Scott Reynolds wrote:
> In any case, I don't think we can hold America up as a model to be
> copied. Both because the two countries' educational systems are
> different and because, frankly, the US education system does not seem
> to
> be doing a very good job of nurturing critical thinkers with a good
> grasp of history, if recent events are any guide.

Indeed. It's a good thing we have people like Ann Coulter to write books
that debunk the leftist myths about Joe McCarthy that have been drummed into
the heads of two generations of American students.

> I think the education ministry's textbook review and selection system
> has had problems in the past, but that things seem to have improved
> since. My big problem with them right now has less to do with ideology
> and more to do with competence. Have you seen the English texts
> currently in use in junior high schools? My son's textbook, for
> example,
> contains outright errors and gross inconsistences that make me wonder
> how it ever passed the review in the first place. The reviewing
> system,
> after all, is *supposed* to weed out errors. But it is clearly failing
> in this mission. I wouldn't be surprised if the history textbooks are
> full of mistakes as well.

I have the Tsukuru Kai's history book on my bookshelf. I've only read the
section on WWII, and its errors go without saying. Now you've got me
thinking that I should read it straight through to see if there are other
bumbles.

-- 
Kevin Gowen
"The US economy accounts for about one-third of global GDP-greater than
the next four countries combined (Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom
and France)."
- "Advancing the National Interest: Australia's Foreign and Trade
Policy White Paper", Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade