Former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, Texas lawmakers and hundreds of other supporters of public education on Wednesday called on the State Board of Education to delay adoption of final social studies curriculum standards for public schools. But many board members voiced their opposition to giving teachers and academic experts […]
Recent Blogs
Keeping Communism Out of First Grade?
A Wall Street Journal piece today on the Texas State Board of Education’s politicization of proposed social studies curriculum standards notes one particularly outrageous change the board’s far-right faction made (which we have already reported about) back in January. Check out the quote from board member Don McLeroy: Debate about certain provisions has been intense. […]
Live-Blogging the Social Studies Hearing III
2:00 – The state board resumed testimony about a half-hour ago. Various state legislators are currently speaking to the board, calling for a delay in final adoption of the standards until teachers and academics experts are able to conduct a formal review of changes made over the last three months. 2:25 – State Rep. Trey […]
Ralliers Call for Education over Politics
Hundreds of supporters of public education rallied this afternoon in front of the Texas Education Agency, calling for social studies curriculum standards based on sound scholarship, not political agendas. Inside the TEA building, members of the State Board of Education heard testimony on proposed social studies standards that educators, scholars and others call bloated and heavily […]
Live-Blogging the Social Studies Hearing II
11:23 – Kelly Shackelford, head of the Liberty Institute/Free Market Foundation, the Texas affiliate of the far-right Focus on the Family, is up. Shackelford argues that the words “separation of church and state” aren’t in the Constitution. Neither, we might say, is “fair trial,” “separation of powers” “checks and balances” and other basic constitutional principles. […]
