The State Board of Education’s adoption of new social studies textbooks this week appears to be turning — all too predictably — into another political circus that shuts out the public as well as scholars and other experts. Board members, including Chairwoman Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, continue — in private — to pressure publishers into […]
Textbook Censorship
Live-Blogging the Texas Social Studies Textbook Hearing
1:15 – The State Board of Education (SBOE) has begun the second and final public hearing on social studies textbooks up for adoption for Texas public schools. MerryLynn Gerstenschlager from Texas Eagle Forum is up now. She just criticized textbooks for not making sure students learn about the “debate” over climate change. She argues that […]
Advocates Applaud Publishers for Removing Climate Change Denialism from Texas Textbooks, Putting Education Ahead of Politics
Proposed social studies textbooks for Texas public schools will not include climate-change denial. In late reversals, two publishing heavyweights, Pearson Education and McGraw-Hill, have both confirmed that they will submit corrected textbooks this week at the SBOE. TFN distributed the following news release in response to the corrections. Publishers have agreed to correct or remove […]
Cowardice and Contempt for the Law on the Texas State Board of Education
It seems that at least one member of the Texas State Board of Education likes to attack colleagues behind their back rather than address them face-to-face. And that same board member appears willing to break the law to hide such deceitful tactics. We told you last month that Thomas Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, sent his state board colleagues a private memo chastising them […]
Science, Education Advocates Call on Publishers to Remove Climate Change Denialism from New Textbooks
We just sent out the following press release. Science and education advocates are calling on leading national publishers to revise proposed new social studies textbooks that include inaccurate and misleading information on climate science and promote climate change denialism. The Texas State Board of Education this month is considering the new textbooks, which could subsequently end up in […]
