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. […]
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)
The Proposed ‘Mexican American Heritage’ Textbook in Texas: Promoting Offensive Racial Stereotypes
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 […]
Who Is Behind the Controversial Mexican-American Studies Text?
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 […]
Coalition Launches to Oppose Offensive Mexican-American Studies Text
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 […]
GRASSROOTS, CIVIL RIGHTS, EDUCATION GROUPS ANNOUNCE COALITION OPPOSED TO OFFENSIVE MEXICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE TEXTBOOK PROPOSED FOR TEXAS SCHOOLS
Textbook Reinforces Racial Stereotypes, Distorts History, Scholars Say FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 18, 2016 AUSTIN – A broad coalition of organizations from across Texas is calling on the State Board of Education (SBOE) to reject a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook that promotes offensive cultural stereotypes, distorts history and is plagued by factual errors. “This textbook […]
