Liberals are outraged as 2010 emails surface showing then-Governor Mitch Daniels (R) doing everything in his power to prevent radical historian Howard Zinn from being used for curriculum in Indiana schools.
In the emails, Daniels “signed off on education adviser David Shane’s proposal to “review curriculum throughout Indiana and decide what “should be accredited” for teacher development courses.
The Huffngton Post printed Daniels’ email to Shane: “Go for it. Disqualify propaganda and highlight (if there is any) the more useful offerings. Don’t the ed schools have at least some substantive PD (professional development) courseware to upgrade knowledge of math, science, etc.”
And when the curriculum review uncovered that Zinn’s book was being used in a course at Indiana University, Daniels wrote: “This crap should not be accepted for any credit by the state. No student will be better taught because someone sat through this session.”
Speaking last week in West Lafayette, IN–where he is now President of Purdue University–Daniels defended his attempts to keep Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States from being taught in Indiana classrooms. He said: “I promise that if the parents of Indiana understood what is in the book in question, 99 if not 100 out of 100 would want some other book used.”
Daniels emails were originally uncovered via an Associated Press public records request.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins
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