The Texas State Board of Education has made clear that it will hold a public hearing on proposed social studies curriculum standards in January. But far-right pressure groups apparently decided to preempt that hearing today. Despite no prior public indication from the board that there would be extensive testimony on the standards today, nearly two […]
Textbook Censorship
The Texas State Board of Education decides what every student in Texas public schools will learn from kindergarten through high school. The board does so by adopting curriculum standards and textbooks for public schools in the state.
For decades, far-right politicians on the State Board of Education and their extremist allies have taken advantage of this flawed system to dismiss the advice of experts and scholars. They have instead worked to inject their personal views into textbooks on everything from evolution and climate change to the history of slavery, civil rights, and separation of church and state.
Resources
- Report Reveals Serious Flaws in Social Studies Textbooks
- The State Board of Education: Dragging Texas Schools into the Culture Wars (2008 report)
- Evolution, Creationism & Public Schools: Surveying Texas Scientists (2008 report)
- Culture Wars and the Classroom (2010 report)
- Senate Bill 6: Changes in the Textbook Adoption Process (2011 report)
- Texas Science Curriculum Standards: Challenges (2012 report)
- Science Textbook Review (2013 report)
- Social Studies Textbook Review (2014 report)
Talking Points
From today’s TFN News Clips: “I think he doesn’t understand what we’ve done. If he depended on the San Antonio newspaper and the Austin American Statesman and the Texas Freedom Network — they make us out to be awful sometimes.” — Texas State Board of Education member Don McLeroy, blaming the board’s poor reputation on […]
The ‘Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy’
We told you last week that Texas State Board of Education members and their appointees helping revise social studies curriculum standards have embarked on a campaign of blanket smears and unhinged rants against just about everyone else involved in the process. One of those appointees, Bill Ames, has yet another column up on the conservative […]
Talking Points
From today’s TFN News Clips: “Am I a religious fanatic? Absolutely. You’d have to be to do what I do.” — State Board of Education member Don McLeroy, R-Bryan, talking about how he approaches public education. Stay informed with TFN News Clips, a daily digest of news on issues involving the religious right, religious freedom, […]
Talking Points
From today’s TFN News Clips: “The culture war over science education, the teaching of evolution, is going to be there, no matter what. Education is too important not to politicize.” — State Board of Education member Don McLeroy, R-Bryan, finally being honest about turning public schools into political battlegrounds Stay informed with TFN News Clips, […]
