After my last diary, many of you asked what can be done to address the damage done by the current Texas State Board of Education (SBOE). This is a critical time, since the next meeting of the board is this week, May 18-20 (schedule). If you live in the greater Austin area, please join Texas Freedom Network members and me on Wednesday at the “Don’t White Out Our History Rally”.
Linda Chavez-Thompson, candidate for Lt. Governor and fellow SBOE candidates Rebecca Bell-Metereau and Michael Soto have joined me in creating a petition to oppose political indoctrination in our children’s classrooms. Please sign the petition, even if you don't live in the Austin area, and tell the extremist SBOE members to Put Our Kids First!
There is also a movement to delay the vote, or to propose a new vote, in January. The effect of this delay would be hardest on textbook publishers, who begin creating their books as soon as the curriculum standards are finalized, in order to have them ready for approval two years later. Unfortunately, there is very little optimism that the board will choose such a sensible move, given that the former board president has proposed more radical changes, such as comparing Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, and Upton Sinclair to a Thomas Kinkade coffee table book.
If the board thumbs its collective nose at real facts, as it has done in the past, there is still hope for enlightened change. The new board, elected on November 2, 2010, will choose the textbooks for science in 2011 and social studies in 2012. Texas Education Code states that the list of conforming textbooks must meet applicable physical specifications adopted by the SBOE and contain material covering each element of the essential knowledge and skills of the subject and grade level. Textbook manufacturers, knowing that the newly-elected board places priority on facts over political ideology, may choose to propose textbooks that contain more than the limited, semi-factual knowledge contained in curriculum standards passed by the current SBOE.
While the changes to the social studies curriculum have attracted a huge public outcry, the board was equally opposed to facts in their adoption of science standards in 2009. Next year, the SBOE will be addressing curriculum for career and technology and technology applications courses that can prepare Texas students to work in the exciting “Silicon Hills” of Austin, Dallas, and the rest of Texas. Enacting sensible changes requires a new board, committed to ideology-free decisions on education policy. Please support me, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, and Michael Soto for Texas State Board of Education in November. You don’t have to live in our districts to sign up as a supporter, contribute money, or pass on information! Thank you for your support.
Help me reach $1,500 today.
Follow me on Twitter @votejudyj
cross-posted at Burnt Orange Report
