Debating Mediocrity and Expertise

Last week’s Texas State Board of Education meeting included an interesting discussion about who should be helping guide the revision of curriculum standards. The conversation was a perfect example of how politics and mediocrity have taken precedence over scholarship and expertise in deciding what students will learn in Texas public school classrooms. […]

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Gov. Perry: ‘We’re in a Recession?’

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is speaking in the nation’s capital today at the “Values Voter Summit,” a confab put together by a constellation of religious-right groups like the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and the American Family Association. What’s more likely to make news in coming weeks, however, are the governor’s comments this […]

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Important Progress

Today’s State Board of Education hearing on proposed new social studies standards for Texas public schools was long and often exhausting. (Scroll down to find our blog posts from the hearing.) But we noted some important progress for ensuring that our schoolchildren get an honest and sound education. In particular, David Barton and Peter Marshall […]

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So Who Is Doing the Hijacking Here?

Far-right members of the Texas State Board of Education continue to protest that they aren’t trying to politicize the revision of social studies curriculum standards for public schools. But their actions don’t match their denials. We told you two weeks ago that those board members were pitching a hissy about criticism of the unqualified ideologues they […]

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More Gay-Bashing from the Religious Right

The US Pastor Council/Texas Pastor Council, which lately has been wading into the waters of electoral politics in Texas, again demonstrates that gay-bashing is one of the religious right’s prominent political weapons. This weekend the Houston-based group sent out a press release attacking Houston city officials for participating in a gay pride event. The group […]

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