We have a major problem in education. Of course, that’s been obvious for quite some time and its been solidified now that Betsy “never been to public school and don’t know anyone who ever has” DeVos was confirmed as Secretary of Education. Some educators have struggled with developing curriculum that is inclusive and tells a realistic and nuanced version of American history while others use material that is not only offensive but also just straight lies.
Remember back in 2015 when education publisher McGraw-Hill printed geography textbooks that called the enslaved Africans in the U.S. “workers”?
The caption in the ninth-grade textbook accompanies a map of the U.S. in a section about immigration. It reads: "The Atlantic Slave Trade between the 1500s and 1800s brought millions of workers from Africa to the southern United States to work on agricultural plantations."
That statement somehow made it through several reviews and the State Board of Education and into the classrooms of 1,200 school districts in Texas before it caught the attention of a 15-year-old student who brought it to his mother’s attention. His outraged mother took to social media and was able to call attention to it. Of course, some local lawmakers didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.
Thomas Ratliff, a Republican member of the state board, said the wording of the caption isn't related to Texas' curriculum standards.
"People have been looking for something to criticize and if you look for something hard enough, believe me you'll find it," Ratliff said. "I think it was just worded improperly. I don't think this is the tipping point for a whole bunch of other revelations."
Hmm… sounds like Ratliff is ok with teaching “alternative facts” to children.
And the lies keep coming. Check out a test question provided to students preparing for an AP (Advanced Placement) Government exam.
So in case it isn’t obvious to you, what this question and answer purportedly reveal is that minorities like Democrats because they benefit from social programs. You’ve heard it before—people of color vote Democratic because they like welfare, affirmative action, etc. This kind of racism isn’t even sophisticated. It’s old crap dressed up in new packaging. And it sounds a little bit like the Trump administration.
It’s important to note that this is not a question on the actual AP exam which is administered by the College Board. It is, however, from supplemental preparation materials developed by Pearson Education. Pearson, just like McGraw-Hill, is a for-profit educational publisher that develops assessment and curriculum materials for use in schools. And apparently, they are perfectly okay letting stereotypes and racism enter into materials that are bound for educational institutions.
This is wrong on so many levels. The racism in itself is gross but its also really sad (though not surprising) that this kind of thing sets up even more structures for kids to continue to be uneducated and bigoted. Because these kids grow up. And since they won’t know real facts, they don’t know any better and then they will do incredibly racist things. And then they vote for an incredibly racist president who in turn puts a very uneducated and racist woman as the Secretary of Education. And then we are all screwed royally.
