Patrick Faults Critics of Bill on College History Classes
Addressing criticism that he wants to eliminate college courses in Mexican-American and African-American history, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said in a Facebook post that such comments by activists misrepresent the legislation he has authored.
“I wish these same groups would spend their time and energy supporting my education policy for more choice for the hundreds of thousands of minority students who are dropping out of our schools, or graduating with minimum skills,” Patrick said in the Sunday evening post.
Patrick's Senate Bill 1128 would tweak statute so that core curriculum requirements for American and Texas history at public ...
Comments (15)
Tim Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If you don't want everyone calling you a racist, just stop being racist Senator Patrick. The only people supporting you on this are racists.
Can you imagine the outrage if you suggested that only generic survey classes of Science count, eliminating *specialized* topics like botany, anatomy, or microbiology?
Justin Williams via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Have the Republican Party ever learned from their 2008\2012 defeats?? It is do not offend Do not offend. Do not Offend.
Kelly Haynes via Texas Tribune on Facebook
He's not saying that he wants to end courses, he just doesn't want them to count towards core curriculum requirements for degrees (rendering them pretty much extinct).
Todd Dwyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So...he's pretty much saying he wants to end the courses then...
Pun Nio via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Leave the education curriculum to educated teachers and professionals.
Bill Bush via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I was not aware that specialty courses were being counted toward U.S. or World core requirements. Is this a solution in search of a problem or is this actually happening?
Alan Alexander Arismendez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is unnecessary legislation that would impede the acquirement of valuable knowledge and information for Texas college students. Sen. Patrick needs to do something more productive. But I can't expect much, seeing as how he's a Republican in the Texas Legislature.
hans5162@ix.netcom.com hans
Google each one of Patrick's priority bills and you will see these bills popping up in Republican dominated legislatures around the U.S. You can time them back to the American Legislative Exchange Council, which is a corporate funded lobbing organization that drafts model bills to benefit their members. The charter school expansion bill is a prime example. He's even using their suggested language that it's a "civil rights" issue. He cares nothing about civil rights. The whole things is designed to take advantage of poor children and benefit the charter school industry. It is part of the Republican agenda to punish all groups that are perceived as not supporting the Republican Party. Micromanagers always preface their micromanagement with the statement, "I'm not a micromanager, but..." The further away we can get him from education and social engineering, the better. Senator Patrick, the reason people aren't supporting your policies is because the policies are bad. I want for my children to attend adequately funded secular public schools, where they will learn to deal with real life. Get off my back and do the right thing, like restoring the $5.4 billion dollars you voted to cut from education. Then we can talk about the extra expenditures, like your new voucher bill, your charter school bill and your college micromanagement. Gynecological regulation and placing limits on OBGYN speech weren't enough for you? Trying to expand your portfolio of intrusive government? I guess we're over the whole tea bagger limited government dogma.
Chris Lawrence via Texas Tribune on Facebook
On the one hand, I think it's pretty clear the lege's intent was for students to have 6 hours of American history surveys (e.g. a pre-Columbian through Civil War survey + a post-Civil-War survey) as part of the core curriculum (as, I believe, it was the lege's intent to have 6 hours of coursework at a broad, comprehensive survey level covering U.S. and Texas politics), rather than being able to count electives or special topics courses toward the core requirement; certainly that's the way we interpreted it when I was a professor at Texas A&M International University and I believe it is interpreted at most of the community colleges and other non-flagship universities.
On the other hand (and I feel freer to say this now that my job isn't implicitly subsidized by this requirement), I am not convinced that 6 hours of each really is necessary for most college students, and thus if TAMU and UT-Austin are figuring out ways for students to fulfill 3 of the 6 history hours (or 3 of the 6 political science hours) that might appeal more to students I don't see that as a problem that needs solving.
audrey fisher
The larger picture is that if a Comprehensive Survey would not include specific accurate information, then detail what must be included. If Mr. Patrick is incensed - then add language so that voter's not what you consider important - rather than complaining. Texans saw this nonsense during the SBOE process and it sets a precedent for this. Other wise, TX reader's have watched in shock at how many critical pieces of information would be excluded.
Patrick is complaining for being called out - why are you against "transparency" in your generic Comprehensive Survey....what we came we saw we conquered....details not necessary?
We already know how many texts exclude much of history - Columbus is a hero....NOT!!!
Derick Smith via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If these groups would have met with Patrick they would have realized how much of a lieing bigot he really is. He prides himself on being in bed with the Koch brothers so called American Family group, which created the Tea Party. The lie here is that Patrick always talks about less government regulation and liberty. His attempted micromanagement of college curriculum is pathetic and exposes one of many contradictions in his so called ideas. He has no real education background. He is a bigot. His voucher legislation is another attempt to destroy government. He lies when he says it's main focus is about choice. The evidence against the proposal is overwhelming and it failed miserably in the past. Thanks Dan Patrick for creating a large force of people who will expose you for what you are. A true bigot. There are so many holes in his sheep's costume that it is becoming more and more obvious he is a rabid out of control wolf.
Toni Mikel via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Does seem blatant to me but I'd like to add that it was actually high school that I had special courses in different ethnicity, cultures, religions and a Black History, a African course. this was the 70s and I remember one teacher that had family with German concentration victims and each semester he taught tolerance and showed very real, graphically horror film footage of the Holocaust victims. All these courses taught in a respectful open-minded environment made me who I am today. I could stand in front of map and with all probability point to many countries if you named them off. I was educated primarily in Hawaii (with its own unique cultures) and Connecticut which schools were very diverse and thorough. i think back in retrospect, for this was long long ago. Sadly my daughter was taught in Arkansas and I am forever guilt ridden that I did not send her to private school or home school. She loved school and made As but she lacks the quality of education I received. I realize this by having conversations with her or just specifically asking her about history, geography, science, literature. I realize her skills in Math and computer IT are important in this day and age but I want my baby to be taught on a broad scale to open her mind to possibilities, encourage open-minded retrospect, love of art and literature and have a decent knowledge of her world. She would not be able to stand in front if that Atlas long and tragically how can our Future Leaders be diverse or not repeat failed transgressions, corruption or wars if we don't teach that FAILED, TRUTHFUL, histories?
Samdavis
I doubt Patrick has a problem with the fact that most history courses (until recently) have all been taught from a white perspective.
Art Browning via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Dan Patrick is ridiculous.
Sadly, many people take him seriously.
Meme Me
No wonder these kids graduate and don't even know our history.....because they Really don't know our history.... How can you know where you are going if you don't know where you've been?