Category Archives for live blog

Live-Blogging the May Social Studies Hearing

A live video webcast of today’s hearing is available through the Texas Education Agency website. 9:10 – Public testimony on the proposed new social studies curriculum standards just began. First speaker: the Rev. Stephen Broden, who’s arguing that social studies students must learn the Judeo-Christian heritage of the nation. His testimony is right out of [...]

Also posted in social studies
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Blogging the Social Studies Debate VI

3:10 – The state board is resuming its debate on the standards and is taking up the psychology standards. It’s unclear how controversial this course might be. 3:19 – Not controversial, apparently. No amendments for psychology, so on to sociology. Cynthia Dunbar Barbara Cargill moves to add Robert Nisbet to a list of sociologists students [...]

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Blogging the Social Studies Debate V

12:55 – The board just voted for an amendment by Cynthia Dunbar that students learn that “the laws of nature and nature’s God” be included in a list of political ideas in history that influenced the writing of the Constitution and other founding documents. 1:02 – Now Dunbar moves to replace “democratic republic” to “constitutional [...]

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SBOE Rejects Religious Freedom in Standards

Today the Texas State Board of Education voted to reject an amendment to social studies curriculum standards that would require students to learn that the nation’s Founders “protected religious freedom by barring government from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion over all others.” The party-line vote — 10 Republicans against and 5 Democrats in favor [...]

Also posted in church and state, Cynthia Dunbar, Mavis Knight
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Blogging the Social Studies Debate IV

9:20 – The State Board of Education will resume debate and amending proposed new social studies curriculum standards for Texas public schools this morning. Board members are getting a short lesson on parliamentary procedure right now. 9:27 – The board is taking up remaining amendments on the high school world history course. 9:30 – Board [...]

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Blogging the Social Studies Debate III

6:07 – The board will pick up where it left off in January — with high school social studies courses. Chairwoman Gail Lowe explains that the board wants to finish the high school courses this evening and then consider new amendments to other courses discussed in January. 6:11 – The board is beginning with the [...]

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Blogging the Social Studies Debate II

12:18 p.m. – Civil rights groups are out in force today, with speakers calling on the Texas State Board of Education to stop undermining the coverage of minorities and the civil rights movement in the standards. 12:32 – State Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, noted the state board debate on his Web site this morning: [...]

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Blogging the Social Studies Debate

11:20 a.m. – The Texas State Board of Education meeting has just begun. The board will soon begin to hear public testimony on the proposed social studies curriculum standards for public schools. You can follow the action here and on the Texas Education Agency’s live Webstream. Meanwhile, here’s a photo of a press conference this [...]

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Live-Blogging the Social Studies Debate III

A video Web cast of today’s Texas State Board of Education hearing is available here. 9:42 – The Texas State Board of Education is resuming its debate and consideration of amendments for social studies curriculum standards. They will focus on high school courses today. 9:44 – It looks like they’ll begin with high school U.S. [...]

Also posted in social studies
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Live-Blogging the Social Studies Debate II

8:45 – We’re back for the rest of this long evening… 8:56 – Barbara Cargill wants a standard in the Grade 6 world cultures class that requires students to learn about the “importance of morality and ethics” for a well-functioning capitalistic economy. The motion passes. 9:01 – The board continues its tedious plodding through the [...]

Also posted in social studies
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