Textbooks across the country:
America currently doesn’t have a nation-wide standard for what is taught in schools across the United States. For this reason, each state has its own set of curricula. In order for textbook companies to make the best profit possible, they do not make a different textbook for each individual state. Instead they base their books off of the curriculum their biggest clients are using. So the smaller clients (or states in this matter) purchase textbooks based off of the bigger states curriculum.
Current Uproar in Texas (and across the country):
At the beginning of March, the Texas State Board of Education met to vote on what curriculum would be for the Social Studies Textbooks. The criteria that was discussed during the March meeting passed in a vote 10 to 5 in favor of all the changes. A final vote will take place in May. Many newspapers and news sources have eluted to what was discussed in the sessions.
To find out more, visit:
MSMBC - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35839979/:
“Hostilities flared and prompted a walkout Thursday by one of the board's most prominent Democrats, Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi, who accused her colleagues of "whitewashing" curriculum standards.
By late Thursday night, three other Democrats seemed to sense their futility and left, leaving Republicans to easily push through amendments heralding "American exceptionalism" and the U.S. free enterprise system, suggesting it thrives best absent excessive government intervention.
"Some board members themselves acknowledged this morning that the process for revising curriculum standards in Texas is seriously broken, with politics and personal agendas dominating just about every decision," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates for religious freedom."
Click the link above to read more.
New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html:
“After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday approved a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics textbooks, stressing the superiority of American capitalism, questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light.”
Click the link above to read more.
If you are interested in influencing the Texas State Board of Education, contact them at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=1156 or contact your district State Board of Education Representative. Let your voice be heard.
Please feel free to respond to these questions:
1. Is your school or district using textbooks as a resource for your curriculum or are you working with curriculum on the web?
2. How will the new state standards affect your school or district?
