“I felt like the best course of action would have been to have an open, public, transparent review of CSCOPE lessons, and allow smaller districts who use them to make the determination of whether they want to continue using the lessons or not. It’s essentially deprived school districts of the ability to make that decision.” […]
Marty Rowley
Head of Texas Education Board Committee Wants to Teach 'Roles of Men and Women in a Traditional Way'
Apparently, it’s one step forward, then two steps back when it comes to the Texas State Board of Education. Last month we were encouraged when the chairman of the state board committee that will review the social studies materials in the CSCOPE curriculum management system said he wanted that review process to be fully transparent. […]
Positive Developments Today on the Texas SBOE's CSCOPE Review
In addition to passing a resolution today opposing private school vouchers, the Texas State Board of Education also passed a resolution dealing with its review of the CSCOPE curriculum management system. We noted some serious concerns regarding that review yesterday. What we heard during the CSCOPE discussion today, however, was encouraging. Most importantly, a number […]
Texas Ed Board Candidate Advocates Teaching Creationism in Science Classrooms
One of the Republican candidates for the Texas State Board of Education District 15 seat, Marty Rowley of Amarillo, is offering one of his clearest arguments for teaching “intelligent design”/creationism in science classrooms. Rowley talked to the Amarillo Globe-News for a story about next year’s scheduled adoption of science textbooks by the state board: “Evolutionists […]
Handful of Contests See the Most Money in Texas State Board of Education Races
In the 1990s, San Antonio businessman James Leininger — the religious right’s sugar daddy in Texas — poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into State Board of Education (SBOE) races. That money helped hard-right social conservatives build a multi-year campaign to take control of the board — and turned subsequent board debates over textbooks and […]
