Educators seek delay on Texas social studies vote
AUSTIN, TX
In an open letter made public Thursday, the educators called on
the board to delay it's planned May vote until curriculum teams and
a panel of qualified, credentialed content experts from the state's
colleges and universities can review changes the board made and
"prepare a new draft of the standards that is fair, accurate and
balanced," the letter says.
"The integrity of the curriculum revision process has been
compromised," the educators wrote.
Last month, the board gave preliminary approval to new standards
for grades K-12 after three days of public hearings and contentious
debate. A far-right faction of the board succeeded in injecting
conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics
lessons.
The proposed curriculum standards will require teachers to cover
the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers,
but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the separation of
church and state. Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S.
government as a "constitutional republic," rather than
"democratic," and students will be required to study the decline
in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold
standard.
Many critics, including several Hispanic lawmakers and academic
experts, have said the new curriculum minimizes the contributions
of minorities.
Those behind the open letter include educators from the
University of Texas at Austin and UT-El Paso. The co-chairs are
Emilio Zamora from UT-Austin and Keith A. Erekson of UTEP.
They call on the board to permit a public review and comment
period on the new draft before final adoption of the standards.
Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe, who
generally speaks for the State Board of Education, did not
immediately respond to a call Thursday seeking comment.
