In the news: PPS texts downplay global warming

July 14, 2009 8:05 am by

Local teacher Bill Bigelow notes in the summer edition of Rethinking Schools that recent Portland Public Schools text book adoptions in science — Physical Science: Concepts in Action (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006) — and global studies — Modern World History (McDougall Littell, 2007) — are “dismissive of human-caused climate change.”

In his article, “The big one: teaching about climate change,” Bigelow argues that climate change “is the biggest issue facing humanity,” and lays out his strategy for teaching students about global warming, despite the lack of adequate text books from the district.

Share or print:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email
  • Print

Steve Rawley published PPS Equity from 2008 to 2010, when he moved his family out of the district.

filed under: Curriculum, Environment, Media

follow responses with RSS

2 Responses

  1. Comment from ppsvet:
    July 18th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    Howdy Bill.

    Thanks for trying to do the right thing. The textbook selection, which I was part of for a while, was a farce. The only thing that the district was interested in was a ‘common curriculum’. They bought the programs which promised ‘bombproof’ lessons and test generators.

    It wasn’t an accident. It was the plan. It’s good that people still believe in students. To the district they’re just statistics.

  2. Comment from Steve Rawley:
    July 22nd, 2009 at 7:39 am

    Bill had an op-ed on this topic in The Oregonian Saturday.