How is Teaching "PRESUMED Racism" in the Henry Gates Incident Making American Students Globally Competitive?

Have you heard of the company Cengage? From the company website:

Cengage Learning: An Overview

Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning and research solutions for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. The company's products and services are designed to foster academic excellence and professional development, increase student engagement, improve learning outcomes and deliver authoritative information to people whenever and wherever they need it. Through the company's unique position within both the library and academic markets, Cengage Learning is providing integrated learning solutions that bridge from the library to the classroom. Cengage Learning's brands include Brooks/Cole, CourseTechnology, Delmar, Gale, Heinle, South-Western and Wadsworth, among others.

With annual revenues of approximately $2 billion, the company has 5,500 employees with operations in more than 20 countries around the world.

Our Mission

Our Mission is to be the most respected and innovative source of teaching, learning and research solutions for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. We are leading the transition from print to value-added digital and custom solutions by developing a deep understanding of our customers' needs, capitalizing on synergies across our businesses and delivering innovative products and services that cannot be matched by our competitors. We aim to be the company that our customers think of first, that current and prospective employees see as a rewarding place to work and that investors are happy to own.

Cengage aims to be global in its education delivery and is also anxious to tap into the common core standards and assessments:

Cengage Learning and the Common Core State Standards Initiative

Correlated to the Common Core State Standards, Cengage Learning’s developmental studies solutions will instill in your students the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the workplace. Select a course area from the list below to learn about Cengage Learning solutions that align with the Common Core State Standards. Click here to learn about The Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Cengage is a company anxious to implement the mandates of standards and it hopes the CCSSO and NGA will use its solutions. What type of lesson plans has Cengage written? Will this be used in Communication Arts for Common Core standards? From "Racism in the United States Lesson plan":

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Racism in the United States Lesson Plan:

Students will explore the risks parents take to secure a good education for their children, analyze racism – discussing whether race issues are increasing or decreasing in the U.S. and research race bias in the media and the impact this can have on society.

View the video Racism- Seen vs. Unseen by MSNBC

Discussion Guide

Lesson Plan 1- Education and Race

Objective: Students will learn about the risks parents take to secure a good education for their children and how race may play a role in the education system in the U.S.

Lesson Plan 2- Racism within the United States

Objective: Students will view a video detailing specific events within the United States and analyze how race may or may not play a role

Handout Lesson Plan 2- Racism in the United States

Lesson Plan 3- Racism in the Media

Objective: Students will research possible racism and bias within the media

Handout Lesson Plan 3- Racism and Bias in the Media

21^st Century Core Content
History
Government and Civics

21^st Century Themes
Civic Literacy

21^st Century Skills
Think Creatively
Work Creatively With Others
Reason Effectively
Use systems thinking
Make Judgments and Decisions
Solve Problems
Communicate Clearly
Collaborate with Others
Access and Evaluate Information
Use and Manage Information
Analyze Media
Work Independently
Be Self-directed Learners
Interact Effectively with Others
Work Effectively in Diverse Teams
Guide and Lead Others
Be Responsible to Others

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Don't you feel better about the common core standards? Isn't it great how these lessons on racism promote academic progress? Will such lessons will make our students more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) ready?

Aren't most Americans weary of class or ethnic warfare? The perpetuation of presumed racism actually stagnates the "21st Century Skills" listed above. If this is the sort of lesson plan from Cengage to align to the Common Core standards, the skills students learn will include:

• victimization
• distrust
• learning to face accusations of acting "stupidly"
• manipulating the media
• avoiding others because of bogus racism charges

Here's a site with the Henry Gates police report. "Obama was asked about Gates' arrest at the end of a nationally televised news conference on health care Wednesday night and began his response by saying Gates was a friend and he didn't have all the facts."

What are we teaching students by making presumptions before all the facts have been gathered? Are these the 21st century skills contained in the Common Core standards? Why would Cengage use this video to highlight these skills listed above.....

Reason Effectively
Use systems thinking
Make Judgments and Decisions
Solve Problems
Communicate Clearly
Access and Evaluate Information Use and Manage Information
Guide and Lead Others
Be Responsible to Others

......unless jumping to conclusions and basing decisions based on presumptions and racial motives is now the preferred method of learning? Welcome to the Common Core standards and material provided to deliver these standards to American students.