Quo Vadis GOP?

[viper37]

Proposal to teach slavery as 'involuntary relocation' sent to Texas education board

A group of nine educators submitted the idea to the State Board of Education, which directed the group to revisit the language, the Texas Tribune reported.

AUSTIN, Texas — Public schools in Texas would describe slavery to second graders as "involuntary relocation" under new social studies standards proposed to the state's education board.
A group of nine educators submitted the idea to the State Board of Education as part of Texas' efforts to develop new social studies curriculum, according to the Texas Tribune. The once-a-decade process updates what children learn in the state's nearly 8,900 public schools.

"The board -- with unanimous consent -- directed the work group to revisit that specific language," Keven Ellis, chair of the Texas State Board of Education, said in a statement, according to the Tribune.

Board member Aicha Davis, a Democrat who represents Dallas and Fort Worth, raised concerns during a June 15 meeting that the term wasn't a fair representation of the slave trade. The board sent the draft back for revision, urging the educator group to "carefully examine the language used to describe events."

"I can't say what their intention was, but that's not going to be acceptable," Davis told the Tribune on Thursday.

Part of the proposed draft standards obtained by the Tribune say students should "compare journeys to America, including voluntary Irish immigration and involuntary relocation of African people during colonial times."

The board is considering curriculum changes one year after Texas passed a law to eliminate topics from schools that make students "feel discomfort."

The state's public education system has become heavily politicized in recent years, with lawmakers passing legislation to dictate how race and slavery should be taught in schools and conservative groups pouring large amounts of money into school board races.

Texas drew attention for a similar situation in 2015, when a student noticed wording in a textbook that referred to slaves who were brought to America as "workers." The book's publisher apologized and promised to increase the number of textbook reviewers it uses.

[Tonitrus]

If we're going to have unlimited tax-paid school voucher portability available to people with kids, then I demand an equal tax refund for us bachelors/bachelorettes.

[Eddie Teach]

The people with kids are funding our retirement.

[Tonitrus]

I fund my own. 

[The Brain]

Sweden has had school vouchers for 30 years. NB not valid for home-schooling and similar.

[Solmyr]

We're watching the devolution of a modern nation into a fairytale nostalgia-state in real-time.

So the US is becoming a new Iran.

[grumbler]

Sweden has had school vouchers for 30 years. NB not valid for home-schooling and similar.

And it is quite controversial, given the considerable decline in the performance of Swedish students on international standardized tests.

Charter schools in the US are basically voucher schools.  Michigan has the largest percentage of students in charter schools (thanks, Betsy DeVos!), and charter school students there perform much worse on standardized tests.

Charter/voucher schools sound good in theory (reduced bureaucracy), but there seems to be no proper accountability for the results and poorly-performing private schools are not closed as they would be in theory.

[The Brain]

Sweden has had school vouchers for 30 years. NB not valid for home-schooling and similar.

And it is quite controversial, given the considerable decline in the performance of Swedish students on international standardized tests.

What's the connection?

[Jacob]

My assumption is the voucher program is intended to have to following effects:

1) A small handout to the wealthy and privileged who are sending their kids to high quality private schools.

2) A reasonable handout and more moral support to folks whose top education priority is that their kids are raised with a value system that includes things like "I'm sick of the separation of Church and State" and "protecting children against the woke LGTBQ+ agenda" rather than fostering critical thinking and problem solving skills.

3) Make it more practical for people who care about racial segregation in schooling to find solutions that work for them.

4) Open up potential money streams for radical right wing / evangelical grifters as well as profit maximizing education companies (with ties to State lawmakers and/ or donors) to target.

If at the same time the education quality of minority groups, non-voters, Democrats, and/ or the gullible deteriorates... well, that's just their own fault for staying in the public school system.

[Eddie Teach]

I think it's mostly 2).

[Valmy]

I think it's mostly 2).

Interesting. Why is that?

[The Minsky Moment]

Voucher programs follow the logic of "defund the police" and apply it to education.

[Razgovory]

Before desegregation and an end to school prayer conservatives wanted to ban private schools.

[grumbler]

I think it's mostly 2).

Interesting. Why is that?

I agree with ET.  These are the people who elected a nitwit to the governor's mansion in Virginia so that he could stop the unspeakably evil, but also non-existent, teaching of Critical Race Theory in Virginia schools.  They are terrified that their kids might be taught to be skeptical about claims lacking proof.

[crazy canuck]

Here we all pay property taxes to support the public school system.  So if parents also pay for private school, they are effectively paying twice.