Yesterday’s debate over social studies curriculum standards at the Texas State Board of Education mostly illuminated political biases of board members more than it did good education policies. Many conservative board members opposed, for example, restoring civil rights and labor leader Dolores Huerta to third-grade standards because they say she’s a socialist and isn’t an […]
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Blogging the Social Studies Debate III
9:14 – The board is back and continuing with eighth-grade American history. 9:24 – The board has just voted preliminary approval for the K-8 standards. The board will take a final vote on those standards tomorrow. Board members will now take up the high school standards. 9:27 – Don McLeroy is offering amendments to the […]
Texas SBOE vs. Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta doesn’t have a lot of fans at the Texas State Board of Education. In January the co-founder of United Farm Workers of America was stripped from a Grade 3 list of “historical and contemporary figures who have exemplified good citizenship.” Earlier today, the board again clashed over the inclusion of Huerta, with social […]
Blogging the Social Studies Debate II
A live video webcast of the Texas State Board of Education debate over proposed new social studies curriculum standards is available here. 1:20 – We’re still here, but the board is debating relatively minor points. We haven’t even gotten to the most controversial items likely to come up today. 1:21 – Board member David Bradley […]
Poll: Texans Back Church-State Separation
We just released results of a statewide poll showing that a big majority of Texas likely voters believe separation of church and state is a key constitutional principle. In addition, an even larger majority believe teachers and scholars, not politicians, should make decisions about curriculum standards and textbooks in public schools. Both are key issues […]
