Link to actual College Board guidelines: http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalSe ... iption.pdf
The Republican National Committee on Friday denounced the College Board's new framework for the AP U.S. History exam for its "consistently negative view of American history."
The committee adopted a resolution during its summer meeting in Chicago condemning the exam's new framework, according to Education Week.
In the resolution, the RNC slams the College Board's "radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation's history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects."
The committee takes issue with the course's minimal coverage of of the Founding Fathers and decision to exclude information on U.S. military commanders and battles. The RNC also claims that the College Board presents a "biased and inaccurate view" of events like the motivations of the 17th century American settlers and U.S. involvement in World War II.
The RNC demanded that the College Board delay the new course framework by at least a year and draw up a new plan. They are also asking Congress to investigate the course.
Following the resolution, two conservative groups, American Principles in Action and Concerned Women for America, sent an open letter to the College Board asking that the new framework be delayed.
In the letter, the groups criticize the course's negative view of American history.
"Instead of striving to build a 'City upon a Hill,' as generations of students have been taught, the colonists are portrayed as bigots who developed 'a rigid racial hierarchy' that was in turn derived from 'a strong belief in British racial and cultural superiority,'" the letter reads. "The new Framework continues its theme of oppression and conflict by reinterpreting Manifest Destiny from a belief that America had a mission to spread democracy and new technologies across the continent to something that 'was built on a belief in white racial superiority and a sense of American cultural superiority.'"
In the letter, conservatives also take issue with the omission of certain state history standards, including "181 post-Civil War items required by the Texas Standards."
College Board spokeswoman Carly Lindauer told Education Week that college faculty and high school AP teachers support the new curriculum and said that it was "built to be flexible."
"The new course emphasizes the American founding documents and their essential role in our nation's history, and recognizes American heroism, courage, and innovation. College Board leaders continue to meet with individuals who have concerns about the redesign to listen and receive feedback," she said.
In response to the pushback, College Board President David Coleman released a AP US History practice exam. He also announced that College Board would release an updated version of the framework, according to the Daily Caller.
In a move that should be no great surprise to anyone, the RNC has decided to pass a resolution condemning the new college board framework for the AP U.S. History exam and class. Their main concerns seem to be with acknowledging the role of racism and racial/cultural supremacy has played in the development of the U.S., and admitting the the U.S. has done some bad things.
And this doesn't even appear to be a major part of the outline material, most of that seems focused on the development of historical reasoning skills, and on individual analysis.
So, Are these new standards "broad and inaccurate", or is the RNC full of it? Is this a genuine concern of the RNC or just vocalization intended to help appease the party base? And is this kind of political pressure even something that is even effective at influencing the College Board at all?
