The often deeply divided Texas State Board of Education just voted unanimously — 14-0 — to reject the controversial and error-plagued Mexican American Heritage textbook. (Board member David Bradley, R-Beaumont, was absent.) The board must vote again on Friday, but it would be very surprising if the board reverses today’s decision. It’s ironic that Cynthia Dunbar, whose company […]
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)
TFN Calls for Investigation into Whether Texas SBOE Member Is Violating State’s Open Records Law
Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller today is calling on the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office to investigate whether State Board of Education (SBOE) member David Bradley, R-Beaumont, has improperly withheld board-related emails subject to requests under the Texas open records law. […]
Column: SBOE again takes aim at evolution
The State Board of Education’s war on evolution in Texas public schools is in the news again. Now the Houston Chronicle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and other newspaper around the state are publishing this new column from Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller. Here is the full version: […]
Texas GOP Ed Board Member’s Wish on Textbook Controversy: ‘Deny the Hispanics a Record Vote’
Emails show that a Republican member of the State Board of Education wants to “deny the Hispanics a record vote” when the board decides in November whether to adopt a controversial Mexican-American studies textbook proposed for Texas public schools. Other related emails from individuals outside the board are laced with political criticism and insults, with one writer referring […]
TFN President Calls Out Education Board Members for Pressuring Science Curriculum Writers
Today’s Texas Freedom Network press release about a new attack by creationists on the State Board of Education on the teaching of evolution: […]
