The Texas State Board of Education is coming to the end of a long effort by social conservatives to insert religion into the required K-12 social studies curriculum. A side battle which they are having a lot of fun with, is ensuring white males rule the curriculum and textbooks, excluding minorities, females and oppressed peoples. One of the "expert reviewers" appointed by two of the religious right members of the Board justifies that piece of the fight with an argument that females, Hispanics, blacks, etc. were only able to rise up and achieve because of the white males in charge who heroically allowed them to do that. (I'm not making this up - google "David Barton" and grab a stiff drink, and know this guy is influencing textbooks and educational standards in The Great State. Here's a link to prayer requests for David Barton prior to one of his appearances before the SBOE. )
The current makeup of the SBOE is no accident. The religious right faction ran and won in order to inject religion into the science and social studies standards. This faction includes McLeroy, Lowe, Dunbar, Cargill, Mercer, Bradley and Leo. There are 15 elected members on the board, and there are some weak sisters whom the seven seem to have some spell over, getting them to vote with them (spell may very equal "position on the Permanent School Fund committee and it's accompanying personal financial goodies" - one of whom is not running for re-election - Agosto.) Anyway, as social studies curriculum expert and SBOE Board Member Pat Hardy says, "They've got the votes . . . fasten your seat belts.
This group's "successes" with the English language arts and science TEKS are instructive as we look at what to expect when the social studies TEKS are finalized at the March SBOE meeting. With ELA, they tossed out all the work of the educator committees and adopted their own standards that were literally slipped under hotel room doors of SBOE members the day before the final vote. I was at the SBOE meeting where they approved the new science TEKS and it was not a win for good science, although it could have been far worse.
At tomorrow's SBOE meeting, they take public testimony. On Thursday, the board discusses and debates the standards, and on Friday they take an initial vote on the social studies standards. At their March meeting, they finalize the standards. Know that their January votes are non-binding, and that this is how it really works - you can watch the proceedings live on the internet, but what you miss are the various Rasputins whispering in the ears of the religious right members, guiding the process. These board members are on a religious mission, and they have far right religious leaders advising them and orchestrating their every move - including amendment wording - which is were the game is really played, the twists and turns of amendments leading up to the final vote.
The Texas Tribune has a great overview of what's been going on with the social studies TEKS revsions over the past year, and as always, the Texas Freedom Network blog is a must read source on the SBOE. They will be blogging live from the SBOE meeting Thursday and Friday.
UPDATE: Kuff correctly observes that while we have real opportunities to oust some of these wingnuts in November, it will be too late to prevent what they are about to do to the social studies curriculum . . . and what the damage they've already done to ELA and science teaching and learning in Texas.
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