Printer-friendly versionThe Texas State Board of Education has made nationwide headlines in recent weeks by rewriting the curriculum standards for its k-12 textbooks. Texas is the 500-pound gorilla in textbook publishing. It has the second-largest textbook market after California and a highly centralized way of buying the books. Long story short, Texas often creates the template for others states’ textbooks.
As we reported back in January, the board’s conservative majority has already created absurdities in the k-8 social studies and high school history standards. For instance, the new standards include mentions of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly but pointedly leave out progressives like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Starting Wednesday, the board will take up work on the rest of the standards, which include high school social studies and geography.
The State Board of Education is elected. It responds to public pressure. In fact, that pressure has already kept greater injustices from happening. Two board members originally wanted to leave out famous Americans like Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall. This is part of a larger plan to write progressives and people of color out of history books. The Chavez-Marshall proposal died of media ridicule. There’s no guarantee the board’s next proposal will do the same.
Texas teachers should be leading the charge against this affront to history. But teachers and academics in other states can and should make their voices heard. The Texas Freedom Network has a good summary of what has happened so far along with links to great background articles. Read and act. Don’t sit this one out.
Comments
Remember . . . history is
Remember . . . history is written by the victors.
If you were writing the new textbooks, would you include Phyllis Schlafly? Would you describe her as pro-democratic, anti-elitist, because her first book "A Choice, Not an Echo" decries the power of the secret kingmakers and persuaders that once included New York Governors Thomas E. Dewey and Nelson A. Rockefeller?
Do you agree with Cesar Chavez that immigration should be restricted? Or, if you are for more open immigration, when including the bit about him, would you exclude his immigration opinion?
History, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. Everyone - EVERYONE - is tempted away from objectivity and into value-based interpretation. So, while you decry what the other side is doing, don't think for a moment that you wouldn't do the same.
Everyone - EVERYONE - is
Everyone - EVERYONE - is tempted away from objectivity and into value-based interpretation.
Agreed.
So, while you decry what the other side is doing, don't think for a moment that you wouldn't do the same.
I suppose it depends upon who you're talking to. I can say unequivocally that I wouldn't do the same. With respect, I feel that what's missing from your treatment of this subject is the function of history itself == as a practice and discipline to be taught -- in guiding curricular decisions. History and the past are not synonymous any more than astronomy is synonymous with the stars.
Don't get me wrong: I absolutely agree that history is written by the victors. But this is hardly license for a board of education to explicitly undertake to reduce the content of the history books to the spoils of victory. That's just plain cynicism, and it should be described that way.
It might help clarify my argument to state it slightly differently: I agree with your overall observation insofar as partisans of a left political tendency could just as easily have schemed to transform Texas history textbooks into nothing more than sites of ideological warfare. However, I also think that right-wingers who have some respect for and understanding of history as rich and powerful form of knowledge and inquiry would never sell public school kids short by treating the content of textbooks so cavalierly and tendentiously.
I think its crazy to try and
I think its crazy to try and redo all the standereds in the history section of grades from k-12.