Already bogged down in controversies over the proposed adoption of an offensive and error-riddled Mexican-American studies textbook and a revision of the state’s language arts curriculum standards, State Board of Education members this week launched a fresh assault on the teaching of evolution in Texas public schools. In response, TFN President Kathy Miller delivered the following letter to the state board today. Read More

Cynthia Dunbar, the former Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) member whose company is now trying to sell a seriously flawed and insulting Mexican-American studies textbook to Texas public schools, has finally spoken out about the textbook. And her explanations are kind of Trumpian. Read More

Numerous news articles have been pointing to some of the problems with the offensive and factually flawed Mexican American Heritage textbook submitted for adoption by Texas public schools. One of the most jaw-dropping problems is how the textbook promotes stereotypes about supposedly "lazy" Mexicans. Prof. John Mckiernan-Gonzalez, a historian at Texas State University, noted the problematic passage in his review of the textbook for the Texas Freedom Network. Here's the key part of that textbook passage (page 248), which is in a section discussing issues that arose when foreign businesses sought to add operations in Mexico:…… Read More

On Monday, TFN joined with a numerous other Texas organizations to counter Mexican American Heritage, a proposed textbook for Texas public schools which Mexican-American studies scholars and experts have found to be deeply offensive, simplistic and rife with factual errors.

Take action: MASforTexas.org

So who wrote the textbook? And what qualifications do they have? While the text lists several authors and contributors, little is known about what qualifications or background in Mexican-American studies the named individuals may hold, if any at all. In fact, it is standard practice for textbook publishers to list authors’ expertise in a textbook, and Mexican American Heritage does not include that information.

Here is what we know about the owner of the company — Momentum Instruction — behind the book, and its authors.

CYNTHIA DUNBAR, CEO and owner of Momentum Instruction, and a contributor to the Mexican American Heritage textbook… Read More

On Monday, a coalition of grassroots, civil rights and education groups launched a coalition to oppose Mexican-American Heritage, a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook created by a company owned by former Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) member: Cynthia Dunbar, one of the most divisive members the SBOE has ever seen. The textbook will be considered by the SBOE for use in the state’s public schools.

Mexican-American Heritage has gotten plenty of press in recent months, with cursory reviews of the book finding several problematic passages. Today, to go with the launch of the Responsible Ethnic Studies Textbook (REST) Coalition — of which TFN is proud to be a part of — a group of scholars confirmed there was good reason to be concerned.

Watch the short video below for just a sample of the problems found when scholars and experts took a careful look at this textbook:

See? This textbook is offensive, simplistic and it includes numerous distortion and inaccuracies.

The SBOE is likely to give the textbook a public hearing in September and vote on whether or not to give it its seal of approval in November.

We encourage you to join the REST coalition… Read More