TCS: Politicization of Science Education Continues in Texas

In a press release, Texas Citizens for Science reports: The recent adoption of new supplemental science instructional materials by the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) was largely a victory for science. Although the biology curriculum standards were unfortunately damaged in 2009 by a politically radicalized majority of SBOE members who inserted four new standards […]

Documentation for IJSE article: “Howard Zinn and the Struggle for Real History in the United States”

The items on this page are posted as documentation for an article that will appear later this year in the International Journal of Social Education. The complete bibliographic citation for that article will be added here when it becomes available.

State of the Nation: IN PERIL! (Bachmann speech / videos)

On his MSNBC Hardball program last week, Chris Matthews was calling Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) a “balloon head” — somebody who speaks freely without knowing anything, about U.S. history, in particular, and somebody who need to go back to school to learn something about history, so that she might finally know something about the things she likes […]

Texas bill to politicize curricula

A new bill in the Texas legislature would politicize curricula by reversing legislative action which had previously vested authority over selection of supplementary materials to the Texas Education Agency, removing that authority from the Texas State Board of Education [SBOE].

BBC: El Salvador marks Archbishop Oscar Romero’s murder

Thirty years ago on March 24, Archbishop Oscar Romero was murdered while celebrating Mass, an event being commemorated now in El Salvador. ( See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8580840.stm ) In Texas a week ago, Romero, a champion of the poor, was removed from the state’s social studies standards by the State Board of Education. One Board member said […]

TX SBOE not interested in hearing from experts, teachers

Meeting as the Committee of the Full Board Thursday night, November 19, the Texas State Board of Education made it clear that they are not interested in hearing any further from their “experts” or the writing teams of social studies specialists in their revision of social studies standards for the state of Texas. (Click here […]

TX Gov Perry names Gail Lowe to chair State Board of Education

The Associated Press reports that Texas Governor Rick Perry has appointed Gail Lowe, one of the right-wing ideologues on SBOE, to serve as the Board’s chair, now that his first appointment of Don McLeroy failed confirmation in the state senate. … it strikes me that Lowe’s consistently petty partisanship makes McLeroy look like a diplomat and statesman by comparison.