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Uploaded: Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 6:05 AM
Updated: Friday, September 14, 2012, 6:53 AM
State to create new K-12 history, social science curriculum
Current textbooks don't mention 9/11 tragedy or election of Barack Obama as president, state senator says
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The California Department of Education will develop new history and social science lessons for K-12 classes after Gov. Jerry Brown signed new
legislation authorizing the move Saturday.
Oakland state Senator Loni Hancock authored S.B. 1540, which allows the state to revise how history and social science are taught in public schools. A new framework for such teaching was developed in 2009, but its adoption was suspended due to budget cuts.
The curriculum currently being used in California public schools was developed in 1998. Existing law prohibited the California Board of Education from developing new history and social-science coursework until
2015.
"It is a serious shortcoming that our basic instructional materials are so outdated," Hancock said. "California textbooks don't even mention the 9/11 tragedy or the election of Barack Obama to the presidency.
"We have an obligation to students and teachers to ensure that California schools will have materials that reflect the contributions of the many diverse cultural and religious groups in this country, as well as events in the second decade of this century - and not just those prior to 1998," Hancock said.Beth Winegarner, Bay City News — Bay City News Service Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Gretchen, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 9:05 am This is a development that deserves serious scrutiny. When a uber-left-wing-loon like Loni Hancock "to revise how history and social science are taught in public schools" it likely has more to do with revising history than making the material current. California instruction continues to de-emphasize our Founding Fathers, the principles on which this nation was founded, the Revoluionary War, God, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, WWI and WWII, Ronald Reagan, capitalism; and emphasizes diversity, socialism, the union movement,the Vietnam War resitance movement, FDR,JFK, Martin Luther King, and Barack Obama. The last thing we need is a Bezerkley loon organizing an effort for left-wing-loons revising history education.
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Posted by hallie, a resident of the Pleasanton Valley neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 9:17 am So Gretchen, you are proposing that History lessons only cover things that you like and not things that you don't? That would be the ultimate revisionism!
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Posted by voter with an ID, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 12:27 pm Hallie, you missed the point entirely. The 'revision' of historical accounts is not in our children's best interest. Gretchen highlighted areas that will be short changed or revised to fit an agenda that mirrors the feelings of those events based on the opinion of berkeley socialists.
The further emphasis of events that are emotionally gratifying to liberals (war protests, anarchists violent methods, etc.) do a disservice to events that had more impact and changed more peoples lives.
But, hey, with dems, it's all about feelings and emotions and no logic.
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Posted by Bill, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 1:07 pm So if this curriculum development was postponed to 2015 because of budget cuts, and the state's budget is worst off then it was in 2009, why is the governor approving expenditure of funds now?
If you want a relevant history lesson, look up Emperor Nero who was rumored to be playing the fiddle while Rome was burning to the ground. On a more factual note, Emperor Nero would burn Christians in his garden as a souce of light for his night time parties. Seems Governor Moonbeam will do the same to the unfortuate taxpayers.
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Posted by Steve, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 1:08 pm Along with Thomas Jefferson,his taking of a slave mistress should be expelled from text books. Abraham Lincoln's homosexuality deserves no mention. FDR and JFK were both trotskites who wanted to bring down America. And Martin Luther 'the King' and Barack Hussien Obama are both communists. More God is needed in our history books. And sociology, which is a Godless socialistic enterprise, should not be taught in school. That's why I've home schooled my own children.
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Posted by Hallie, a resident of the Pleasanton Valley neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 4:28 pm I agree. Gretchen, Voter with an ID, Bill, and Steve sound at least as extremist as they are accusing others of being. I wouldn't want radicals of any kind in charge of writing history books. A history course should promote the understanding of many cultures and viewpoints, not narrow minds with any particular agenda.
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Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Sep 11, 2012 at 5:35 pm Gretchen, are you a VETERAN of any war? just asking...tee hee
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Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Sep 11, 2012 at 10:42 pm Is Steve a veteran?
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Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Sep 11, 2012 at 10:43 pm JFK served in the US military...GRACIAS!
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Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Sep 11, 2012 at 10:45 pm Does anybody know if Gretchen served in any branch of the US military?
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Posted by Steve, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 12, 2012 at 12:08 am The answer to your question, Cholo, is No, I did not serve in the military. A certain disability kept me out, though at the time I wasn't allowed to apply, and so I contributed to my country by working in the private sector and making a whole boatload of money.
In that regard, I've done far more for my country than JFK or BO'Bama ever did.
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Posted by Scary, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 12, 2012 at 10:57 pm Really scary. It won't be good. More dumbing down and more freedoms removed for starters always. Probably more taking awards away....so notbody feels left out, or something equally detremential to soaking up information....just 'say' you did. Or now that white males are the 'minority', just tell them don't bother attending, nothing for them.
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Posted by Elizabeth, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Sep 13, 2012 at 8:39 pm Dear people of this thread,
Pretty please read the current history standards before you make comments about what is and is not in them. As a high school social studies teacher, I can promise you that all of the things that Gretchen is concerned about are contained in the standards in multiple places. In fact, the principles of the American Revolution is taught as late as 12th grade Government.
Still it is unfortunate that the years that current students have been alive and the important events from those years are largely ignored by books and standards. How can we inspire students to appreciate their history when we don't value the events of their lives? So yes Gretchen, we need to continue to validate and teach all of the ideas you want to see taught. But we also need to be mindful of recent events and their impact on our country and our students.
Sincerely,
A Social Studies Teacher
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