Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Red flag for schools

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001 | 9:30 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

TESTS HAVE SHOWN that large numbers of American children miss a step between elementary school and high school. Something is or isn't happening in our middle schools, according to many test results.

Now along comes a study of textbooks that are used to teach science in our middle schools. The professor who led the two-year review of science textbooks declared that none of the 12 most popular books contain an acceptable level of accuracy. Professor John Hubisz is quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "These are terrible books, and they're probably a strong component of why we do so poorly in science."

What is just as disturbing for me is the thousands of teachers who haven't caught these errors before they are soaked up as fact by students. Hubisz says, "These are basic errors. It's the stuff that anyone who had taken a science class would be able to catch."

More than five years have passed since Lynn V. Cheney, wife of Vice President-elect Richard Cheney, wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal that identified the "Hijacking of America's History." Cheney's opening paragraph was:

"Imagine a version of American history in which George Washington makes only a fleeting appearance and is never described as our first president. Or in which the foundings of the Sierra Club and the National Organization for Women are considered noteworthy events, but the first gathering of the U.S. Congress is not ..."

After that it was all downhill and included the number of times certain historical subjects were cited in a proposed "National Standards for U.S. History." Paul Revere, Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers and Robert E. Lee failed to even be mentioned. Sen. Joe McCarthy and the Ku Klux Klan were mentioned 19 and 17 times, respectively.

I asked Brian Cram, then superintendent of Clark County Schools, about the use of such standards. He wrote:

"As regards the 'National Standards of U.S. History,' we have made a conscious decision in this district not to adopt these standards, as they do not reflect our goals and objectives in the areas of history and civics. Additionally, we have requested that the Nevada Department of Education hold off on adopting any history standards until the 'National Standards' can be revised to reflect a more balanced approach to the study of American history."

Six months later a new set of guidelines were issued. Old values and important people weren't cast aside and there was far less biased language in describing the history of our country.

May I suggest that Lynn Cheney, after getting her husband inaugurated, do some reading and writing about the science books being used in our middle schools.