General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: ... [View all]LWolf
(46,179 posts)While I haven't seen these materials, it's common to recieve a free promotional package of "curriculum" provided by a private corporation with an agenda.
We get those kinds of things all the time; materials and activities light on substance, promoting education that favors a particular product or point of view.
In an era of constant cost-cutting, when teachers aren't provided with the materials necessary, it doesn't surprise me that someone would use something provided for "free." It disappoints me.
For some perspective:
In my district, for example, new social studies materials were supposed to be adopted in 2012. Every state has an adoption cycle to keep curriculum updated, and a list of approved materials are posted by the state for districts to choose from. We heard nothing; our district did not adopt, nor purchase, anything new. The new cycle runs through 2018, and what we've got is in tatters, and does not align with new CCSS.
In my district, we adopted new Language Arts materials in 2007. These materials consisted of a teacher's manual, student workbooks, and an online component. The district stopped paying for the online materials after the first year. They stopped providing work books after the 2nd year. We've been operating with a teacher's manual that refers to materials we don't have ever since. In other words, we've got nothing, and have to scramble around patching stuff together on our own. We are supposed to adopt new curriculum in 2013. NOTHING has been said about this. No preview, no rating of available materials; nothing at the school site or district level. Not a word from the school board. We aren't getting anything.
That doesn't make the GMO propaganda okay. It does put it in perspective, though.