The Texas State Board of Education has progressed with a curriculum overhaul, shifting the focus in social studies classes to a Texas-centered approach. This change will deemphasize lessons about world cultures and inject more content about Christianity’s role in the founding of the United States.

Curriculum Changes

The board heard about eight hours of public testimony on the social studies rewrite, with some educators and students expressing concerns that the proposal lacks significant teachings about civil rights history and people of color’s contributions to the nation. Ruth Nasrullah, a Muslim, stated that the proposed standards defy the Constitution and highlight only one group of Americans as the founders.

Republican board members pushed back, saying that the rewrite was necessary to teach students about American exceptionalism and Texas heritage. SBOE member Julie Pickren said, ‘We just want our students to love our country.’ The education board has spent the bulk of its meetings making amendments to a 143-page social studies proposal.

Concerns and Criticisms

Educators and Texas Education Agency staff have warned the SBOE that the proposed standards include ‘too much content’ across multiple grades. Historians have said that the density of content required in each grade could limit teachers’ ability to hold in-depth discussions on some topics and force students to memorize large collections of facts.

The American Historical Association urged its members to submit public comments and contact SBOE members about ‘omissions and distortions that diminish students’ understanding of the past’ in the proposed standards. The association highlighted the board’s focus on Western history, limited mentions of the role of women and Black people in major historical events, and the exclusion of the word ‘racism’ across grade levels.

Original reporting: Community Impact — McKinney — read the source article.