Texas Textbooks' National Influence Is a Myth
As the furor over the State Board of Education’s ideological rewriting of social studies standards has exploded nationally in recent weeks, a primary narrative has emerged: that whatever 15 politicians in Texas (or at least the rightest-leaning half of them) decide will be published in textbooks nationwide for years to come.
That fear has already stoked a political backlash: One California state senator is drafting legislation to keep any hint of the Texas version of U.S. history out of California textbooks. “The de-emphasis on civil rights in so many areas — reducing the scope of Latino history, especially in ...
Comments (6)
kimbeaty
I understand that the job of the schools is to teach children how to think analytically. I would think however, that ALL textbooks in history classrooms should be kept to mere FACT.
For example, you wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Black Panthers. If these subjects are already in the textbooks, couldn't the wording be limited to fact. e.g. Biography of MLK, what he did, famous speeches, etc. And conversely the Black Panthers, founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, etc, tell about their activities and what they believed.
Why is this so difficult? I think history should be about fact, not about opinion. Leave that to parents and families to discuss with their kids.
David
Great article.
katieronanmac
Very nice piece explaining in more detail what really happened with TSB and history text books. I still think its beyond concerning that the board was able to reject the facts they did. Glad other states don't need to abide by Texas's changes. Maybe it's time to leave Texas.
Dphillippi
Excellent article Brian. Definitely the most sensible piece of writing I've found on this whole subject. Glad this issue led me to the Texas Tribune. I quote this article (as well as 'The Revision Thing') in my blog post about this whole mess.
http://www.mindofmodernity.com/texas-rewrites-textbooks-but-will-kids-even-read-them
sstockbauer
Thank you, Brian, for your excellent reporting. Never before have I been able to find such in-depth analysis of education issues in Texas.
emb
For the real facts about the Texas Social Studies standards, go to www.juststatethefacts.com.