Texas education board passes new English, reading standards - ON AN HOUR'S NOTICE

[tbyg52]

My personal opinion is that this is a test case for what they mean to do to the science standards. I'm going to get hold of my member and make sure she is aware that I at least noticed.
Members:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/sboe/members.html
District map:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/sboe/districts.html

If this weren't Texas, I would find it unbelievable. (Emphasis mine.)

The State Board of Education's debate on new English and reading standards took another rowdy turn Friday as members approved a never-before-seen version of the lengthy document which materialized less than an hour before the board was to take a final vote.

After a wacky and terse debate on the new curriculum, the board voted 9-6 in favor of the new version, which will remain in place for the next decade and sets standards for state tests and textbooks, as well as classroom teaching.

Experts and teachers have been working on the new curriculum standards for two and a half years.

"I find it's really wild that we can work for three years on a project and then the board is so qualified they can pull it out of their hat overnight," said board member Pat Hardy, a Fort Worth Republican who, like other board members, received the substituted document when it was slipped under her hotel door less than an hour before their meeting was set to convene Friday morning.

Some social conservatives on the board prepared the latest version overnight.

More:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D90RHOOG0.html

[tbyg52]

1. The Dallas Morning News does not appear to allow comments,

but here are a couple of blogs covering this that do:
http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/24/thats-it-texas-really-is-doomed/
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/05/fire_don_mcleroy.php

[tbyg52]

2. Chronicle: Board member wants education chief replaced

Good luck with that....

The Chron does allow comments, if you care to:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5793570.html

[PDittie]

3. Edra Bogle for SBOE District 14

A good progressive:

http://bogleforquality.com/

[Lithos]

4. I found this statement interesting on several levels

Teacher groups complained that the curriculum was a patchwork and poorly written, but largely withheld judgment.

A poorly written document defining grammer and reading standards for the State of Texas, I can't imagine anything more absurd or revealing about Conservative politics in Texas.

[tbyg52]

5. Surely this can be shown to violate some kind of open meetings law?

I'm not an expert, but it looks to me like there's only one explanation for the whole board not rearing up on their hind legs and demanding to know what the @#$% was going on and refusing to vote on something they had no time to study, and that's that the majority that voted for it *did* have time to study it and those against didn't. Anyone see any other possibility?

[mbperrin]

6. Meh. I'm not even surprised.

It seems to me the sole purpose of the board is to reduce public schools to ash so that the charter and private nutsos will finally have the treasury in their hands.

Hasn't been a pro-education decision since 1984, far as I can tell.

And yes, I do teach, in one of the largest and poorest high schools in the state.

[tbyg52]

7. As it exists right now, absolutely. nt

[cloudbase]

8. Next up, the SBOE tackles science.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5815344.html