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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Host families forge lasting friendships with returning Britt musicians ... Our View: Sams Valley residents outmatched in power struggle ... Ashland struggles with increase in 911 calls ... Host families forge lasting friendships with returning Britt musicians ... Our View: Sams Valley residents outmatched in power struggle ... Ashland struggles with increase in 911 calls ... POINT / COUNTERPOINT The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Did the Medford School Board choose the right AP history textbook? Comment By Daniel Woodward MailTribune.com By Daniel Woodward Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM By Daniel Woodward Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM » Social News The political charge of the adopted AP United States History textbook, "American Pageant," 16th Edition, has generated a great deal of concern in our community, and I wanted to take a moment to possibly add some inside insight. The weeks of healthy debate between the Medford School Board, teachers, publishers, authors and community was a highly productive and democratic process. I believe condemning the decision made by our School Board or any individual board members is unfair and unjustified. Furthermore, until one serves on a school board, they should understand that it takes tremendous courage to make big decisions that affect students. The Medford School Board worked very hard to ensure that due diligence and investigation was conducted before making a vital decision that insured our AP U.S. history students would have the best materials possible in the upcoming year, as well as years to come. They also modeled an example of the democratic process that all school boards should follow, one that included the voice and consideration of all major stakeholders and deep investigation of the issues presented. The Medford School Board did what they were elected to do, and they did it the right way. I have total respect for the way our board handled this case, and I would say the same even if they had not supported the text adoption. They showed a great balance in valuing public interest while also trusting in Medford teachers and administrators. They reviewed the text, they asked the right questions, they made sure teachers on the committee of adoption crossed every t and dotted every i, and they listened to concerns. I know this because I led the adoption, read the book cover-to-cover and labored over hours of adoption paperwork. Our adoption committee consisted of highly qualified history teachers from both North and South Medford high schools who meticulously reviewed several texts, and have a cumulative 70 years’ experience teaching history. "American Pageant" AP edition is specifically designed to engage students and has a wide array of support materials online. Teachers who use Pageant see great student achievement in understanding complex historical concepts, proven by the average score of 3.76 out of 5 on the AP exam for students who use Pageant, resulting in college credit. Furthermore, 48 percent of all AP U.S. history teachers around the nation use this text because it is the front-runner of AP U.S. history texts. The issues brought up by the board resulted in a combination of concessions and trust of Medford teachers resulting in the best possible outcome for students I also want to say that any person at any time with any agenda can pick up a book of almost any purpose and cherry pick an item and spin it toward their personal political agenda. The truth is, Pageant is an elegant account of American history, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Kennedy, of Stanford University, and Lizabeth Cohen, Dean of Harvard. These authors offer a bountiful balanced American story complete with political, social, economic and cultural history. For those who have read the book in its entirety, they would also know that every chapter ends with a section called “Varying Viewpoints,” which takes into account multiple views by multiple historians over time regarding the events in American History, allowing balanced perspective to teach students to think critically. In addition, every major idea is accompanied by primary source quotations of those who lived the history. This makes it nearly impossible to say that Pageant holds a bias when it openly promotes and honors different perspectives across the political spectrum. It’s important that students understand that history is complex. I also want to point out that textbooks are a resource, teachers are the guides and facilitators of the educational process, and Medford history teachers are among the best. We are patriots, but we are patriots who teach students to think deeply about history and analyze its complexity, and we help them to take personal ownership of their history as they grapple with its wonders. This is where engagement leads to passion, inquiry, patriotism and active citizenship. I want to thank community members who have shown trust and support for Medford teachers and the Medford School Board in this process, and I invite any community members into a conversation about how history is taught in Medford high schools. I want to thank Dustin Walcher, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of History and Political Science at Southern Oregon University, for his support of our adoption, as well as all representatives from Cengage Learning. Furthermore, I thank Jeff Thomas and the Medford School Board for this experience, which has become, in and of itself, “American history” and a lesson to be added to the classrooms across Medford. Lastly, I want to thank Superintendent Dr. Brian Shumate for his guidance and leadership and for being a productive mediator during this process. I am proud to be a teacher in Medford School District 549C. Daniel Woodward teaches AP U.S. history at South Medford High School.   By Daniel Woodward MailTribune.com By Daniel Woodward Posted Apr. 18, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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