The Virginian-pilot on history education (Feb. 7):

History tells us that being all things to all people is impossible, no matter how hard one tries. As it is with history, so it is with history instruction — or the writing of new K-12 standards that will be used in Virginia public schools for the next seven years.

But that doesn’t mean that the effort of trying to be inclusive, to listen intently to suggestions and working to build a broad consensus isn’t worth it. On the contrary, it’s expected of those who work in the public trust on matters that will affect children and families across the commonwealth.

That’s part of the reason the process of drafting these new guidelines has been so perplexing.

Every seven years, the Virginia Board of Education reviews, revises and rewrites the Standards of Learning guidelines for subjects taught in commonwealth schools. These include math, English, science and history, among others.

This process takes considerable time and energy, and involves a great many stakeholders, from subject matter experts, to educators and parents, to education officials. It can be messy; astute readers may recall the hubbub that followed an erroneous 2021 Fox News report that Virginia was trying to “eliminate all accelerated math courses” when the math Standards of Learning were being reviewed.

Review of the history standards, last updated in 2015, began under Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration. Over two years, the process included voices from across the commonwealth with a focus on moving away from rote memorization and deeper dives into the meaning behind pivotal events, important figures and key documents, giving students a more thorough understanding of Virginia, U.S. and world history.

It was also informed by a Northam administration initiative to make public education more relevant and culturally inclusive, incorporating input from an advisory committee established by the legislature that hoped to ensure historically marginalized groups would be included.

But as the state Board of Education was ready to formally review the 400page draft, Jillian Balow, the state superintendent of public instruction under Gov. Glenn Youngkin, urged it be delayed for new board members appointed by Youngkin to more thoroughly review the draft and to make technical corrections.

Instead, in November, Balow delivered a new draft of the history standards, one that Cassandra Newby-alexander, endowed professor of Virginia Black history and culture at Norfolk State University, said had nothing in common with the previous version.

“I have never seen such a messy, incoherent and inaccurate document that is age-inappropriate for the content that is being taught,” Newby-alexander told Virginia Public Media at the time.

Other experts pointed to numerous omissions and inaccuracies in the new draft, including such nonsense as calling Native Americans “America’s first immigrants” and related sleights for which Balow felt compelled to apologize. Such sloppy work wouldn’t merit a passing mark for students, but was apparently good enough for the Department of Education.

All of this is taking place through the lens of the governor’s push to radically overhaul public education in Virginia, rooting out ill-defined “inherently divisive concepts” and erasing equity initiatives aimed at closing the racial achievement gap in public schools.

Widespread objections to the new draft were on display last week when the state Board of Education heard from more than 70 people in a four-hour meeting speaking in opposition. Two speakers voiced their support.

Members listened, and then approved a motion to proceed, voting 5-3 to send the new standards for public comment, with hearings scheduled in March.

Given that some members, even Youngkin appointees, expressed their reservations about the revised draft, one hopes that they and the governor take seriously these substantive critiques of the new guidelines.

While no history standards will be all things to all people, they can be a better representation of the many voices and perspectives in a modern, diverse commonwealth and more effectively incorporate the two years of work invested in the original draft.

It is the board’s charge to see that they are. Virginia will be watching.