http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150407/NEWS/150409695
Medford School Board OKs disputed AP U.S. history textbook
By Teresa Thomas
Mail Tribune
Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 2:00 AM
The Medford School Board Monday narrowly approved a controversial U.S. history textbook recommended by teachers and criticized by members of the board and community.The textbook — the 16th edition of "The American Pageant" by David M. Kennedy and Lisabeth Cohen — along with curriculum for several other advanced placement classes were recommended for adoption at the March 16 board meeting. While the board unanimously approved the other curriculum, board members Jeff Thomas and Kim Wallan objected to the annotated version of the U.S. Constitution in the back of the U.S. History textbook and asked that the board defer voting on it until all members — two were absent — could be present.Thomas and Wallan were offended by the bracketed words and phrases embedded within the text of the Constit
ution, particularly the authors' note in the Second Amendment, which appears in the book this way: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms [i.e., for military purposes] shall not be infringed."Last week, several board members met with representatives from the publishing company to discuss the text and the authors' intent in the annotations."The book was not trying to discount years of Supreme Court decisions but to be used as a teaching tool," explained Daniel Woodward, a South Medford High School AP U.S. history teacher."We selected what we believe to be the best text with the best support materials for students and a great online edition," Woodard said. "And it far supersedes anything else that's out there."At Monday's meeting, board members Sally Killen, Ron Andersen and Marlene Yesquen submitted to the teachers' recommendation and voted in favor of "The American Pageant.""I have a lot of trust in the teachers and their ability to use an imperfect text," Killen said at the meeting. "No textbook is perfect."Wallan adamantly opposed the book so long as it contained an annotated version of the Constitution, and board member Larry Nicholson also voted no to the book, citing "philosophical" reasons."When the authors start editing things, it makes it look like we're using today's ideology to analyze what was done 200 years ago," he said.After much deliberation, Thomas voted yes, but only after teachers and Todd Bloomquist, the district's director of secondary education, guaranteed him that they would include a disclaimer in the course syllabus, provide "clean" copies of the Constitution for each student and teach a lesson to explain the reasoning behind the board's misgivings about the editorialized version of the Constitution."If I think that will happen, then I'll support it," Thomas said.Board member Tricia Prendergast was not present at Monday's meeting.Two community members, Joel Marks and Stuart Sennett, left the meeting frustrated with the outcome."It's a disgrace what the school board did," Marks said. "Jeff Thomas cowardly folded."Marks, an adjunct history professor for Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University, said he spent more than seven hours reviewing the textbook. He informed the board at the start of the meeting that he had identified nearly a dozen "flaws and misrepresentations, as well as factually misleading errors" in the book."The editorial comments in the Constitution were the tip of the iceberg," he said after the meeting. "The whole book is biased toward a particular worldview. It disparages the founding fathers by calling them 'elite conservatives.' "Woodward described the discourse with the board as "positive" and said he and the other AP U.S. history teachers were fine with the contingencies.The students, he said, will look at the origin of the Bill of Rights and its interpretations over time."I feel so wholeheartedly that this is the best resource for kids that I will take the book but not use the Constitution (as it's presented)," he said.Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt.
Medford School Board OKs disputed AP U.S. history textbook
By Teresa Thomas
Mail Tribune
Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 2:00 AM
The Medford School Board Monday narrowly approved a controversial U.S. history textbook recommended by teachers and criticized by members of the board and community.The textbook — the 16th edition of "The American Pageant" by David M. Kennedy and Lisabeth Cohen — along with curriculum for several other advanced placement classes were recommended for adoption at the March 16 board meeting. While the board unanimously approved the other curriculum, board members Jeff Thomas and Kim Wallan objected to the annotated version of the U.S. Constitution in the back of the U.S. History textbook and asked that the board defer voting on it until all members — two were absent — could be present.Thomas and Wallan were offended by the bracketed words and phrases embedded within the text of the Constit
ution, particularly the authors' note in the Second Amendment, which appears in the book this way: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms [i.e., for military purposes] shall not be infringed."Last week, several board members met with representatives from the publishing company to discuss the text and the authors' intent in the annotations."The book was not trying to discount years of Supreme Court decisions but to be used as a teaching tool," explained Daniel Woodward, a South Medford High School AP U.S. history teacher."We selected what we believe to be the best text with the best support materials for students and a great online edition," Woodard said. "And it far supersedes anything else that's out there."At Monday's meeting, board members Sally Killen, Ron Andersen and Marlene Yesquen submitted to the teachers' recommendation and voted in favor of "The American Pageant.""I have a lot of trust in the teachers and their ability to use an imperfect text," Killen said at the meeting. "No textbook is perfect."Wallan adamantly opposed the book so long as it contained an annotated version of the Constitution, and board member Larry Nicholson also voted no to the book, citing "philosophical" reasons."When the authors start editing things, it makes it look like we're using today's ideology to analyze what was done 200 years ago," he said.After much deliberation, Thomas voted yes, but only after teachers and Todd Bloomquist, the district's director of secondary education, guaranteed him that they would include a disclaimer in the course syllabus, provide "clean" copies of the Constitution for each student and teach a lesson to explain the reasoning behind the board's misgivings about the editorialized version of the Constitution."If I think that will happen, then I'll support it," Thomas said.Board member Tricia Prendergast was not present at Monday's meeting.Two community members, Joel Marks and Stuart Sennett, left the meeting frustrated with the outcome."It's a disgrace what the school board did," Marks said. "Jeff Thomas cowardly folded."Marks, an adjunct history professor for Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University, said he spent more than seven hours reviewing the textbook. He informed the board at the start of the meeting that he had identified nearly a dozen "flaws and misrepresentations, as well as factually misleading errors" in the book."The editorial comments in the Constitution were the tip of the iceberg," he said after the meeting. "The whole book is biased toward a particular worldview. It disparages the founding fathers by calling them 'elite conservatives.' "Woodward described the discourse with the board as "positive" and said he and the other AP U.S. history teachers were fine with the contingencies.The students, he said, will look at the origin of the Bill of Rights and its interpretations over time."I feel so wholeheartedly that this is the best resource for kids that I will take the book but not use the Constitution (as it's presented)," he said.Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt.- By Teresa Thomas
Mail Tribune
MailTribune.com
By Teresa Thomas
Mail Tribune
Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 2:00 AM
