Teaching about communism in the public schools : problems, pressures and the politics of a proposed state-required course in Texas.

Teaching about communism in the public schools has not always been deemed advisable. Only in recent years has there been a noticeable change in public opinion. Today, there is widespread support for the public schools to teach about communism. Organizations which once vehemently opposed the subject now have joined the ranks of those urging that the public schools face up to the challenge. Although many national organizations, educators, and citizens now agree that teaching about communism is desirable and needed, the possible approaches to the problem differ greatly. The dispute over indoctrination versus objective courses about communism is only part of the disagreement. With many school systems beginning to institute courses or units about communism, the dangers of outside groups gaining control of the programs have mounted. In some cases there have been attempts by such groups to have the public schools adopt their own brand of anti-communism as the only answer to the challenge of communism. Much of the material circulated by some outside groups concentrates exclusively on the domestic scene and neglects consideration of foreign happenings. Domestic programs and policies of our government are often equated with "the communist conspiracy." Some states have passed legislation requiring courses or units about communism to be taught in their public schools. The Texas House of Representatives in the Fifty-Eighth Session of the Texas Legislature debated such a requirement for Texas high schools. In the discussions which occurred, widely separated political views were expressed by the legislators. A bill requiring that a unit about communism be presented in American history or civics courses in all the public high schools of Texas passed the House of Representatives. The bill was designed to provide an objective comparison of the American and communist economic, political, and social systems. The bill died in Senate committee, but the issues with rose concerning teaching about communism could well be subjects of debate for a future legislature. Many problems are involved in teaching about communism in the public schools. Teachers are faced with many challenges which must be accepted if the program is to be successful. Likewise, there are problems for school administrators. They must aid in the selection of suitable materials and provide training programs and other assistance for their teachers, enabling them to present a factual and realistic course or unit about communism. The problems are many but the challenge is great. Only through the cooperation and support of administrators, teachers and thoughtful American citizens can the responsibility be met.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1963

Author dc:creator

• Patterson, Charles Edward, 1935-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cherry, Horace Dicken, 1928-

• Communism -- Study and teaching.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13286

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13286