Case Study 2: The Social Studies Swindle
The Board of Education in Townsville adopted a new social studies curriculum, spending $350,000 on a consultant, materials, and teacher training seminars.
The town is in an uproar. The Citizen, a local newspaper, has revealed the curriculum is fraudulent and the consultant who was paid to design it has fake credentials. Professors from the nearby university have examined the curriculum and declared that it is factually inaccurate and pedagogically unsound.
The background: Marcella Dayang, a member of the Board, read in an article that children were being taught anti-American “theories.” Dayang got the author of the article, Dr. P. T. Barnone, to present his special new curriculum to a closed meeting of the board. On the basis of P. T.’s impressive résumé, overhead slides, and startling allegations, the board hired Barnone as a consultant to design a special curriculum for Townsville’s schools.
The board refused to hear the opinions of the Superintendent of Schools, the Chairperson of the Social Studies Department, the university professors who normally acted as advisers, and several parents’ committees. The board said these people were biased.
One member of the board, Attorney Rolanda Troos, questioned the accuracy and quality of the information. Marcella Dayang wondered aloud if “someone had gotten to Ms. Troos?” and Rolanda was silent.
Sam Small, another member, called some people Barnone suggested and got their testimonials as to the effectiveness of the curriculum and the qualifications of Barnone. The members of the board (except for Ms. Troos, who abstained) agreed that this was all they needed. They said they knew what was best for the students and, they felt, they had the best moral and intellectual qualifications to make a decision about curriculum. Indeed, they said, a lot of parents, teachers, and administrators were against whatever the board did, anyway. In fact, they often seemed to try to sabotage the board’s best efforts.
The Citizen tried to interview members of the board and Consultant Barnone, but was unable to get anyone to respond.
In accordance with the law, the board held an open meeting. A crowd arrived, Barnone presented the curriculum, and members of the board spoke in its favor.
A fifteen-minute question-and-answer session was held. When a parent raised her hand and said, “I’m very concerned…” Small interrupted her with, “That’s not a question. We’re not here to listen to speeches. Next question?”
That evening, after they’d closed the meeting to visitors’ questions, the board adopted the curriculum, voted the funds, and set the wheels in motion.
Questions
What happened here? Discuss this case in terms of the concepts listed in chapter’s 5-6. (You only need to select 4 concepts from each chapter and apply them to the study).
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