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In a move that is expected to inject more conservative-friendly language in school textbooks across the nation, the Texas Board of Education passed new curriculum standards for U.S. history and other social studies courses Friday.

The board's influence extends beyond the state because Texas is the one of the largest purchasers of school textbooks in the United States, The New York Times reports.

The tentatively approved curriculum would, among other things, question the assumption that the Founding Father's wanted a secular government and tout the superiority of American capitalism. The board also consistently voted down attempts to include more references to Hispanic role models in American history.

The vote came after three days of intense debate, with a final skirmish over how to teach the Battle of the Alamo.

Board members tentatively approved the new standards 11-4 after three fractious days of debate that touched on civil rights, religion, politics, music and a host of other topics that will be covered in the new requirements for classroom instruction and textbooks.

"I cannot go back to my community and say I participated in perpetrating this fraud on the students of this state," said board member Mavis Knight, D-Dallas, one of the four negative votes.

Knight charged that some board members - primarily social conservatives - "manipulated" the process to insert their own political and religious views into the document, "whether or not it was appropriate."

On the other side, board member Terri Leo, R-Spring, called the standards a "world class document" that will stand out across the nation.

Curriculum standards adopted by the board will remain in place for the next decade, dictating what is taught in all Texas schools and providing the basis for future textbooks and achievement tests.

Texas standards often wind up being taught in other states because national publishers tailor their materials to Texas, one of the biggest textbook publishers in the nation.

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reflect the general consensus of historians of the time

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...."evaluate the impact of (muckrakers) and reform leaders (including Upton Sinclair), Susan B. Anthony, (Ida B. Wells), and W.E.B. DuBois ((and Robert LaFollette)) on American society

evaluate the impact of third parties (including Populist and Progressive Parties). ((and their candidates such as Eugene Debs, H. Ross Perot, and George Wallace))

analyze causes and effects of ((significant issues)) (such as) including immigration, (Social Darwinism)...

explain the roles played by significant military leaders during World War II, including ((Omar Bradley)), Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, (Oveta Culp Hobby, Benjamin O. Davis. and George Marshall) ((and George Patton))...

(describe Richard M. Nixon’s role in the normalization of relations with China and the policy of détente;)

(describe Ronald Reagan’s role in restoring national confidence, such as Reaganomics and Peace with Strength)...

(identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals, such as Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly, and the Moral Majority)...

(discuss the role of third party candidates, such as Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.) [note: Several members believe that another SE should be added that includes liberal organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, Move On.org, Sierra Club, etc.]

identify the effects of population growth and distribution ((and predict future effects)) on the physical environment [note: One member suggests that this phrase invites doomsday scenarios, therefore eliminate phrase]

analyze the effects of the Great Depression on the U.S. economy and government, (such as widespread unemployment, forced repatriation of Mexican Americans, and increased government intervention)

((explain the impact of significant international events such as World War I and World War II on changes in the role of the federal government))

[replaced by]

[describe the effects of political scandals including Teapot Dome, Watergate, and Clinton’s impeachment on the views of U.S. citizens concerning trust in the federal government and its leaders]

analyze the effects of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions including (Plessy v. Ferguson, Hernandez v. Texas,) Brown v. Board of Education, and (Tinker v. Des Moines( ((and Reynolds v. Sims))

evaluate the contributions of significant political and social leaders in the United States such as Andrew Carnegie, ((Shirley Chisholm)), (Henry B. Gonzalez, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Billy Graham) ((and Franklin D. Roosevelt))

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- A greater emphasis on "the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s." This means not only increased favorable mentions of Schlafly, the founder of the antifeminist Eagle Forum, but also more discussion of the Moral Majority, the Heritage Foundation, the National Rifle Association and Newt Gingrich's Contract With America.

- A reduced scope for Latino history and culture. A proposal to expand such material in recognition of Texas' rapidly growing Hispanic population was defeated in last week's meetings-provoking one board member, Mary Helen Berlanga, to storm out in protest. "They can just pretend this is a white America and Hispanics don't exist," she said of her conservative colleagues on the board. "They are rewriting history, not only of Texas but of the United States and the world."

- Changes in specific terminology. Terms that the board's conservative majority felt were ideologically loaded are being retired. Hence, "imperialism" as a characterization of America's modern rise to world power is giving way to "expansionism," and "capitalism" is being dropped in economic material, in favor of the more positive expression "free market." (The new recommendations stress the need for favorable depictions of America's economic superiority across the board.)

- A more positive portrayal of Cold War anticommunism. Disgraced anticommunist crusader Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator censured by the Senate for his aggressive targeting of individual citizens and their civil liberties on the basis of their purported ties to the Communist Party, comes in for partial rehabilitation. The board recommends that textbooks refer to documents published since McCarthy's death and the fall of the Soviet bloc that appear to show expansive Soviet designs to undermine the U.S. government.

- Language that qualifies the legacy of 1960s liberalism. Great Society programs such as Title IX-which provides for equal gender access to educational resources-and affirmative action, intended to remedy historic workplace discrimination against African-Americans, are said to have created adverse "unintended consequences" in the curriculum's preferred language.

- Thomas Jefferson no longer included among writers influencing the nation's intellectual origins. Jefferson, a deist who helped pioneer the legal theory of the separation of church and state, is not a model founder in the board's judgment. Among the intellectual forerunners to be highlighted in Jefferson's place: medieval Catholic philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, Puritan theologian John Calvin and conservative British law scholar William Blackstone. Heavy emphasis is also to be placed on the founding fathers having been guided by strict Christian beliefs.

- Excision of recent third-party presidential candidates Ralph Nader (from the left) and Ross Perot (from the centrist Reform Party). Meanwhile, the recommendations include an entry listing Confederate General Stonewall Jackson as a role model for effective leadership, and a statement from Confederate President Jefferson Davis accompanying a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

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Heavy emphasis is also to be placed on the founding fathers having been guided by strict Christian beliefs.

Obviously Don McElroy has no clue about the founding fathers. Yes they were religious, but they were not exclusively guided by "strong christian principles" alone.

Many of the Founding fathers were Mason's - such as George Washington. Others were not puritan in their beliefs and thought that religion was too strict.

The guiding force behind the writing of the Constitution was actually philosophy. The writings of Plato were studied and the Roman ideals were incorporated, thus many were termed "Republicans".

Perhaps if they want to revamp History they need to consult with Historians, those actually trained in the subject. This would then put them on the right track.

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The director of science curriculum for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was forced to resign in November after she notified people about a lecture critical of “intelligent design” (ID).

Christine Castillo Comer, 56, was pressured to step down after she forwarded an e-mail to several others mentioning that a speaker critical of ID, the latest variant of creationism, was coming to Austin on Nov.2. Comer sent a notice about the talk to a local online community as an “FYI.”

The speaker, Barbara Forrest, is a philosophy professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. Forrest is an acknowledged expert on ID and coauthor of the book Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design. Forrest, who serves on the Americans United Board of Trustees, was an expert witness in a federal court case that struck down the teaching of ID in Dover, Pa., public schools.

Apparently, just sending information about Forrest’s talk was enough to get Comer fired. Lizzette Reynolds, a former staff member at the U.S. Department of Education now working for TEA, played a key role in Comer’s ouster. She responded to Comer’s e-mail about the ID lecture by urging Comer’s bosses to fire her.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that Reynolds e-mailed Comer’s superiors just hours after Comer sent the e-mail about Forrest’s talk. Her message said, “This is highly inappropriate. I believe this is an offense that calls for termination or, at the very least, reassignment of responsibilities. This is something that the State Board, the Governor’s Office and members of the Legislature would be extremely upset to see because it assumes this is a subject that the agency supports.”

“I don’t see how I took a position by FYI-ing on a lecture like I FYI on global warming or stem-cell research,” Comer said. “I send around all kinds of stuff, and I’m not accused of endorsing it.”

Comer told The Times that recently she had been pressured to stop saying that Texas education officials support the teaching of evolution. Part of her job involved responding to letters and e-mails from people asking about how the subject is taught in Texas public schools. Comer said she always responded by saying that the State Board of Education supports the teaching of evolution. But she said recently she was told to stop saying that.

Advocates of teaching standard science are worried, saying that the ouster of Comer does not bode well. In addition, earlier this year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed a creationist, Don McLeroy, to head the State Board of Education.

Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, blasted TEA officials for forcing out Comer and called on them to promptly reinstate her.

“By noting Forrest’s talk, Comer was simply doing her job: alerting people to a resource they might find useful,” Lynn said. “I am appalled at this action by TEA and urge officials to immediately correct this gross injustice.”

Continued Lynn, “It’s a sad day when a science expert can lose her job merely for recommending that people hear a speaker defend sound science. Officials in Texas seem intent on elevating fundamentalist dogma over academic excellence and common sense.”

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The Texas Freedom Network (TFN) on Tuesday revealed a side of “intelligent design” proponents rarely seen by the public at large. The group released a transcript and recording of an extraordinarily candid speech given in 2005 by recently named State Board of Education Chairman Ron McLeroy.

McLeroy told a gathering at Grace Bible Church in Bryan, Texas, of his efforts to expunge evolution from the state’s high school biology textbooks

Following a long spiel about biblical truth, McLeroy told the audience to ignore intelligent design’s religious foundation when talking to the general public. Not to worry though, the “time to address [Biblical issues] will be after we have separated materialistic prejudice from scientific fact.”

The second step, he said, is to point out that evolution wrongly depends on “naturalism;” that supernaturalism or divine influences are unfairly excluded from the conversation. Finally, forget the scientists and target people without a firm grasp on evolutionary theory.

McLeroy lamented the fact that he failed to convince fellow board members that “are good, strong Christians” to see it his way in 2003. Even though they were active in church, he said, they didn’t even care that evolution conflicted with their Christian worldview. He was sure he would have gotten a few more votes if he’d just mentioned evolution ignores God.

His effort to replace science with theology has implications not just for Texas, but for school children nationwide. Texas is a major market for textbook publishers because it has so many children in its public system. Therefore, the textbooks available to school districts around the country tend to reflect Texas school officials’ choices.

TFN’s press release noted that the 2006 school board elections shifted the balance of power, giving McLeroy and his allies a slim majority. The board is slated to revise science standards.

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The Texas Board of Education gave grudging support last week to teaching the mainstream theory of evolution without the most troubling encumbrances sought by religious and social conservatives. But the margins on crucial amendments were disturbingly close, typically a single vote on a 15-member board, and compromise language left ample room for the struggle to continue.

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Science and technology is a growing and flourishing field in Pakistan. Since its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the newly-found nation of Pakistan has seen a large influx of scientists, engineers, doctors, and technicians assuming an active role in Pakistan's fields of science and technology. Pakistan has been known internationally for some of its major achievements in science and technology such as its possession of strong weapons in the military, growing base of doctors and engineers, and also a fair amount of its new influx of software engineers, which is however as not as much as counterpart India.

Pakistan has achieved goals in Nuclear science, Space Science, Aerospace industries, biological industries, Communication technology and many other science. Pakistan is also the home country of many prominent scientists such as Dr. Abdus Salam who won a Nobel Prize in Physics.

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Contrary to popular belief that madrassas are schools for fundamentalist Islamic teaching, madrassas in West Bengal are attracting an increasing number of Hindu students with their shift in focus from Islamist education to science and technology.

"It's a misconception that our students only learn Islam-related subjects at madrassas. Time is changing and so are we. Now, we lay more stress on science and technology than religion."

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Pakistan's poor education system has increasingly become a matter of international concern. Lack of access to quality education, which in turn limits economic opportunity, makes young Pakistanis targets for extremist groups, some experts say. The World Bank says nearly half the adult population of Pakistan can't read, and net primary enrollment rates remain the lowest in South Asia. Experts say the system suffers from inadequate government investment, corruption, lack of institutional capacity, and a poor curriculum that often incites intolerance. In August 2009, chief counterterrorism adviser to the White House John Brennan, summing up a concern held by many U.S. terrorism experts, said extremist groups in Pakistan have exploited this weakness. "It is why they offer free education to impoverished Pakistani children, where they can recruit and indoctrinate the next generation," he said.

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Among Western countries post-9/11, the Madrasas are often perceived as a place of radical revivalism with a negative connotation of anti-Americanism and radical extremism, frequently associated in the Western press with Wahhabi attitudes toward non-Muslims. The word madrasah literally means "school" and does not imply a political or religious affiliation, radical or otherwise. They have a varied curriculum, and are not all religious. Madrasahs in India, for example, have a secularized identity.

The Yale Center for the Study of Globalization examined bias in United States newspaper coverage of Pakistan since the September 11, 2001 attacks, and found the term has come to contain a loaded political meaning. "When articles mentioned 'madrassas,' readers were led to infer that all schools so-named are anti-American, anti-Western, pro-terrorist centers having less to do with teaching basic literacy and more to do with political indoctrination."

Various American public figures have, in recent times, used the word in a negative context, including Newt Gingrich,[38] Donald Rumsfeld,[39] and Colin Powell.[40]. During Soviet occupation in Afghanistan many CIA official were found involved in breeding terrorist activities in some of the madrassa schools in northern Pakistan. Those who were involved were not yet handed over to the Pakistani government to present them to courts. It was several times accepted by USA government and admitted by several involved like Donal Remsfeld, Colon Powell, Senior Bush etc.

The New York Times published a correction for misusing the word "madrassa" in a way that assumed it meant a radical Islamic school. The correction stated, "An article... said Senator Barack Obama had attended an Islamic school or madrassa in Indonesia as a child referred imprecisely to madrassas. While some (madrassas) teach a radical version of Islam, most historically have not."

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The lawsuit claimed that the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, or NCBCPS, was approved by the board in December, 2005 and was to be implemented as an elective history course option in the 2006-2007 school year for two high schools within ECISD. The suit also claimed that the NCBCPS curriculum did not provide alternative scholarly interpretations of the Bible that are also within the Biblical spectrum to include Catholicism, Judaism, Orthodox Christianity and mainstream Protestantism.

A slang email comment made by the ECISD Director of Curriculum and Instruction upon approval of the Bible course was mentioned in the suit as part of the argument that the district was trying to use a religious agenda the public school system.

“YES, WE ARE USING NCBCPS :) :) :)! HA! Take that you dang heathens!”

According to the lawsuit, both the media and parents have been denied access to the contents of the course, further supporting claims that the course is using a hidden agenda that violates the Constitutionality of the contents being offered and taught to ECISD students.

Due to the private nature of the company, accurate accounts of the numbers of districts currently utilizing the NCBCPS as part of their elective programs could not be verified, but other lawsuits, and subsequent settlements, have taken place as a result of the contents of this curriculum, although further research needs to be accomplished.

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