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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Medford, Talent language groups hope to attract Spanish speakers Serial killer Susan Monica found guilty on all charges, gets 50 years Five teens sent to hospital after crash near Medford Susan Monica testifies she feared for her life Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Serial killer Susan Monica found guilty on all charges, gets 50 years Five teens sent to hospital after crash near Medford Susan Monica testifies she feared for her life Woman who chased family with knife jailed Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. 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(Mike) Michael Eileen Rose White Nora June Shepherd Teresa Wears Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Howard, Harden propel Rockets past Mavericks Fisher takes medalist honor in SWC meet Tornado cruises to win over Willamette Panthers rally for SWC victory Sheldon joins North atop SWC Varsity 541 College Sports Marshall stays with Ducks to get better Eckert, Beavers take series from Arizona Randall drives SOU into postseason Beaver fans get first look at Andersen, Collins Raiders drop two pitching duels at EOU Pro Sports Howard, Harden propel Rockets past Mavericks Injuries again have a major role in playoffs We should appreciate Jabbar while he’s still with us Bucs have front-runner for draft, stay mum Vogt homer powers A's past Angels Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Jackson County's March unemployment rate returns to pre-recession level Ride & Drive: 2015.5 Volvo V60 Cross Country Burger joint coming to Ashland Rogue Credit Union nearing $1 billion in assets Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford F-150 Real Estate News Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd Since You Asked: Metro Medford rebranding proved economical Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Erickson shores up business with three contracts Lithia Motors shares break the $100 mark Agriculture Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again Letters to the Editor, April 22 Kathleen Parker: Mr. Hughes goes to Washington Landgren cartoon: Tick season Granlund cartoon: Minnesota ISIS Editorials Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again Other Views: Delay edible marijuana products for safety Our View: The rule of law vs. armed confrontation Other Views: State Board of Education dragging its feet over Native American mascots Our View: Impeachment should be an option Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 22 Letters to the Editor, April 21 Letters to the Editor, April 20 Letters to the Editor, April 19 Letters to the Editor, April 17 Columns Kathleen Parker: Mr. Hughes goes to Washington Esther Cepeda: What happens in Latin America should be reported Kathleen Parker: Presidential election 2016: The woman trap Dana Milbank: America's new cycle of partisan hatred George Will: Don't seize the raisins Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Lifestyle Latest stories Dave Ramsey: Difference in debts 5 Things to Do This Weekend (April 24-26) Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? 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Season Stepp: Learn how to cook asparagus with a few easy tips Wholesome baby foods: Chef, nutritionist team up for book of homemade recipes Food for Thought: The new place of dairy on a paleo plate Kitchen Call: Asparagus with a ‘spring’ chicken Home and Garden Garden Cameos: Spring is time for azaleas in the garden Dear Monty: Seven costly mistakes of new real estate investors Paul Rogers: Enjoy convenience of container gardening Home Help: 3 quick, easy kitchen and bath upgrades Carol Link: Tea olive shrubs can be propagated from new growth Health Brent St. Germain: One year and counting Community blog: The Healing Power of Nature Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Book Notes: A big body is not a bad body Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Milestones and Achievements Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Five picks for entertainment this week L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony and 3 Leg Torso mingle classical with modern chamber music Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art Theater 'Secret Love' playwright Stan Lai appears in Ashland REVIEW: 'Secret Love' strikes comical, poignant balance Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director A tale of two plays at OSF Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland Music Alex de Grassi and Andrew York play SOU Live Music in Local Clubs L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony and 3 Leg Torso mingle classical with modern chamber music Community Events Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art 'BRAND,' 'Western' among Ashland Independent Film Festival award winners Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Dining Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Restaurant inspections: April 19, 2015 Siam Cafe offers 'mild' to 'very spicy' Thai cuisine Restaurant inspections, April 12, 2015 La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again ... Medford, Talent language groups hope to attract Spanish speakers ... Serial killer Susan Monica found guilty on all charges, gets 50 years ... Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again ... Medford, Talent language groups hope to attract Spanish speakers ... Serial killer Susan Monica found guilty on all charges, gets 50 years ... 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? By Daniel Woodward MailTribune.com By Daniel Woodward Posted Apr. 18, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM By Daniel Woodward Posted Apr. 18, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> 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 @ 2:00 am Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. 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