Critical thinking and higher order thinking skills aren't part of the Republican education agenda

You have to wonder what Republicans are thinking when it comes to education when you look at the Republican Party of Texas 2012 platform: “We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills, critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”

How do you make scientific discoveries if you don’t challenge fixed beliefs? How do you analyze an unfamiliar situation and find a solution to a problem without critical thinking skills? As to undermining parental authority, if you’ve done your job right as a parent no school can ever undermine your authority.

We all understand that high paying jobs go to educated, creative people yet in Texas when we were already 48^th in education spending per pupil Gov. Perry and the Republican controlled legislature cut education funding by $5 billion. They did this while wailing about respecting the Constitution. It seems to me that they showed great disrespect for the Texas constitution’s Article 7 requirement to “make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools”

Every dollar that goes to education is an investment in the future of this state and its people. This November it’s important that we elect legislators that respect our constitution and understand the need to invest in our future, obviously that means voting for someone other than a Republican.