Latest news with #socialstudies
Washington Post
7 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Oklahoma parents fight new curriculum on 2020 election ‘discrepancies'
A battle is roiling Oklahoma over new social studies standards that include teaching high-schoolers that there were 'discrepancies' in the 2020 presidential election, as a legal fight unfolds over allegations that the state superintendent added the provision to the standards without notifying some education board members before they voted to pass them.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
OK judge needs more time to make decision on controversial social studies standards
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An Oklahoma County District judge said Wednesday he would need more time to consider arguments for and against a case that could see controversial social studies curriculum blocked from Oklahoma schools. Last month, News 4 reported former Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter had joined the legal team representing a group of parents and teachers in a petition filed against the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the State Board of Education to stop the standards. The standards were approved by the State Board of Education in February, and lawmakers could have sent them back for additional review, but decided not to do so. They include biblical teachings and ask students to examine discrepancies in the 2020 election. The case is tied to the process in which the standards were approved and how they could impact Oklahomans. Public school parent-led group provides social studies curriculum opt-out form On Wednesday, Hunter's legal team opened arguments asking for an injunction or temporary restraining order in front of Judge Brent Dishman. Current Putnam City Public Schools educator, plaintiff, and former standards writing committee volunteer, James Welch, PhD, was called to the stand to testify. During his testimony, Welch said that he was brought on as the sole person writing psychology and sociology standards last year. Welch said last fall, he and 25 other teachers met in a University of Central Oklahoma conference room to review the standards. Welch said State Superintendent Ryan Walters attended and expressed to Welch and other attendees that he believed the committee members would do a good job. Welch said he was provided a set of standards from another state and was told attendees should model their standards based on them. He said he was concerned by blatant religious texts and pro-free enterprise standards, calling them 'extreme.' He also said that other attendees he spoke with were 'alarmed' as well. Welch noted that when he reviewed a draft copy of the standards in December, he noted that all mentions of the word 'diversity' in his subject areas had been stricken. He said he found that problematic, and that the material pertained to subjects that were vital for an understanding in government. He said seeing the changes created a 'crisis of conscience' for him and that he feared he would be reported, disciplined, or fired if he taught the areas omitted instead of what he described as a 'radical right wing viewpoint.' Oklahoma State Board of Education attorney, Chad Kutmas, pressed Welch about his experience, of which Welch admitted he had never been a part of standards writing processes prior to his volunteer commitment. Oklahoma State Department of Education attorney, Michael Beason, pressed Welch about copies of standards handed out at the fall meeting Welch was not supposed to take with him outside of the meeting. Welch admitted to doing so, but when pressed about whether he shared them with media outlets, Welch said he did not. Beason argued that Welch was disgruntled because he didn't agree with the standards contents. Hunter's legal team argued the process to approve the standard was inconsistent and that there were amendments made 'that nobody had ever seen.' He said the children across Oklahoma and their parents need to have confidence standards were implemented lawfully. Hunter argued the standards didn't come to the legislature lawfully, saying they were 'shoehorned' in and weren't properly deliberated. 'There has to be a recourse by citizens when there's a process like this that is so flawed,' said Hunter. News 4 has covered reports in which new board members appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt in February say they were not given enough time to review the standards, following the draft of the standards in December, and a 30-day window of public comment. News 4 shared in March that public comments obtained surrounding the altered standards were mostly negative, with only one comment supporting religious texts in schools. Despite that, attorneys for the board and OSDE argued Wednesday that the process, which isn't legally required, other than public comment and the legislature consideration, was all done by the book. They said there's no legal precedent to move the case forward since the legislature took no action, saying doing so would 'open up a Pandora's Box.' 'Just because you're a lawmaker doesn't mean you don't make mistakes,' said Hunter. Hunter asked a judge to consider a joint resolution filed this legislative session by Edmond Republican Adam Pugh that would have sent the standards back to the board. Pugh argued the standards would cost taxpayers millions of dollars in updates to textbooks and curriculum. Dishman seemed weary of accepting the quoted over $30 million figure Wednesday, but Hunter noted the board and OSDE hadn't provided any other figures. Hunter also wanted Dishman to review the public comments. 'In this situation, we certainly want the judge to review everything carefully and thoughtfully,' said Hunter. Attorneys for the board and OSDE, while not providing another estimate, disputed the costs, but they did encourage Dishman to consider a motion to dismiss the case, arguing it's only costing taxpayers more money in legal fees. 'I just don't think that's good government, and I don't think that that's a correct argument, nor do I think the judge is going to buy it,' said Hunter. Judge Dishman did not say when he expects to make a decision on separate motions for the injunction/restraining order or to dismiss the case. Hunter expects an update in June. News 4 reached out to a spokesperson for State Superintendent Ryan Walters on Wednesday, but his office declined to comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
New standards for Oklahoma high school students promote misinformation about the 2020 election
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma high school students studying U.S. history learn about the Industrial Revolution, women's suffrage and America's expanding role in international affairs. Beginning next school year, they will add conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election . Oklahoma's new social studies standards for K-12 public school students, already infused with references to the Bible and national pride, were revised at the direction of state School Superintendent Ryan Walters. The Republican official has spent much of his first term in office lauding President Donald Trump , feuding with teachers unions and local school superintendents, and trying to end what he describes as 'wokeness' in public schools.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Resembling ourselves is critical
The Nebraska Department of Education. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) Oh, those pesky social studies standards. Nebraska's once vaunted but now diminished rivalry with Oklahoma has come to a shuddering halt. What was born on the gridiron years ago has now expired, as those charged with educating children in the Sooner State have proposed an educational standard with no pedagogical foundation nor semblance of the truth. If adopted, the state's high school students, in their study of the presidential election results from 2020, would be required to 'identify discrepancies' in the process. Except there weren't any. Sure, some insisted the integrity of the election of Joe Biden was tainted. But no tangible, verifiable evidence was found nor exists today to prove that the election had 'discrepancies.' Nor does wishing, hoping, believing or offering debunked conjecture to the contrary make it so. Or worse, make it part of the public school curriculum. If the standard is accepted, Oklahoma students will be learning a lie. Game over. Huskers win. That's because to my knowledge, Nebraska's social study standards entertain no such nonsense. Nevertheless, as we've seen before on other fronts, culture war creep is a thing, a reality that can show up anywhere, including Nebraska's classrooms. See book banning for details. The standard's news was among a spate of happenings from the silly to the serious during the last week connected to social studies, history, economics, whatever social science is to your liking. Oklahoma's potential capitulation, which raises conspiracy theories to the level of actual American history, was only part of the story. A bill introduced in Congress would codify President Trump's notion that the Gulf of Mexico hitherto be known as the Gulf of America. His executive order did as much early in his second term, but EOs do not carry the weight or the permanence of an actual law. As you know, laws are what Congress passes, although you'd be hard pressed to find an example of that with the current confab now meeting in the Capitol. Enter H.R. 276, which would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico permanently and compel all federal agencies to update their maps and documents to reflect such an alteration. I imagine that would also require a rewrite of state social studies or geography standards. The bill's sponsor is U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Oy, vey! Where to begin? Let's start (and stop) with this: Why? Yeah, I can't think of anything either. Nebraska U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., thought the entire episode was rather childish: 'It just seems juvenile. We're the United States of America. We're not Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany or Napoleon's France. … We're better than this. It just sounds like a sophomore thing to do.' Bacon's nay in the name-change vote was a welcome development despite the measure passing the House. Perhaps Republican U.S. Reps. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith have an answer to why. A better idea would have been to let the silliness languish, never to be heard from again. The House — and the rest of us — face more pressing matters, not the least of which is the looming crisis over whether or not we are a democratic republic that honors the principle of due process. Enshrined in two Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, due process is the bedrock on which a nation of laws is built. Here's a quick review of those details, all of which should be the social studies standard for anyone who calls America home: The Fifth Amendment says no one shall be 'deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.' The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, uses the same eleven words, called the Due Process Clause, to describe a legal obligation of the states. Due process gives us legal procedures (processes), so the government cannot infringe on our individual rights. More to the point in the current discussion is this: Due process applies to anyone — citizen or not — being adjudicated in the U.S., too, its language using 'person' rather than citizen. Nevertheless, both the president and his Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, sidestepped the due process question recently. That is, do they believe in it? Trump told NBC's Kristin Welker he 'didn't know' because he isn't an attorney. Noem simply would not answer the question during a congressional hearing. The nation's history, like high school social studies, is replete with stories that essentially reveal who we are as a country, what we value — principles such as due process. They are the nation's standards. But when they get their corners knocked off, when we fail to live up to them, we no longer resemble ourselves. That's a standard too far. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Virginia teachers struggle to keep up as history guide rollout lags
Virginia history book materials. (Photo by Mechelle Hankerson/ Virginia Mercury) Virginia teachers are still flying blind months into a new school year — trying to adapt to overhauled history standards without the full set of instructional guides the state promised to help them navigate the change. Since early April, the Virginia Department of Education has continued to publish its history instructional guides to help prepare teachers to instruct students in the state's updated history and social studies standards. Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson said at the Board of Education's March meeting that part of the delay stemmed from staff adding web links to primary and secondary sources in the guides. Since then, the agency has been releasing instructional guides for its history and social science courses on a weekly basis. The department says the instructional guides provide educators with directions for implementing the recently adopted 2023 History and Social Science Standards of Learning, which replace the 2015 version. Danyael Graham, president of the Virginia Social Studies Leaders Consortium, said teachers have already begun lesson planning and receiving training on the 2023 standards. Educators have also been required to start integrating the standards into their instruction. However, Graham said, it has been difficult to build effective lessons without the necessary guides that clarify what teachers need to know — particularly in preparation for state assessments. She explained that the 2015 standards, along with their accompanying curriculum framework, provided detailed expectations for what students were supposed to learn. In contrast, the 2023 standards do not include a curriculum framework and instead rely on instructional guides, which teachers are still waiting on to fully adjust their lessons. As a result, Graham noted that teachers will likely spend unplanned time over summer break or in August reviewing the complex documents and modifying their lesson plans. 'They're unsure what resources to turn to,' Graham said, 'And while it's great that (VDOE) is putting these links in here (and) is going to be supportive for teachers, it's very late.' Graham also worries the delay will also negatively affect elementary teachers who are already juggling other state curriculum changes in math and literacy. Publishing the documents 'earlier' would have been ideal, she said. However, 'I at least do appreciate that they're sticking to their timeline.' In the meantime, Graham said the consortium is gradually releasing its own document to help teachers craft lesson plans and connect the instructional guides. She said the organization believes it's important to support educators of all experience levels by offering teacher-facing lessons — educational content and activities designed to enhance their instruction during a time of major transition. 'We know they're overwhelmed, we know they're burnt out, or we know they're entirely new to the field and need direction,' Graham said. 'So we thought that by building out these inquiry-based tasks, we're providing them with some high-quality instructional materials that they can then use and plug into their classes.' In March, Gullickson took over the department after former Superintendent Lisa Coons resigned amid growing pressure from teachers and educational organizations calling for the release of the instructional guides. Since then, the agency has kept to its rollout schedule. It plans to complete the release of the final four instructional guides over the next two weeks. These remaining courses include Grade 2, Grade 4 Virginia Studies, Grade 10 World History and Geography: 1500 to the Present and Grade 11 Virginia and United States History. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
