! And they’re actually going to sell them nationwide??? This guy is a dentist, people???? This country is really scaring me, and I am glad my child and I live where we do.

What’s wrong about teaching about the Confederacy’s President Davis when teaching the Civil War? He was the President of the South, yes? What’s the big deal?
And as far as the part about including the religious beliefs of the framers of the Constitution, it seems to be a necessity. Apparently, there are many liberals who believe that the majority of the men who signed the constitution are atheists, which is without a doubt untrue.
And these same liberals are using this new arguement to re-write the “original intent” of the framers regarding Separation of Church and State. When the fact of the matter is, is that it was a Baptist movement that coined the term “Separation of Church and State” and therefore could not be twisted into the perverse meaning that atheists trying to push in today’s politics. Ironically, Separation of Church and State was originally intended to keep government OUT of religion (not religion out of government), thus allowing people to practice religion freely. However, SOCS is currently being misconstrued and granting government the power to dictate when and where practicing your religion is appropriate. Ironic, indeed.

No and some of the things I heard suggested are ridiculous content for textbooks.

I don’t trust anyone who is a fundamentalist.As surely as they have twisted and perverted the Bible,they have a revisionist view of history.Total frauds.

I live in Texas and would live no other place. All I want to know is how this narrow-minded radical conservative idiot made it on the Texas Board of Education. That is just scary in soooooooo many ways, I just don’t know where to begin. It is with thinking like his that causes wars. Can we succeed him from Texas? I think we should start a movement!

I believe Lincoln was a republican and so was Martin Luther King, Jr. I don’t believe the liberals can take credit for much good done in this country. Liberals run the school system in the US, just look at the decline in grades and intelligence over the years. Why hasn’t there been a news report about the deliberate lies printed in our history books for years, by liberals.

It is ridiculous of Don McLeroy to state that the left doesn’t see the liberal bias when the positions he is demanding be taught are so wildly extreme and he doesn’t see his own bias. His insistence that his version of history, true or false, be taught to children is out of touch with reality. He seems totally unfazed by the fact that he was beaten in last week’s election, something that really should tell him just how his fellow Texans feel about this. His is a very small minority that can affect a tremendous amount of schoolchildren, and this should simply not be allowed to happen.
I am old enough to remember when all textbooks had a huge right-wing bias. When people of my generation started learning the truth about indigenous Americans and slavery and all of the things that we were spoon fed a sugary version of we became disillusioned and angry. I don’t see how subjecting another generation to the same disappointment could be good.

I have lived in Dallas Tx all my 58 years. Dallas had 2 newspapers most of that time,the liberal Times Herald & the conservative Morning News.When the Times Herald folded,we were left with the Morning News.On almost every political race,the Dallas Morning News endorsed the conservative candidate. Yet in almost daily letters to the editor,there is some conservative ranting about this”liberal”newspaper. The far right tend to use the liberal crutch to avoid true debate. Textbooks should reflect a spectrum of views,but should not be used for a social agenda.

No they are not too liberal. Maybe people should know that a majority of those who sit on the Board in Texas don’t even send their children to public schools. Why then should they dictate what is taught in the public schools? Also, the conservative block believes creationism is what should be taught to our children. No wonder the US is so far behind other countries in education.

Definitely YES too liberal! And the classrooms are already politicized to the Left and its past time to move it more to the center. The inclusion of Jefferson Davis with Abraham Lincoln is a perfect example. People seem to forget that Lincoln was NOT the president for about 1/3 of Americans from the 1860 census. The Emmancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the South, areas that Lincoln had no control over but not in the border states (Missouri, Maryland, Kentucky, etc.) where he did have control. I first noticed the slant when my own kids were in school (80′s-90′s)and even more today with my grandkids. College books and professors are so far to the left it is unreal!

Yes,they are too liberal. A little comment on the “history” of seperation of church and state, it was to keep the state out of the church, not the church out of the state!

Definitely too liberal. In the name of justice and equal rights, concessions have been made to give room in history to people that talked about doing while doers got it done. I am not a “go getter”, but neither do I agree with those that think that just because they were at the right place at the right time, their names deserve to be among the go getters who have brought this country to where it is today. Too many liberals open their mouths, not to say anything significant, but to take the chance for something to fall in their mouths. And that is not deserving of mentioning in school books.

No our book are not to liberal.

No, I do NOT think textbooks are too liberal. And I don’t like the fact that what this man decides should affect so many people!! (Although I am a Christioan also)

Here’s an idea.. If you want religion so bad in your children’s education, send them to a private christian based school.
Please keep your supernatural beliefs where they belong, in your churches and homes. Don’t infringe on my constitutional rights.
“Intelligent Design”… And I thought irony was mainly taught during English.

No I do not think they are too liberal, they’re trying to become conservative.

Forget the question whether textbooks are or aren’t too liberal, how about why a dentist who is a self-described “Christian fundamentalist” has the power to single handedly change the content of textbooks that will be used to teach our children throughout this entire country for at least the next ten years! There is something fundamentally wrong with the system that allows one person to have this much power, especially when he has no credentials in the subject matter that he is changing, other than his own personal opinion.

The notion that it’s “liberal bias” to emphasize the contributions of Abraham Lincoln — the president that led the nation through a Civil War that resulted in the abolition of HUMAN slavery — is beyond the lunatic fringe. They also wanted to leave out Thurgood Marshall — as the nation’s first black supreme court justice. Earlier in his career, as a NAACP lawyer, Marshall argued Brown vs Topeka Bd of Education, which resulted in the desegregation of public school. Of course they want to erase him, just as they want to erase that court ruling and results of the Civil War as well, if they could.
This shows conservatism’s evil, racist core. As a Christian, I get so disgusted with conservatism’s constant perversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to camouflage racism and Mammon worship.
Boards of education from other states, especially California, which is the other big schools state, should just refuse to buy these textbooks. Purchase textbooks from companies that don’t bend history to Texas’ racist fringe.

Why are college grants by obama a sponsor? Where did he get the money to give me a grant? Or again is he using my tax money to put his name on this grant to have his name in print? This is another example of a liberal use of truth? History books should be history that happened not remade to fit political agenda’s of our current narrow minded historians that want to create their own truth.

I believe ABC News has misinformed a lot of people here. I live in the Dallas area and this story has been around for almost a year now.
The idea of taking out Thurgood Marshall and Cesar Chavez was only being kicked around (in committee) because the minority communities wanted inclusion of other historical figures. So what the committees did was list out all of the minority historical persons and figure out who stays and who goes. When it was pointed out for space reasons that you can’t have them all and if you want the addition of one guy you have to cut out another, then Marshall and Chavez made the cut and stayed in.
It should also be noted that they kicked around the idea of dropping Christmas from a list of religious holidays because Christianity was already represented with Easter. Seriously, folks.

yes too liberal

Yes, I think our textbooks are too liberal!

THe text books are not really liberal. In every book in this world, it is one person’s thoughts or a group of authors that share the same ideas or thoughts. Does not mean that the are true, nor does it mean that we should ignore the constitution. Separation of church and state is a major issue in America. Text books are meant to explore every part of the history and human life that we believe it to be true. If this happens with the conservative text books, will this mean that we will possibly ignore scientific fact and stop teaching evolution all together? This is a possiblity. Should we really ignore this, or better yet, should we ignore the fact that while the dentist is fighting for conservative views in text books and making his own views? If this happens where will the truth actually lie? At the beggining of the broadcast, it specified that the dentist said the founding fathers were Christian, when in fact popular belief is they were Protistent. Does the Dentist already have his views wrong or is he just making a statement that the American people should be more religous instead of being who we are?

NO. THERE IS ALREADY TOO MUCH FAR RIGHT WING POLITICIZING IN OUR MEDIA, INSTITUTIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL DIALOUGE.POLARIZING AND CHANGING THE TEXTBOOKS IS REVISIONIST HISTORY….EXTOLLING THE POLITICS OF PRO SLAVERY SOUTH’S JEFFERSON DAVIS TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN SAVING OF THE UNION IS A TRAVESTY. THAT’S LIKE EXTOLLING HITLER’S NAXI PARTY POLITICAL GERMANY TO THE ALLIES RIGHTOUS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM & AGAINST TOTALITARISM.
IT’S SHEER RIGHT WING PC MADNESS!!

Yes, America’s text books are very liberal, but what is worse, is the truth is eliminated to push the liberal agenda.

A self-proclaimed “Christian fundamentalist” isn’t a conservative – he’s a nutcase.
And the American public is supposed to believe that some hetero white man, convinced he was born with some golden peepee and with sole access to exclusively interpreting the “Word” of some imaginary white Man who lives in the sky – is somehow interested in teaching truth?
It seems almost hilarious that alleged con-servatives, who regularly demand other points of view be censored as “immoral” are suddenly concerned about telling the “whole” story in history books. Will we be looking forward to reading the woman’s point of view from anything other than this man’s “biblically-correct” viewpoint?
Does this mean conservative advocates for textbooks will welcome the historical point of view of gays?
Haha. . .suddenly I can sense the “immoral-so-must-be-censored” advocates rushing forward to suddenly decry telling the “whole truth.”

As Chelsey says there is an implied separation of church and state. But if people like her would bother to finish reading the rest of that sentence in the first amendment they would read “congress shall pass no law prohibiting the free exercise there of.” Schools as a state agency can’t endorse or promote any religion, however they also can not prohibit someone from doing so individually. That also means that under those rules they can’t teach the global warming religion or promote Islamic sensitivity classes. Teaching the historical fact that the founding fathers were driven by their religion does not promote religion but merely states the fact of.
Chelsey -Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves, the 14th amendment did, try reading and understanding the document. I.E. The clause of the EP that states that all Union reclaimed territories are NOT affected.
That is part of the problem, too many kids have be indoctrinated under liberal agendas and they no longer enforce independent thought. Those are the ideas that the conservatives are trying to keep alive. Teaching about the founding fathers religion serves to show that not all people are driven by some demented idea of collectivism.

I taught in public school for over 30 years.
In my experience textbooks are generally NOT too liberal.
Text books should be written by moderates, without a political a agenda.
Could we please, keep keep the “spin” and mean spirited attitudes out of education ??? Just supply the unvarvished facts so children can draw their own conclusions.

Wow some of these posts are just insane! I especially like the post where the lady said conservatives are trying to undo the Emancipation Proclamation, i find that statement too stupid to even be offended by it. As for the topic, yes the textbooks are far too liberal these days, if you want kids to be able to decide for themselves their beliefs you have to tell the whole story, not just the one side of it. The liberals already control the media, so kids who just read the headlines and watch nightly news already aren’t getting all the information they should, they should at least be able to get the facts from textbooks at school.

Here’s Another Example:
Lincoln campaigning for Pres. pledged that if the country went to war it wouldn’t be fought over slavery.
When war broke out Between the States it was fought over taxes and states rights.
Lincoln, failing in the polls running for a second term embraced the abolitionist for the votes they could secure…procomation…Civil War.
When the news eventually reached the front lines, many soldiers on both sides deserted since freeing slaves wasn’t what they had been fighting.
History’s intent is to record facts from periods of time.
Distorting or not full disclosure is to hide truths that deny those that live in later times to make mistakes by not having the benefit of the wisdom that has already been paid for, often with much pain and sacrifice, gained from preceeding generations.
-S.

I have no idea whether textbooks are too liberal–it’s been more than 50 years since I read one. What bothers me about this story is the fact that the publishers are kowtowing to these ultra conservative Christian fundamentalists who are trying to insert their beliefs into the curriculum. Who writes these textbooks, anyway? I always thought historians and scholars wrote them, experts in their field–not a conservative dentist who admits to hasty “mistakes” after he has made them! If these “rewritten” textbooks are the only ones available to schools across the country, I hope the truly responsible and intelligent teachers in schools will supplement these “textbooks” by letting their students research history for themselves, in the library and on the Internet.

Yes! Way to liberal!

There should be no place for bias either to the “Right” or to the “Left” when it comes to history. History is already too tainted to the point that historical truth is becoming more difficult to identify. To omit, distort or skew historical events because of personal political or psuedo-religious viewpoints is tragic. Thank heaven there are sources like the History Channel who hopefully can be trusted to give much more insight into significant historical events. To allow leftist conservatives to skew the content of school texts anywhere would be an injustice to historical accuracy. Can you imagine what would happen if the denial of the Holocaust came to be treated as fact??? An extreme example that would be truly frightening. And who is this McLeroy and why is he even in the position he is in? He obviously lacks objectivity and is intent on skewing history to suit his and other overly-conservative right-wingers views. Is he getting $$$$ support to push the skewing of history to his ends??? It would not be surprising. Then again, he is, sadly, from the beloved and great state of TEXAS – home of a Governor who has proposed seceeding from the United States. Wow – think of what that would do in losing all of the federal $$$ support for schools, highways, social programs, etc, etc. Wow – No Place Like Texas!!

Yes, some text books have a liberal slant. Obviously some subjects are mostly immune from this issue.
When you have a text book suggesting that more Government was the correct response to a historical issue, and fail to point to the consequences that is a liberal slant.
When you have a text book suggest that a problem was caused by too little government intervention, when there is much more to the story, that is a liberal slant.
Unless you have competent liberals, moderates, and conservatives get together and put down both sides of history, you will continue to have a liberal slant.
Much of history comes from the media, and the majority of the news outlets that pretend to be unbiased have a liberal slant. Just look at ABC who has George Stephanopoulos, a former political adviser to Bill Clinton. Was there any doubt that he would call every single Presidential debate for Obama?
Most liberals I have talked with do not understand the core concepts of conservatism, and unless they have a paradigm shift will never be able to understand the substance behind the conservative movement. The current Health Care debate illustrates the point. Harry Reid today said, “These Republican maneuvers are rooted less in substantive policy concerns and more in a partisan desire to discredit Democrats” Yet at the core of Conservatism is that a limited Federal Government is best for personal freedoms. How can conservatives be expected to support mandates that every citizen be forced to buy Health insurance, and the federal government micro managing health care decisions?
Liberals want the Federal Government to solve problems. Conservatives believe the Federal Government causes problems, with the primary purpose of the Federal Government to be defending our freedoms, and regulating interstate commerce. With these polar opposites, and history being written largely by what is reported in the media, and scholars from notably liberal institutions it is no surprise that liberals do not see any bias in text books. Yet conservatives find only one side of the story told in history books. Liberals don’t see the bias, because that would require a paradigm shift for them.

To Chelsey,
You are the product of the liberal education that has been corrupting our youths for years. To think that “…leading university scholars should decide what is in textbooks” is just one example of what I just said. A huge majority of university scholars are liberal and will only tell their side. What is needed are people from both sides to make sure that what is put into textbooks is as equal and correct as it can be. When a history book can put in multiple pages about Marilyn Monroe and then give 1 or 2 pages about the Revolutionary War, or the people that wrote the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution is absolutely crazy.

Since the meaning of being liberal is lost on conservatives, perhaps a reminder that the U.S. Constitution is a “liberal” document and that many of our institutions are based on “liberal ideas” such as universal education and suffrage. The concept of myopic education is a conservative notion, not allowing new ideas,concepts or theories to be presented. It should be noted that Christianity itself can be considered a “liberal” concept, to have compassion and love for everyone regardless,just as God has love for all of us regardless of our faults and failings. It is amusing that conservatives want to limit and confine every aspect of our lives into their narrow view of the world which sadly is ruled by their wallet more than by their conscience.

Howard Zinn: The Peoples History of the United States.
This has been one of the most popular history texts for quiet a while now and it is beyond liberal. In fact, I’d argue that doing a story on textbook bias without mentioning Zinn’s contributions shows ABC’s liberal bias.

This fellow is a menace. I am all for a balanced approach but Mr. McLeroy is a fascist. If you don’t know what fascist means I suggest you look up the definition.

Yep too Liberal. Liberals are pushy bullies, so that is why it has gotten this far. It’s like them holding a gun to your head to get what they want. Not a civilized way to deal with it. Pretty soon this WILL be a 3rd world Country that has forgotten what morals this country WAS founded on.

Textbooks are not too liberal. Textbooks do differ by the publisher. Every textbook is going to have biases as history is biased. Religious biases should not be considered when writing textbooks as church and state should be separated.

Yes. But the teachers are the real problem. They brain wash kids with their own liberal ideology, K to 12.

No. They are not liberal enough and not progressive enough. Crazies like this McLeroy clown need to be exposed. We have a Constitution to uphold.
Does he also believe in Santa Claus? He no doubt believes evolution is some fantasy story. “God” help us all, there are so many really bizarre idiots in this country. These ignorant conservatives really scare me. Completely ignorant of medicine, science, history, reason and rationality. The Dark Ages and the Puritans were hundreds of years ago. Give us all a break.

Is it really necessary to re-write history to include McLeroy’s dogma in history textbooks? No. And it’s also not necessary to re-write science books to replace factual information with dogmatic concepts like intelligent design.
Why do we have to politicize everything we do these days?

This is America, not China or the Soviet Union. Textbooks are not liberal, they state facts, and should be politicized.

This report illustrates the leftist bias in Nightline. There are MOUNTAINS of leftist textbooks, and they focus like a laser on this ONE BOARD which wants A FEW BOOKS to be more balanced. If even ONE book is a bit more conservative, they go into PANIC MODE and ring the alarm… THE CONSERVATIVES ARE BURNING BOOKS AGAIN!!!
Way, Way, WAY too liberal.
How about this, Hightline: Check out the boards in Manhattan, Hollywood, San Francisco…. Gawd… You people have blinders on!

No, the textbooks are not too liberal. What our students need is comprehensive information
based on historical and scientific facts. Students should get their religious information from their family and their church not their school , unless they attend a religious school. Publishers should be ashamed to publish “history ” books based on the slanted beliefs of one state school board.

Textbooks are only too liberal if you think that students should be taught to be proud of America, rather than being taught to be ashamed of it.

This country has always skewed history. Notice how two hundred years ago we stated the Native Americans were just wild, voracious animalistic killers of the ‘white-folk’ and this was in books until say 50 years ago, even though in truth we took their land without even asking not to mention established a law to eradicate them by burning them up. Not of course we change history a bit to the other side, and the conservatives fall on the floor crying. Give me a break. Now they don’t even teach evolution anymore, not even as an opinion. This country is starting to become a fascist, overtly religious (at the same extremism of the Islam religion), and instead of favoring a “Separation of Church from State” wants to force religion upon us all. As for the person and I quote who wrote this “Of course our schoolbooks are too liberal. Can you believe they questioned the idea of including the FACT that men voted women into having the right to vote. Hello?!?! It’s FACT! How can you be offended at a fact being included in the history books? Or the fact that the majority voted for civil rights?
Who cares if “some in the educational establishment” criticize something? The “establishment” shouldn’t be the end all be all of what our children are taught. That’s why school board members are elected, to represent the real people and the real parents.
We need ALL the facts included in history books, not just one side’s story.” — Women could not vote for their own right to vote because they were never given that priviledge. Therefore of course men voted for their right, not so much for their own convictions as it was the pressure given by women and those that did favor us voting. In my community some of the most corrupted, judgemental, and completed politically unintelligent people are actually own very own representatives which lie to get into the position and then do whatever they feel like, even if they don’t even know what the heck their doing. And I am not only judging Republicans here but Democrats just the same. If you want to have your own conservative propaganda I believe it should be done in private schools, where you can even pray everyday during school. Let the books be. When we compare a child from this country, and their intelligence compared to a child from another country such as a European one, our children have little hope. Conservatives want to hide the sun with a thumb.

Leftists have always said that their goal is to control education. “Give us control of the classroom, and we will produce generations of socialists.” They got that from Stalin.

Liberals took control of the classroom fair and square. They get to determine what gets taught. If conservatives want to teach, let them get a teaching degree! The textbook definition of liberal is “correct.” The textbook definition of Republican is “racist pig.”

In a textbook I saw recently, the ONLY mention of President Reagan was that he suffered from Alzheimer’s while in office and Nancy Reagan actually ran the country. This is being taught as fact.

Nothing new here, we are Texans and cowboys. We had to learn how to ride at an early age. Dinosaurs were the first to be broken in as domesticated herders. Our children should learn these lessons along with abstinence. You liberals can teach your children anything that you like since many of your kids will attend college. Our kids could dropout of school so they should be taught the basics according to the bible just in case.

NO they are absolutely NOT too liberal.
It is absolutely outrageous that this elected dentist from an exceptionally conservative state is given this power over our entire countries education. Text book companies need to object to this as their ultimate aim should be to provide the nations children with facts and allow them to develop their own viewpoints.

No, I don’t believe so. I know several grade school teachers, and am amware that there is more multi-culturalism present in textbooks than when I went, in the 1970′s, but do not believe that multi-culturalism equals a liberal slant. If anything, the books have more well-rounded sources of information, although I am sure there is always room for improvement.
The fact is, facts are not just facts. They can be colored, nuanced, shaded, biased, and filtered through any number of prejudices and viewpoints. If encouraging a broader view of our world and its inherant possibilites is considered overtly liberal, than maybe the textbooks aren’t liberal enough.

Yes, they are too liberal. If the right subjects (the basics) were emphasized in schools again, this would not be an issue. Liberal or conservative have no meaning in hard subjects like english, history, math, chemistry, etc. Also, a return to hard subjects would better prepare the students for functioning in the real world. There are some major illiterates coming out of the schools these days.

Teachers presentation of the course material is going to have far more influence on if a student is taught a liberal or a conservative history than the textbook. The bigger issue is: Why are we still using text books at all?
Why make a text book when every student can have an entire library at their fingertips?
I grew up pre-internet. I dragged around text books for most of my k-12 education and used card-catalogs and periodical indexes. That’s all history now. Why would we continue to use that kind of obsolete technology?
Are you going to teach them to type on a manual typewriter?
Having what we have now, I wouldn’t accept what I had then, and I certainly won’t for my child now.
IT IS THE 21st CENTURY. Paper text books should be made part of the last century’s history of education. Text books are no longer a favorable solution to providing educational content. We have computers and the internet, and somehow that seems to be a mystery to boards of education everywhere, who have to have the www explained to them in simple words and concepts, like series of tubes; not dump trucks.
The entire world is at the finger tips of students and instructors everywhere should we choose to invest in technology rather than stacks of paper.
We shouldn’t be arguing if textbooks have a liberal or conservative bias, We should be outraged that there are paper text books at all.

Not only are the textbooks too liberal, they are re-writing history, and taking what little culture we have as Americans away from us.

Textbooks used in school are reactionary and prop up the racist, classist, and sexist white european hegemony. They should be eliminated and replaced by an inclusive, progressive people-based history without fake history based on logic, accomplishment, or science. Teaching the same old capitalist-imperialist mantras undermine Obama and keep the exploitation alive.

Yes…Textbooks in America are too liberal…too a.k.a. “progressive”

Call me crazy, but I don’t think politicians should be writing textbooks. You know know should write science books? Scientists. You know who should write history books? Historians. But to have some moron with an agenda and a high school science education telling me what is right and wrong about modern biology is just off-the-hook outrageous.

This guy is a DINOSAUR!! Ugh…I can’t believe his antiquated views were on National news and could affect text books all over this country! Fortunately there are millions of intelligent parents that will teach their children to gather information from more than 1 source! “Men gave Women the right to VOTE”; REALLY?? Stand for ‘Truth’ not McElroy’s interpretation of it!

-Seems that the rest of the world is bypassing the US in intelligence, no wonder we seem to be letting this country go to the boondocks.-
Excuse me? What’s wrong with the boondocks ma’am?
And yeah, they are too liberal. Most of them, it’s just a slight bias but some are over the top almost comically liberal.

To paraphrase Stephen Colbert at the White House Press Association Dinner in 2006 “The truth has a well known liberal bias…” This smacks of Orwell’s Ministry of Truth, where the task was to edit and revise history to better fit with “the party’s” world view. In response to the question of majorities voting to give rights to minorities – I am all for the inclusion of this FACT as long as the FACT that any other action in the face of such social upheaval would have been politically untenable is included right below.

History is history putting a spin on it is taking away it’s authenticity. Lincoln is clearly more important than Jefferson Davis, not having Jefferson’s historical significance in a textbook isn’t biased. History books should be unbiased to teach our children both sides of history, the conservative and liberal parts. History should be void of author or editor opinon. If parents don’t like what’s in the textbooks and can’t get them changed then it’s their job to teach their kids what’s important to them.

There IS an alternative to public schools if you are worried about “liberal bias”. Home school your kids. Then you can teach them what you feel is appropriate.

Why does it appear that most of these “Conservatives” are just religious?
I wonder how many of them are “well educated”? I wonder who many can actually do independent research?
Mike writes, “Ronald Reagan’s role in the longest economic boom in our history”. People look to Reagan as a Savior? He threw the Gas on the Flame of GREED. We are now reaping what he planted! He BORROWED the money and he allowed BIG Business to borrow money easily.
How can you explain that the Top Exec of a Company made 30 times more than the average worker in the Seventies and today, they earn 300 times more.
Please check your facts on “Longest Expansion in History” and look to Reagan! Reagan holds #3. Clinton and JFK hold #1 and two. Dont believe me? Dont call your preacher…research. Try Googling, “longest economic expansion in us history” and then respond.

Your story didn’t touch on what was being changed, added, or left out. You focused only on the fact that things were being challenged by an extreme right winger.
What I have noticed is that the liberal NEA helps get a lot of their members elected to the school boards and states superintendent of schools. Sooo, just what was being left out?
Btw, how about a show on this! We in the USA spend four times as much per student on education as the next closest country. ( Japan, who spends double what their next closed competitor spends. ) Yet our students rank just above third world countries!

The textbooks are way too liberal and full of outright lies. People want to cover up our Christian heritage because of today’s agenda. It’s very sad that our children aren’t taught history the way it actually happened.

As a 41 year veteran teacher of the TEXAS classroom, I strongly believe that texbooks are not too liberal. We need to present all sides of the picture to our students in order to give them the opportunity to think for themselves. Our nation’s goal should be to produce individuals who are critical readers and thinkers, not blind followers. The very idea that one ultra-conservative or one ultra-liberal could possibly have so much influence over the nation’s textbook material is ludicrous.

Conservatives will not be satisfied until we all are all forced to recite their lies and distortions of the truth. What they want is to teach right wing propaganda to kids.
The problem that these people have is that they think the truth is liberal.
As it has been said many times, you are entitled to your opinion but you are not entitled to your own facts.

The problem is not that school books are too liberal. It is that history is no where near as conservative as conservatives like to think it is.

Whether they are or not, conservative nutjobs in Texas just voted to remove Thomas Jefferson from a list of authors whose work helped to inspire revolutions in the 18th and 19th century… He wrote the Declaration of Independence. But apparently, becuase he believed in the separation of church and state, he had a liberal agenda and thus needs to be quashed.

I have no problem with additional stuff being included (stuff about conservatives) but taking out stuff like Jefferson saying there is a separation of church and state? He said it, that’s a fact. Open it up to debate of him being right or wrong? Fine. But he said it. Neurons fired in his brain to create a thought that he wrote down and eventually said. To eliminate mentioning what he said sounds a lot like Soviet-style propaganda. That is the problem with the Texas school board.

I can’t believe ABC News allowed this story to be framed so stupidly. The issue isn’t if textbooks are too liberal. Of course they aren’t.
No, this is about self-described ‘evangelicals,’ and neo-conservatives, projecting their delusions on everyone else.
Optimally leading scientists, in their respective scientific fields would be making these decisions. Then those decisions can be peer-reviewed.
But an evangelical christian DENTIST! Truly unbelievable. Does ANYONE seriously believe this guy is interested in ‘accurate’ text-books?
Seriously?

People who do not know the difference between liberalism and Darwinism have no right to comment on education.

Stop eliminating fundamental truths of American history by pushing liberal agendas. And don’t forget that America began as a Judeo/Christian country, which our founding fathers believed in and the Constitution is based on.
=====================================
Uh. . .don’t tell me – the school should reflect the dictates of your minister.
If all of those “liberal” textbooks were so influential, then how could you possibly know anything differently now?

So true statements, such as pointing out that Tejanos fought and died at the Alamo, or that religious freedom was one of the principles of the founders, are too liberal now. I guess it just goes to prove the saying that reality has a liberal bias.

Where were the news stories when educators decided to remove the Declaration of Independence from the curriculum of primary school students? Malcolm X and Mao became more important than our founding document.

I can’t wait to read more about the Mexican side of the Texas War of Independence. That IS part of the truth, isn’t it?
======================================
I’m positive this quip is about the Confederacy’s Davis being included in text books. Here in Texas, we do learn about the Mexicans players during the war for for Texas Independence. We know all about Santa Anna and his armies. That being said, school children of America should know ALL the key players of the American Civil War too.

Text books have become increasingly liberal. I am so proud of our State Board of Education for the outstanding job they are currently doing. They are standing up for our American principles and ensuring that our children will know what they are.
God bless them!

American history books are extremely liberal. Never mind the books though, the teachers who are teaching our children history are also slanting the story. History should not be that difficult to report on in a textbook, whatever happened should be in there and that’s it.

YES

Too liberal? Maybe. Perhaps we should remember that many things we consider victories of social justice are liberal actions. Consider: democracy, all civil rights issues, government funded public education, etc. I agree that some stuff is being left out though; McCarthy’s raging alcoholism, Jeffersons editing of The Bible, proximate causes of the Civil War, etc. On the evolution topic: gravity is only a theory, too. Why don’t you get that taken out as well.

Absolutely too liberal. I was taught that the US brought on the Pearl Harbor attack as a result of trade embargoes against Japan. When actually the embargoes were imposed because of Japans agression towards China.
Also was told that facism and Nazism is a far right form of politics. A commonly perpetuated lie. Clearly, right leaning conservatives believe in limited government and capitalism. Nazis, as they are best known, identified themselves as National Socialists, and were led by a dictator. Funny how this has nothing to do with right wing ideology.
Also, Irene, Lincoln was a Republican and a true conservative. Your hero FDR should have followed his lead and supported anti-lynching legislation in the south, however he was afraid to alienate southern demicratic voters. I doubt you learned that in your liberal text.

Textbooks are not too liberal. Howard Zinn would argue that they’re not liberal enough. I don’t believe that textbooks should be politicized. And to the person that commented about “evolution” as not being proven….you are completely ignorant. Evolution has been proven over and over again. You have been brain washed.

Irene shows her bias in her commentary. The facts should be presented as the facts. It is not a Liberal/Conservative question it is question of what is factual and what is fabrication for the purpose of pressing an agenda. Our kids deserve to hear the facts not the fiction that pop culture is pushing. If an idea is presented, than the opposing idea deserves the same respect. Just because it does not fit the agenda of the textbook writer does not mean it should not be presented. If evolution (a theory) is presented why shouldn’t intelligent design (also a theory) be presented beside it and let the kids decide what makes sense after all neither can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. There are many other examples but, you can see where this goes. It just seems academia is more interested in indoctrination than education thank goodness Texas is giving unpopular ideas equal time.

According to some, America’s founding itself was way too liberal. Consequently, any unreformed facts about it will be too liberal for our children to be taught.
Some think that we need to start over and keep to an idealized vision of a Reformed Christian heritage – carefully editing out heretical influences. As Daniel Dreisbach, an eminent Christian and historian said in A Report to the Texas Education Agency on K-12 Social Studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, “One cannot appreciate the most basic, fundamental features of the American constitutional design … without understanding the Reformed theological doctrine of radical depravity and the attendant necessity to check mankind’s fallen nature.”
Our founding fathers meant for this to be a strict Christian Nation based on Calvinist doctrine of the depravity of man? Really? You’d think they’d have written this more explicitly into the Constitution*. You know, for posterity.

The fact is, the American founding for its time was radical and liberal and stood out (and stands out) as a remarkable achievement incorporating the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of millennia. And, in no small part, the success has been (and hopefully will be, due to the radical notion of separating government from religious establishment and vise versa. Certainly this was a radical departure from the preceding millennium of Western European history in which church-state entanglements led to some of the greatest tragedies, including at the very least suppression of so-called heretical thought. And, in terms of the rights of individual conscience, this was also a radical improvement over Roman and Greek Pagan religious establishment, whereby rulers claimed authority by association with the gods. If the Enlightenment was about anything it was about unshackling the human intellect from secular and religious intolerance and tyranny. And we should be very happy and proud and careful to safeguard and maintain this as our true heritage.
*or anywhere else.

Yes, way too liberal and wrong!Here is what is WRONG with our schools and what we can do about it.
They’re TOO BIG; way too big; COST TOO MUCH, and are criminal training grounds. They require security guards and metal detectors; herd children from class to class; cost a lot to build; have exorbitant maintenance costs including a maintenance staff; require highly paid, highly recruited often imported administrators; compete for the very best teachers who unionize; often are forced to hire marginal inexperienced teachers; have staff who make more money than most parents and are insulated from the parents and taxpayers; require an expensive captive transportation system; lose education time due to transportation time and weather interruptions; require huge expenses to support sports and other activities that rarely teach manners, sportsmanship nor self control; are havens for gangs if only because there are thousands of students in the school every day with money in their pockets; attract drugs and other crime activities; have large size classes; are a market for consultants and marketers of all ilk; reduce the personal attention your child gets, intimidate, and remain insulated from, parents; have a highly paid school board elected and serving as a springboard for political careers. Big schools are a threat to student safety…and produce more students who can’t pass exams and can’t even read and write. Our huge school system is a progressive failure; teaching kids to fail, alone and ignored by adults, socially accepted only by their gang.
These huge costly schools contribute to the degradation of society by producing non-productive dependent non-graduates.
Finally, socio – economic issues are big deals at big schools and cause big problems. For instance, need to have multi-lingual administrator and teaching capabilities at a large central school? You get large central costs with the program change affecting thousands of families.
Want enlightenment? Compare the cost per student of New Hampshire public schools ($9700) to the cost per student of District of Columbia public schools ($14,000). Then, compare the SAT test scores.
You find those small, cheap New Hampshire schools , turning out 87% graduates at half the cost of big city schools that are likely to graduate somewhere nearer 55% (DC SAT =940; NH SAT =1077). How about UTAH at $5200 per student and SAT at 1114 compared to New York at $13,700 and an SAT at 996? (There are exceptions to the rule: Fairfax County Virginia spends $12,800 per student but graduates 87% with an average 1114 SAT. Still costs in Fairfax are becoming burdensome to the tax payer as school costs are just too hard to control.)
These huge costs are minimally effective and do not enhance the education experience….rather they detract and reduce the chances for education success, ever increasing costs and expenditures for the system to remain marginally viable, increasing demands on taxpayers..
WHAT CAN BE DONE? Make the schools SMALLER, more of them, LOCALLY BASED, and more effective. Optimize the education effort. Sell the old huge centralized schools to developers and industry. Unload the busing and maintenance costs. Have a locally elected school board. Have a local PTA where parents can be really active and informed….and also participate in the discipline and teaching of their children. Let culture and manners return to the schools with teachers and administrators part of the community. Not every school; in fact no school, actually needs a semi-pro football team, a swimming pool and pre-olympic swim team, nor band nor cosmetic club, etc. Losing those extracurricular activities and costly facilities won’t hurt the children. Separate schools for elementary, and middle and high school; two schools.
“Magnet schools,” those with special facilities and capabilities where students advance in an industry or education specialty, the arts and sciences, etc. should be maintained.
The number of schools and the number of students per school, and whether or not busing is eliminated, will vary by geographical location and population density. As a rule of thumb, the objective would be to have no more than 320 students per school.

Anyone with such a crazy idea as history textbooks are too liberal wants to re-write history. I am not going to get too excited though; they’ll soon grow old and die. In twenty more years, their nonsense will be gone.

Who appointed McLeroy GOD?

The attempts to re-write our textbooks reminds me of the people who thought the earth was flat, who thought the universe revolved around the earth and who accused Darwin of heresy.
It is hard to believe mankind has made the advances we have with individuals like this in our midsts.

Jefferson himself admitted he took his material from earlier writers. Why are some reporters upset that Texas students should be taught the source of those ideas. Of course students should be taught not only the sources but also the value of hybrid corn.
Liberals have been writing the text books long enough.

WHO DOES THIS MAN THINK HE IS? What gives him the right to choose what students in schools today will learn?
Is he a teacher or anyone in the edcucational profession? If not then he needs to keep his opinion about what children learn in schools around the country to himself. Either that or he needs to start his own school and teach his children exactly what he wants them to know,instead of inflicting his views of Americsn history and American government on the American children of tomorrow.

The most importqant aspect of education is getting students to think. Multiple perspectives and academic freedom for educators is necessary for building thinkers and innovators for our society.
No one board member or teacher should have the power to brainwash the voters of tomorrow!
Teachers add information ; use the internet other sources if this is what the market for textbooks rsults in for our children!

Hubert
Get off this liberal / conservative nonsense. Textbooks should represent the facts and avoid either political persuasions. Just as I do not want my kids to be brainwashed by the left, I do not want them brainwashed by the right.

You should have prove of whats taught to our kids in school.Not fairly tale stories.We send our kids to learn,whats real and right. SP

Why should this little man have so much power. THe sad thing is tht he gloats about it. Only his histlry will be told not the history of everyone in the melting called the America. The wonderful history of many others will be left out. From his interview we can tell he is a narrow minded person who would excule the histroy of African Americans, Mesican Americans, Native Americans( who’s land was stolen but he won’t tell that will he)

When I read comments that evolution is taught as a fact and the media is liberal and textbooks are liberal – well folks we live in the 21st century and if you all want to go back to 17th century then have a very nice day.

Your headline belies ABC’s right-wing bias. What is taught to our children in public schools throughout the country should not be based on politics of the moment, but on the historical facts of our country. To allow the fundamentalist evanglicals to dictate the content of American History books is nothing short of a disgrace. It is a reflection of what that group has brought to America and Americans…disgrace!

If that tripe in Texas goes national, I am leaving the United States of America forever at my first opportunity.

way to liberal as the liberal school board wrote them years ago. Example: Democrats fought off republicans to get civil rights enacted in the 60′s. WRONG, it was 18 democrats fillerbustering led by robert byrd of WV. Just an example of liberal bias in our history boods.

truth is truth, evolution is not truth and should not be taught as truth. deal with it and realize Who you are arguing with.

Textbooks should be based on fact, not opinion. How can an educated person believe the world is only a few thousand years old? It’s based on a view taught by their RELIGION. It has no basis in FACT. It’s infuriating!

Saying that the world is only 3000 years old is not a liberal slant…its spitting in the face of the actual creation of our planet. Not to mention the scientific findings. Ask him why there are not human remains with those of the dinasour…because thats what Mr.McLeroy believes!! That we lived along with them….is it just me? this man is CRAZY and I am glad my child is not in Texas!!

Yes, the textbooks have become extremely liberal, but what’s worse is that the entire educational establishment is now entrenched liberals with massive national power in the NEA. They have no vested interest except in giving teachers a cushy job, with early retirement, lots of great benefits, etc. No responsibility to parents or students, just to big government. A relative of mine is a tenured prof in the Univ. of Cal. system and travels the world over and will retire early on taxpayer dollars. They preach liberalism and voted for Nancy Pelosi. It’s a huge racket like the Teamsters, AFL/CIO, etc. The NEA is way too powerful and has destroyed our educational system.

Too often, we forget that much of our hiatory is based on our Chriatian heritage. Whether we want to acknowledge this fact or not, it is still a fact. I am thankful for a man that will stand up for his Christian values.

How about ‘just the facts’? Educators know the difference – hopefully, they will not encourage local school boards to buy those textbooks. Boycott the books and see how fast the publishers change their info. Maybe in time, we’ll all turn to the internet for subject matter. What a world we are creating!

As a person coming from Hong Kong, now a citizen in the US, I think it’s time for me to urge any Chinese parents to ship their kids back to China or Hong Kong for a better education. When a country is imposing religious views on education, it is in decline. Europe’s Renaissance happened when they started walking away from fundamentalist christianity. China’s long decline from early 19th century to mid-20th century was due to the fundamentalist view of the superiority of Chinese culture (i.e., thinking China as the center of the world). If the USA does not want to lag behind other countries in education attainment and technological advancement, please start with teaching real science and art, at the same time, stop religion and sports.

It doesn’t matter what textbooks or teachers for that matter say. What matters is that you teach your children to think for themselves. You can always parrot back what the teacher wants to hear. You don’t have to believe it. Any number of Don McLeroy’s have tried to force their views on the rest of the country. In the long run, it never works. Americans are smarter than he’s giving us credit for.

The history I learned about this country in the late 60′s made me proud to be an American. The facts of the lives of the founders of this country have been slanted to make these people to be diest. That is not a fact. Ever since we removed God from our class rooms we have gone from a class room offense of chewing gum to shooting ones class mates. The hope of this country and the pride in our forefathers has been removed. We are a nation of illmanered selfish people. Its time to go bacl to basics. I am a Christian American with a son defending this country in Irag. We raised him to be a proud American. You are safe tonight because of his sacrifice and you live in a free country because of our forefathers. Stop diluting our history and making atheist out our kids. Give them something to be proud of.

Does this scare anybody else as much as it does me? It appears that the next step in the “evolution” of America is to assure the lies of of fundamentalists are stuffed into our children. What ever happened to facts?

If he was still alive, George Carlin would have so much quality material from this nonsense! Why are we even listening to a guy that believes earth is less than 10,000 years old? Why even give him a minute of your time on a national TV? Guy is obviously delusional and out of touch with reality. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not or if your kids go to church every week or not, I just think they ought to be educated in an open-minded fashion. If you don’t agree with the content of our textbooks, then don’t send your kids to school. Instead of imposing your religious views to everybody else, just home school your kids, it’s a win-win situation. Bottom line is: “Keep thy religion for thyself!”

That dope from Texas can put whatever he wants in textbooks. Teachrs are only going to teach what they choose. How many reasonable teachers do you think are going to teach his “fractured” history lessons?

Textbooks? They’re so 1950′s! In a couple years schools will switch to school kindles and no more backpacks (and backaches). With instant publication to the Kindle,textbooks will be as quaint as manual typewriters. Teachers can choose whichever history and social study download that the local School Board will allow. Take that you fascist, seperatist dentist!

Thank goodness there is still some conservatives in places of authority. We have had the liberal view crammed down our throats long enough. Hope the books come out as soon as possible for our kids sake.

Just saw the lead-in on McLeroy on the ABC World News. I am appalled at this man’s ego. To inflict political views in students’ textbooks is absolutely immoral. At a time when our students are facing severe competition in a truly global marketplace its very troubling that a moron like McLeroy is in a position to impact textbook contents. This man should be immediately removed from his position. At the end of the day he is a servant of the taxpayers and should not be allowed to continue on. As a dentist what practical experience does he have to dictate textbook contents?

Asking if all textbooks are too liberal is a generalization that cannot have a definitive answer. What I do think is Mr. McLeroy is forcing his personal set of beliefs on students in the same way that he accuses liberals of forcing their personal beliefs. Can we please get people on this board that are educated well enough to make decisions beyond their personal set of values?

The efforts of the religious right to impose their narrow minded worldview on the country is a serious problem that needs to be stopped. If you want to indoctrinate your progeny with myths and lies, teach them that the world is less than 10,000 years old, and that over 150 years of science supporting Darwinian evolution is wrong, feel free to home school them. But don’t impose your mythology on the rest of us, and don’t complain when you uneducated children can’t get into college or compete in the job market.

As a future history teacher I can’t find any proof that textbooks are tools of any political organization. Many I’ve read have actually had more of a conservative slant. I can say that I would never use a textbook this man had a hand in writing in any class.

Jefferson Davis is as much a part of American history as is Abraham Lincoln. Why should the president of the Confederacy be excluded from textbooks?

I don’t believe that the textbooks in the United States are too liberal. I’m a senior in high school and history is one of my favorite subjects. While the textbooks do tend to skew things towards whichever side ‘won’ (ie, US Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, WWII), you have to remember who is controlling this information. If the ‘losing’ side had ‘won’ the information that the textbooks contained would be completely different. The United States is a republic in which freedom of speech and press are valued, and separation of church and state is a given. One man’s views, while they are valued, should not influence the entire country’s textbooks. That’s giving way too much worth to one individual instead of valuing the entire entity’s thoughts. In fact, freedom of speech is why we can say this, and why he can say what he wants. I think that while he may have a point that there needs to be more about all sides of things in textbooks, he doesn’t have a right to take over the entire country’s system. There are multiple book publishers for a reason. For everyone who says that the textbooks are too liberal–every child is influenced by his or her parents more than a textbook. I hope that publishers take into account the rest of the country’s views instead of just listening to one man who thinks he has the power to influence youth all across the country for the next four or five years, since textbooks are not purchased every year.

I taught history for 28 years and I am appalled that the focus of one man in the conservative state of Texas can change the teaching of history for students across this country. HISTORIANS ATTEMPT TO TEACH THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN A WAY THAT RECOGNIZES HISTORY CAN BE TOLD IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
WHY NOT TEACH HISTORY AS TOLD BY HOWARD ZINN, AN HISTORIAN WHO TAUGHT and wrote about “THE PEOPLES HISTORY OF THE U. S.? The so called liberal slant has just as much right to be in history books as Mr.McLeroy’s point of view.
WHEN WILL THE INSANITY OF EXTREMISM END????

Yes, the textbooks to which our students are subjected are liberal to say the least. It is about time someone had the courage to offer our young people a wider scope of information. The Darwinians have had a massive stronghold over the schools and textbooks presenting only their theory on origins as if this is the only way. Offer the students both sides of the coin and let them decide which way they believe it was. Don’t worry evolutionists, the world will not come to an end if the textbooks are updated to include other thoughts on different topic.

Three words, Texas: Incredible, unconscionable ignorance. Why? What in the Goddesses’ is the matter with you people?

To Renee, you prove that they are not to liberal. You say they teach evolution like fact. Has creation ever been proven, have you seen God? Please that is why Neo-Cons should never get next to text books. And oh by the way this freak in Texas thinks the world is only 10,000 years old? The age of the planet has been proven if you people would just open your eyes and stop using religion for every debate.

I am thrilled that we are able to help get rid of the liberal slant. That is one reason I love to live in my adopted state:Texas.

Texas egos are as large as their state, please keep scientific truths in the classroom, someone tell the fellow that fact is the earth is older than 10,000 years, oh BTW this is why there’s a separation of Church & State and I read banned books…

and yeah, I know I spelt thet wrong!

The textbooks are created to be objective, and thus liberal. This man is trying to stop that. God save our children from these wierdos!

McLeroy is a creationist and “young earther.” He has stated that he believes the earth is only about 10,000 years old – this is what he would like to teach in schools.
This would essentially mean teaching kids that not only is Darwin wrong, but geology, math, biology, genetics, anthropology, and nuclear physics are all wrong – because all those other sciences tell us Dariwn is right. So if those sciences are all wrong – that must mean that nuclear energy doesn’t really work, atom bombs are real and we didn’t land on the moon. If the anti-science, anti-freedom of religion crowd dictate the contents of our textbooks – we are headed towards being a backwater in the global economy. They make the Taliban seem forward looking.

Textbooks are not too liberal. If there is a God, I hope he protects us from religious zealots like McLeroy. He and his kind want to replace “liberal brainwashing” with their brainwashing. He wants to impose his political, racist and sexist biases on Texas and the rest of the country. I only hope school systems in other parts of the country fight this movement and make the book publishers maintain a balance and realistic view in textbooks. If Texas wants books dictated by extremists like this, let them, but other states shouldn’t be forced to follow along

Fundamentalism is fundamentalism regardless of the faith, this is a very scary for the U.S.

Why does this man think that he can change the curriculum in textbooks? I think social studies, history, government history, etc..should be taught from an unbiased perspective! This dentist is wanting to preach conservatism and anti-liberalism to America’s children? Where is the free government anymore? Is the right wing going too far? I THINK SO!

I agree with Mr. Mcleroy, because he appears to be a christian man of values, and is a simply tring to get children back on track, and give them morals, and ethics. I think he should choose some books for the members of CONGRESS, and the PRESIDENT to read. Its hard to be correct every time you say or do something, no one is perfect, but I feel he is on the “right track” and somoneone has to start making a stand for “What they believe in”. I would like to encourge him to stay with IT! I believe that he is correct!

I don’t think text books are too liberal or even too conserative. History deals with facts the who, what and why. It’s okay to have your own view, but your can’t change history to make your view fit.

If I accept the premise that evolution is a “theory” Would the Texas school board, and the religious right, accept that god is also a theory? I doubt it, despite the fact that there has never been any proof of a god. As for the earth only being 10,000 years old, how can you argue with stupidity like that. I guess Noah forgot to put the dinosaurs in the ark.

This reporter’s series of reporting on textbooks is so lopsided that anyone who watches it as an honest observer comes out totally ill-informed. Fortunately, there are other sources for news besides ABC News. Great job by the board!

I admit it has been numerous decades since I was a student, but I have always been under the assumption that text books were to be factual only and void of the authors personal opinions, biases, religous views, etc… If the author(s) stick to just the facts the reader is allowed to form their own opinion; which is how it should be. If a schoolboard authorizes use of a text that is based on opinion, political persuasion, religion, etc…then that board is guilty of attempting to brainwash it’s students. It is my opinion that any schoolboard member who does this should immediately be dismissed of their seat on any board of education.

The Texas Board of Education needs to realize there are two sides to every point in history, not just what they think the children should know. They need to remember that the children will be adults and will need to function in the real world.

Yes text books are much too liberal as well as information published by our government. As taxpayers we are forced to pay for information to be printed which we do not believe is true such as the (theory!!!) of evolution, the age of the earth and many other non Christian views. The silent majority has been silent too long. Let’s don’t continue to do so.

I am not a teacher at the moment but, I have taught and I have been a student for all my life for as long as I remember. I grew up in rural North Carolina in the 50′s; attended a two room schoolhouse with a single teacher for the first and second grades and with a single teacher for the third and fourth grades. More than likely those reading these comments will either snicker or laugh out loud and, perhaps, even be dismissive of comments that I might make. However, the lessons learned during that period of my life have served me well throughout my nearlt 68 years. On reflection, some might even perceive that my comments will be conservative based on my age and upbringing. That would be in error without first listening to my statement vis a vis the Texas textbook controversy. The premise of the question is one that I take exception with, i.e. “Are Textbooks Too Liberal?”. I would be moderate in observing that after delving through textbooks over the past 62 years that they lack ballance. There seems to have been a tendency over the past three decades of drifting too far in one direction. The issue, it would seem, is to provide more than a single side of any of the issues that are presented within a textbook. How, one should ask, does learning occur if a student is not presented with all sides of any issue, with no tendency on the part of the teacher to indicate a preference for either of the various sides presented? I realize that would require a measure of hesitancy on the part of the teacher to indicate which of the many sides presented for the sake of provoking thought on the part of the student. Show a little humility and give the student to absorb and think of the various points of view that he or she has heard. It might provoke more research; more discussion with parents; and; hopefully, extend the discussion further with those with whom the student may come in contact in his/her daily life. Wouldn’t that provoke learning???
Gene

No. It would seem that many conservatives are so paranoid that they see a liberal conspiracy in everything. How did we ever come to the point of demonizing intelligence, critical thinking and reason?
Politics have no place in textbooks. They should be written by true experts in their respective fields, not some dilettante posing as an educator.

Excuse me, but what is wrong with stating the truth that is history?
If say we mention the views of the Confederacy along side the Union POV during the Civil War, I’m all for it. History should be focus on all POVs to give the overall picture.
However, what Mr. McLeroy is doing will not give an overall picture of things. He wants to *change* things to reflect a religion & conservative POV that will polarize the truth.
So in the end, his suggestions will only lead to textbooks that are one-sided instead of showing all sides as they are to be.

One of the major news stories in the field of education just now is the release of the draft of national common core educational standards. This is the story that is all over the education press, such as Ed Week. This is the issue that will drive publishers of text books, and assessments, and educational software. Texas is not currently planning to adopt these standards, but publishers will be more interested in the educational standards to be adopted by 48 states than in the opinions of one or more members of the Texas State Board of Education. Get with it ABC News. Know the context of your stories.

This is ridiculous mind control crap that you’d expect to read about in Iran or the former Soviet Union. The conservatives want to rewrite history to serve their agenda. They’re not concerned about educating thinking children and the price will be lower academic achievement and ignorance.

Apparently Don McLeroy believes that because he was elected, he can dispense with any sort of intellectual honesty.
Just because a majority votes that the moon is made of green cheese doesn’t make it so, even in Texas. The laws of physics aren’t subject to a majority vote; we understand them via honest and unbiased study. The same should be true of all areas of study.

No, textbooks are not too liberal. We need to focus on knowledge in education not someone’s beliefs. Thank goodness, my grandsons are being educated in another state where sanity still prevails. I’m ashamed to say Texas seems to get more backward every year.

Social Studies and History textbooks all to often reflect the liberal bias of academia. In a perfect world textbooks would present conflicting ideas in the course of history without bias and let the student decide the merits of each. Why should it surprise anyone to have students consider the positions and views of both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln? There were in fact two sides of the argument and the conflict was not completely framed by the issue of slavery. Many Southerners still believe that our fight for independence was just.

Textbooks should not be based on populist opinion, but rather on science and facts. All the facts, not just those that fit in with a particular set of beliefs. Arguing that polls are not taken into account when writing textbooks is frightening and would lead to generational incompetence based on the previous generations’ beliefs. ‘Slanting’ textbooks to conform with any political or social agenda, whether it be on the left or the right, is narrowminded and wrong. Let the experts write the text books and leave the opinions for the local newspaper.

Public schools are charged with teaching a range of ideas to kids. It’s up to the PARENTS to help their kids filter the ideas. Basically, some conservatives want to limit what public schools teach the kids, and the joke of it all is that so many conservatives don’t even send their kids to public schools!
As for the ideas that conservatives want to get rid of, the main one is Darwin’s theory of evolution, which is now in the process of being debunked by recemnt DNA evidence, anyway. (A baby Neanderthal hidden in a cave and perfectly preserved in permafrost has made it possible to do DNA testing, in addition to carbon dating for age. The DNA testing apparently indicates that apes and humans can’t possibly have a common genetic ancestor. Unfortunately, information like this won’t make it into elementary school textbooks for another 10 years at least.) Meanwhile the adults argue, and while the adults argue, kids lose.
I have taught in all grades from kindergarten to 12th, college age, and adults, for over 30 years, and over 20 of those years have been spent in elementary public schools. So yes, I know what the textbooks say.

I find it interesting that we now allow our children’s text books be influenced by a few right wing conservatives who live in a state ranked 43rd in the country in high school graduation rates last year. They do such a fine job down there in Texas – their rate of graduation was 35th in 2001, and has been sliding ever since. It’s time for the conservatives to back off pushing their agenda on everyone else. I consider myself an educated, moderate, middle AMERICAN, and I am tired of all the bias from both the Right and the Left.

Ridiculously PC and way too liberal. Because it follows the publisher’s rule, men and women taken from Haiti and brought to North America to work as slaves are termed “African American slaves.” Some textbooks have indexes published in 3 or more languages, side by side. I have worked in educational publishing for 8 yrs, and it is sad. Maybe when the big publishers collapse or are forced to change due to e-book editions, the content will be more creative and less silly.

so this nut says the earth is 10,000 years old which fairly tale did he get this from. His degree come from a real school. I guess he got his degree off the computer

Of course they’re too liberal. How else would a country think of electing somebody with as liberal a view of America as Obama?

No, our textbooks aren’t too liberal. But they are too full of half truths and misiniformation. For example…we start young see Christopher Columbus and George Washington is such a rosy light. Why don’t we tell kids who they really were? There was alot of good and alot of bad in each of them. Christopher Columbus dies of syphillus, George Washington had a mistress…etc.etc. Time for real history to be told…and nix all the fairytales

There’s nothing “liberal” about the evil of McCarthyism, or slavery. If I thought these things were being presented as opinions that existed but were clearly wrong-headed, that might be different, but from what you’ve said of McLeRoy (ironic name, that) I expect these are presented as “equal” positions. Scary, scary man.

I knew it!! The inmates are running the asylum!!! Textbooks need to reflect what is accurate, not Christian, nor moral!! Accuracy is the only thing that is polically correct!! When the Christians take over textbooks, the lions are truly going to get hurt!!

This guy takes the separation of church and state and rips it apart. But he chooses to ignore Newt Gingrich’s cheating on his wife and Jefferson Davis’s denial of human rights to American citizens, just so he can push forward a ultra-conservative agenda?? NO THANKS! (only in Texas)

Give me a break. This guy is about as far to the right as you can possibly get. He believes the world is only 10,000 years old. Even the pope came out acknowledging the big bang about 15B years ago. He wants religion rather than science and factual history to be taught in schools.

Thats like asking if professors and teachers are too liberal. Dah..ya think?

We worry about Muslim radical clerics poisoning the minds of youths. Maybe we should worry about right-wing “Christians” poisoning their minds.
This guy is insane, an “educated” dentist that believes the world is 10,000 years old. What next, the earth is flat?

Slanting and rewriting history and science textbooks for his own purpose, scary stuff. Big Brother is here, and his name is Don McElroy.

The nonsense and myth these morons are insisting on injecting into education is yet another strike by the American Taliban. And consider that they pulled the word “democratic” from the textbook description of our form of government – you know, ’cause it’s like that political party – is evidence of how absurdly petty they are.
Would Texans PLEASE follow through with their threats to secede so the rest of us can get on with the 21st Century, and stop reverting to the 16th?

Hey, Mike, which President increased the national debt by a greater percentage than any other, before or since? It was the daft and demented St. Ronnie! But you won’t find such heresy in Texas textbooks, will you?
When you don’t like the facts, conservatives need only re-write them!

Our textbooks are way way WAY too “conservative”. Glorifying genocidal maniacs like Columbus and not portraying the damage the religions of the world have done all through history.

The Good Lord come to me last night, and this unto me he done quoth,
“Yay, verily, Vinnie the Wheeze, I have had me a Revelation!”
Unto Him I done askt,
“Yes Almighty, what might thet a been?”
And unto me He said,
“They is a great benighted land, somewheres west a the Sabine, and Texas be its name. Therein live a great multitude a they easily led. ‘Dummies’ they been known as, they willful embracers a ignorance and silly stuff, and they have grievously misinterpreted My Word!”
“Thet’s awrful,” I says back unto Him, and this he replied unto me.
“Yep. They dumb, all right. But listen, this hyars they plan: you know all them long lines, big birds and other fanciful critters, laid out in they desert, down Chili Way?”
“Yes Sar, I do. Call ‘em they Nazca Lines, don’t they?’
“Thet’s them,” saith they Lord unto me.
“What of em?” I asketht.
“Well, son, them fellers who laid ‘em down are comin’ back. Got ‘emselves another Big Intergalactic Project on they books, an they needs a work crew. A big un. Think it’s sumthin’ nigh on 245, 000 righteously ignor’nt souls’ll do bout right, or theyabouts.”
“Thet’s a lotta righteous ignoramuses Lord,” says I, “Whar you gonna git ‘em all?”
“Thet plural’s ‘ignorami,’ son,” correcteh the Lord. “Why down to Texas is whar . I set it up sweet, son, lemme tell ya!”
They Good Lord commenced to wax exsctatic over this one, hootin’ an clappin’ his hands with they Holy Glee.
“How’dJer do ‘er, Lord,” I asketh, in wondrous disbelievement.
“Why, you heard a they Rapture, ain’t you? Thet’s how! Alla them dummies down Texas way gonna get sucked up into the Great Verginer a they Milky Way, come a couple years an change, an them Nazcar Fellers gonna put ‘em to they Eternal Chores! We been callin it Heaven, a course. Makes ‘er sound a little more appealin’, Thet way, we git rid a all the dummies in Texas–an we sweep ‘em up from elsewhars too. An in so doin’ I leave thet Pretty Little Planet a yourn a whole lot nicer place, and bring this Wretched Age a the Dummy to a close. An alla you folk with your haids on right, can get on with they job a fixin’ what them nit-wits done wrecked! How ye like them apples, boy?” they Good Lord askt a me, Merry Twinkle in his Righteous Eye.
“Thet’s a pretty neat trick, thar Lord,” says I, with greatest a reverence. “Must be why we call you God, huh?”
“Thet’s right, boy,” he saith unto me. “And I’ll get on them textbooks, while I’m at it.”
“Thank you Lord,” says I.
“Amen,” saith he.

1)The neo christian conservative movement: “If you are not a christian you are not an American!”
2)Teaching evolution in schools . Bad
3)Teaching Reagan trickle down economics.. Good.
4)Teaching students that all foreign wars are good for america.. Good
5)FDR .. Bad
6)LBJ’s Great Society. Very,Very Bad.
7)Equal rights..kids learn about reverse racism?
8))Government .. Bad
9)Rugged individualism and home schooling .. Good
10)Dept of education.. very bad
11)Federal govt’s only role; A strong
military..Very Good.
12)Teaching kids that the medically
sick and chronically mentally ill
are lazy.. GOOD
13)Teaching Social Security,Medicare,
medicaid….. very Bad for USA
14)Banning the following”subversive writers” from all schools: Charles Dickens, Sinclair Lewis, Mark Twain , Studs Terkel ,Jack Kerouac, Maya Angelou, Kurt Vonnegurt and William Shakespeare…. Good
Mandatory morning christian prayer in schools ..Very Good.
15) Rush Limbaugh beamed into every class room ..Very Good
16)Hip pop…..Of Course Bad.
17)Teaching that anybody who opposes right wing conservative doctrin is a Terrorist .. GOOD.
18)Repealing the division between church and state..Very good
19)Teaching 2 hours of manadatory bible class per day. Very Good
Only then when this neo-con dream happens will the Christian Taliban be happy, and it will be for them “A new morning in America”…
EngChina.

This guy believes the earth is 10,000 years old. So all the archaeologists, fossil evidence, scientific techniques, dating beyond 10000 years are all wrong. And the United States of America, world leader, who put a man on the moon in 1969 is going to let this quack dictate what the next generation reads??
OK. Fine. Just make sure every American is aware of what this nutjob is doing, so they rebel & vote Christian conservatives out of office.

When are people going to grow up and take responsibility for their lives? Stop taking a dark ages mythology and using it as a third party place for credit or blame for their actions. Our intellect has evolved in the last centuries. Those who used this mythology to wield power before the populace became educated have seen their influence erode and they are in panic mode. Everyone from the Vatican to the latest self-serving crop of Televangelists do our children a great disservice. Education should stick to the facts and not fears and opinions

Christian Fundies are attempting to parasitize our public schools by using them as tools to mass proseltyze to children without the consent of their parents, nor without respect to our diverse culture–which includes many families who are not religious, or who are not Christian. So this idea, that we are going to frame the debate about American Public Primary Education with the accusation that our Text books are too liberal is at best misleading. And that anyone would entertain this ridiculous ascertion tells me that the reason the Fundies have so much to work with is that because America has been dumbed down to the point, that supersitious jerks can actually make a play for the “Hearts and Minds” of our children. The particular brand of Christainity being promoted here is one that is bigoted towards other religions, that does not respect freedom of conscience, and that bases it’s entire theology on creating and perpetuating fear and then capitalizing on that fear. Its not about liberal. Its about Revisionism and its about attempts to reprogram American values through our next generation without so much as a by your leave.
Just say no to that Koolaid. Send the children of Rushdoony packing back to their tent revivals and remind them what being an American is all about.

A male point of view during the Women’s Rights movement? You mean like Tailhook? Or maybe the years it took to rewrite stalking laws? The point of the Women’s Movement and the creation of Women’s history was because ALL WE HAD WAS A MALE POINT OF VIEW.
Like I said, America has been dumbed down.
Reading the counterarguments here makes me glad that as a Liberal, Feminist–I homeschool.

Talk about far right, so the dinosaurs where around when? What a 3,000 years before Egypt.

Wrong question! The right question is “Who should decide what information is presented in History texts?” The reality is that history is already somewhat subjective. However, it’s a well-known truth that facts have a liberal bias since religious conservatives routinely ignore them. When I studied history in the 50′s, we learned about what happened on significant dates, and none of them were left out. We also read encyclopedias for more information. It’s a travesty that this whacko gets to determine what children learn!

To Liberal. NOT. One conservative in Texas is deciding what goes into textbooks for the entire country. SCARY! Really Scary! Where is the separation of church and state. How in the hell has this been allowed to happen.?

Absolutely not! Textbooks are not too liberal. They are factual, and outside influences trying to inject political manipulation into the our students’ teach is very disturbing!

They are going to put a more favorable light on the Joe McCarthy witch hunts? Why not change the Salem witch trials to be a positive episode in American history?

Liberal textbooks and extreme political correctness. Liberals took “Christmas” away from us and replaced it with “Happy Holidays.” What are you liberals going to take away from us next? My kids will not be brain washed by you liberal zombies.

Electronic text books can’t come soon enough. They’ll make it easy to publish special editions for districts run by cranks. Then Texans can teach their kids as much misinformation as they want, and the rest of the country can have accurate, reality-based texts.

No, textbooks are not too liberal. Why are so many people in this country so terrified of seeking out truths? And why does seeking truth always lead others to label us “liberal”? I reject and am offended by this word, period. If we want our children to be intelligent and well rounded, shouldn’t we be teaching them both sides of the story? Furthermore, I am embarrassed to say I am a Texan, by both this story and Rick Perry.

The latest decision on history textbooks in Texas will make Texas and America in general even more of a laughing stock in the rest of the civilized world. When you replace a standard economic term like ‘capitalism’ by ‘free enterprise’, this is conservative bias gone mad.

The textbook debacle is only the tip of the iceberg. These religious zealots have methodically been dismantling the separation of church and state in TX public schools. As part of the required curriculum, school districts are required to provide instruction in religious literature, including the Old and New Testaments and their impact on history and literature. No money was appropriated to develop teacher training for this requirement. Individual families are saddled with the burden of proving their school district crossed the line to the point that they fail the Lemon test. An undue burden for individuals. For example, the second week of freshman English/Language Arts class my student’s teacher assigned to everyone, “bring your Bibles to school tomorrow.” don’t worry if you don’t have one, I’ll provide one for you. Then they embarked on a 2 week of learning common Bible verses.

Anyone want to bet that TX History textbooks fail to make mention that both “under God” was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” was not adopted as the U.S. motto and officially placed on our currency UNTIL THE MID 50′s, incidentally the same time that McCarthy was on the hunt for commies. And with those actions, all of those commonly refered to as the “Founding Fathers” turned over in their graves.

NO. First, please identify what is liberal and conservative. I do not believe Liberal means fundamental Christian as many of the posters are implying. It is asinine that Texas wants to remove Thomas Jefferson from teachings of the Enlightenment. Creationism is a fundamental Christian/Muslim idea, evolution is a scientific one. What part is Liberal? If parents want a fundamental education for their children, they should enter these children into parochial schools.
If you want to make the schools more “conservative” start teaching economics.

Yes, too liberal.

there is a document that has been in our country for over 200 years it is called the constitution, it states the separtion on chruch and state, it is time the surpreme court does it job and stops this farce, this is unconstitutional.

I can’t believe that this man is influencing our textbooks with such insane ideas. The world is only 10,000 years old??? If this is conservatism, I don’t want any. This is plain ignorance. Science is not liberal or conservative. I don’t think politics should be in textbooks unless the course is politcal science. Besides, what’s wrong with the word liberals. I’m one and proud of it. I once wrote a letter to the Chicago Tribune saying that in my opinion, conservatives think, “I got mine, to hell with you”, while liberals feel, “I got mine, how can I help you get yours” A “conservative” left a message on my machine, “keep your dam ideas to yourself”. Feedom on speech is not on their agenda evidently.

I’m sure these books will have to be approved by the Republican Party before being sent to the printing presses. That sounds very un-American to me.

To Dennis B.
Hello. Actually, this is a misconception many people who have not studied history in depth believe. The founders were indeed white, Anglo-Saxons who held Judeo-Christian values. Jefferson was a very interesting person, though; he struggled with his faith his entire life and attempted to rewrite the Bible to suit his ideology. He also wrote and wrote and wrote about the absolute need for separation of Church and State in order to ensure the functioning of a free society. The founders were indeed agnostic, but they were influenced by Enlightenment ideals, such as Locke’s social contract theory and the inalienable rights of “life, liberty, and property,” when they created our government and Constitution. In fact, the word God does not appear in the Constitution. And the inscriptions on monuments, and words in the pledge and on our money were not added by the founders. They were added later on in American history. For instance, “under God” was not added to the pledge until the Cold War period. I thought you might find that interesting. I know I did when I learned that. :)

Even if our textbooks are currently too liberal, all these changes are doing is replacing liberal bias with conservative bias. Eliminating required teaching about Thomas Jefferson and the separation of church and state? Are you kidding me?
This is nothing but transparent conservative realpolitik warefare.

Rewriting history to fit an ideology…it’s been done before–in the Soviet Union, for example. And now America neo-conservatives wish to do the same. Interesting.

of course they are. JFK never promised air cover at the Bay of Pigs. he got a medal for getting a PT boat run over, by a bigger slower ship. FDR didn’t give half of Europe away at Yalta.Communism didn’t fail because too each according to their needs, from each according to their ability, didn’t erode the productivity, work ethic. Poll Pot didn’t kill millions after we left Asia.the teachers union is partly to blame.

this niche of people put in place, cling to a narrow set of beliefs used to control through fear – history shows that species that fail to adapt to change, perish

Textbooks have been dictated by this same Texas group for as long as I can remember. They control what the publishers put in them. Doesn’t matter where the books are PRINTED…the publishers print what this group says to print since they (and CA – but CA doesn’t do this big review thing like TX does) buy the most textbooks of any state. So the books have only been as “liberal” as TX has allowed them to be!
Now TX wants to put in the conservative movement from the 1980s….and leave out the other movements of the same era. They want ONLY their viewpoint. That’s when there is trouble.
Evolution is a theory? Yes, so is gravity. Somebody needs to understand that your religious beliefs get taught at your SUNDAY school or your private religious schools. PUBLIC schools get to hear public truths…not religious beliefs.
This country was founded on people seeking religious freedom. They would roll over in the graves if they saw this belief system being rammed down everyone’s throat in THEIR name!

@Zeke, did you know that Texas doesn’t even have a teachers’ union?
@Breslau, since when has printing location had anything to do with content? They print what they are paid to print.
I wonder how long it’s been since many of the people that have left comments have read a public school textbook.

To put it lightly this man is a moron. how can a man this uneducated actually be teaching. I find it crazy that he has the education of our youth in his hands. I can now see the answer to my question; What has gone wrong in our country? The problem is people like this man are running things on their own personal views, not the facts of life. If the people of Texas want a simple-minded man like this to re-write their education doctrine, let them have him. But, by no means should all other text books be written to express the views of this man. It is absurd that this man thinks the earth is only 10,000 yrs old. Does he still believe the earth is flat? People like this man are a hinderance to education and advances in technology.

Sorry this is a joke textbooks are fairly middle of the road. Contemporary issues will always be controversial like Reagan etc. because we are still to close to the event to be objective. Some of the claims I see here like the “theory” of evolution, hey take a science class and learn a science theory is not the same as a conventional theory in language. Also to the claim California is so liberal I ask since when, I live in California and I wish it was this liberal extreme state people seem to think it is.

No the textbook in the US are not liberal, however, they are wrong or either slanted in towards someone preference. No history book should actually teach that slavery was OK. No history book should teach religon. No history book should teach false or misleading facts. The whole point of history,is trying as best we can to capture every moment of the event and correctly writing about that event in such away that others can learn about their state, country and world.

Reporting of facts or discussion of issues (even if you don’t like them) does not make something “liberal”.

The point is… no the text books aren’t too liberal because we a forced to buy the already conservative Texas version (which if you read the proposed changes should be called the Tea Party Version) every time we adopt in other states. Texas is so big it pushes around the rest of the country on what should be in the text.
BTW, I am a teacher and have done textbook adoptions in my district in Missouri for years. We always know when a Texas US history book is in front of us because the Mexican American War (War for Texan Independence in some versions) gets the same coverage if not more by paragraph count as the Civil War.
It shouldn’t be up to a board of fifteen people to alter the work of a hundreds of teachers, administrators, parents and historians (over a year of writing and study) just because they lean right or left. This is an oligarchy run mad with the most powerful American state textbook adoption there is.
Help us remain party neutral and fair in our coverage of American history. Don’t make me start teaching that St. Thomas Aquinas is as important as the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Don’t make me teach McCarthy as a hero or Progressivism as a bad thing or Imperialism as Expansionism. What will these kids do in college when they encounter REAL history with the terms accepted by REAL historians?
These Board of Ed tyrants aren’t teachers. They are tin dictators who will destroy the democratic work of many American teachers and educators with a sweep of their tiny fists.
I don’t care which way you lean personally and I don’t show my students which way I lean. I teach them a common American history that will serve them in college and in life. We are all a part of this story and the story needs to not be made into a political football.
Leave the adoption development committee’s recommendations stand without the last minute additions by the Texas board of ed.

Yes, I think there is a liberal bias in textbooks, but the solution is not to inject conservative bias. While few of the changes made were intelligent, some were ridiculous. Separation of church and state, for example, is too fundamental NOT to be emphasized. And you’ll see more hip-hop on the charts than country western, so why include the latter, but not the former? Don’t substitute one mess for another.

Look at all the comments from conservatives above about how “liberal” textbook writers try to keep facts out of textbooks. That’s utter nonsense. The committee in Texas voted to keep facts out of social studies books (like the FACT that Thomas Jefferson influenced the French Revolution — they decided Jefferson was no good because he was a Deist, not a Christian) because they didn’t support their ultra-conservative narrative about how white Christianity (and only white Christianity) shaped the modern world. Read some other articles on this story, people! These conservative board members are suppressing facts, not adding them.

We have suffered through revisionist history for my lifetime at least & I am 66 years old.The civil war is a prime example of what happens when the winner gets to rewrite the truth to suit their account of what really happened & what the true causes for something were.Liberal thinking has made homosexuals not only acceptable,but they flaunt their perversity as if it were a badge of honor.We have generations of people raised to believe they are entitled to everything others work & save for without producing anything but more of their own kind.My generation may be dying but the socialism/Marxism promoted by the current administration will be the death of America……you were told.

The Christians are trying to grab the American steering wheel and pull it to the right again.
Every time they do this we lose years of social progress to the darkness of dogma.
They will be “forgiven” for this sin Sunday and ignore the rights of the rest of us (not to mention reality) forever.
These people are domestic dictators, teaching doctored history to innocent children. Political indoctrination funded through public school funds should be a serious crime.
This whole exercise is a demonstration of the lack of truth, justice and freedom in America. Hypocrites…
American society has become based on lies, nothing based on lies turns out well. These very actions (lies) are what will destroy the society they hope to control.
No wonder our children act like their role models (parents) are immoral (liars & cheats), they are.
Fundamentalists are terrorists, their brand of religion is irrelevant. Their dogma is deadly.
These people obviously do not believe in a power higher than themselves. They cannot believe in God, or Heaven, as they have no fear of going to Hell for “E-asing G-od O-ut” of his position and replacing him as the ultimate power.
As an American citizen I want my society to be “balanced”, not controlled by “unbalanced” groups. Is that too much to ask?
“I like your Jesus, he was a good man. Too bad more of your Christians are not like him.” Ghandi

yes YES AND YES!!!!!! *Puts on hard-hat*
O:)
*The O is the hard hat on the smiley if you tilt your head*
The Liberals confuse the seperation of Church and State with seperation of church and state:
Confused you say? Here is an example:
The seperation of Church and State actually means the goverment CANNOT make a “one church for all” but it dosen’t mean they should take the word “God” out of everything as God mean somethin different to everyone
and doesn’t force one religion on you.
Most liberals view the law as anyting that is owned by the state is not allowed any religious artifacts which wasn’t true then and is most certinatly not true now.
Howver my words will most likely be taken out of context somehow so I am now putting on the hard hat.

*Axles*