The bitter political debate between liberals and conservatives is not limited solely to the executive offices and legislative halls of the federal government. It occurs, as well, at state and local board and committee meetings. Sometimes, the results are quite disturbing. That’s certainly the case in Texas, where the State Board of Education just approved new standards for social studies courses that are considerably more conservative than in the past.
The change, mandated by a 9-5 vote that mirrors the board’s conservative-liberal split, determines what is taught in Texas schools and thus the content of textbooks used there. That might not seem to be important to other states, but it is.
Texas standards often become the de facto curriculum in other states because publishers generally match textbook contents to requirements set forth in the nation’s largest states. California traditionally has been the largest textbook purchaser, but that’s no longer true. The state’s budget woes are so dire that new textbook purchases will be delayed for at least three years. The new Texas curriculum, then, is the model that many social studies texts will strive to match.
That curriculum is controversial; it’s already caused outrage among many educators. It challenges high school students to question the legal doctrine of church-state separation and will require them to learn that the words “separation of church and state” aren’t in the U.S. Constitution. That is true, but the new standards conveniently overlooks rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts that link the separation mandate to the First Amendment.
Never mind that. The requirement assuages conservative groups who are angry that successive court rulings have affirmed the separation doctrine, which includes the ban on school-sanctioned prayers. The social conservatives on the board also approved requirements that students evaluate whether the United Nations and similar organizations are detrimental to U.S. sovereignty and that more emphasis be given to conservative groups, policies and leaders while reducing the time spent on liberal counterparts. Clearly, the board’s desire to impose political orthodoxy on the curriculum trumped the need to provide broad education for students.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan rightfully disparaged the board’s action. School officials “should keep politics out” of curriculum debates. “Parents,” he said, “should be very wary if politicians designing curriculum.” He’s right, of course, but the social conservatives who dominate the Texas State Board of Education don’t see it that way.
One Republican member views approval of the new curriculum as political payback. “We took our licks, we got outvoted,” he said, referring to the time 10 years ago when the current, more centrist curriculum was approved. “Now it’s 10-5 [one Republican member of the board did not vote on the new curriculum] in the other direction … we’re an elected body, this is a political process. Outside that, go find yourself a benevolent dictator.”
There’s the problem in a nutshell. The Texas board is playing politics with curriculum and confusing ideology with sound educational policy. That’s wrong. Texas students are likely to pay a price for such narrow-mindedness in the future. Sadly, given the influence of Texas on the nation’s textbook publishers, students in other states could pay a similar price.