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Texas school board overhaul of social studies curriculum turns partisan.
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On Thursday, the Texas school board resumed its discussion of possible changes in the TEKS social studies test curriculum. This meeting soon turned political as many liberals accused conservatives of pushing their own agenda and trying to rewrite history. This was counted by the conservatives who claimed they were trying to reduce the current left-leaning bias in textbooks. These changes have been hotly contested by Democrats who feel that the Republicans are forcing their agenda through the education system.
Some of the proposed changes include adding a section on the conservative’s ‘1994 contract with America’ and providing a greater emphasis on Ronald Reagan’s economic plan then had been in the past texts. Other changes include juxtaposing Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s inaugural address with that of Abraham Lincoln’s. This provides an interesting comparison with some claiming that conservatives are ‘whitewashing’ history.
Some liberal proposals include recognizing minority recipients of the Medal of Honor and highlighting three particular recipients, two Hispanics and one African American. This proposal was ultimately rejected from being included in the World History curriculum with many members stating that they felt it would be more appropriate in the American History curriculum. Following this rejection the board accepted a proposal to drop the requirement that sociology students discuss institutional racism in history. This led one board member to walk out in frustration.
These meetings have created national attention due to the fact that Texas is one of the largest consumers of textbooks. This means that the decisions made by the Texas school board will most likely also affect school curriculum across the nation. Some of the changes include upgrading the curriculum to include more recent American History and to give a more comprehensive social studies education. The timing of these meetings is especially interesting in light of the Obama’s education plan. Recently the administration unveiled plans to redress the problems of failing schools across the nation.
The board has tentatively adopted these new standards with a final vote coming in May. It is likely that these proposals will cause public debate in the weeks and months to come leading up to the final vote.
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