Wednesday the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) meets to discuss curriculum standards that could have an impact on what students across the country see in their textbooks. The Lone Star state is one of the world’s largest textbook buyers, so publishers craft their books to match Texas state curriculum standards – in hopes of writing books their biggest customer will want to buy. Those same textbooks are sold to school systems nationwide.
As the curriculum Texas Textbook debate plays out, some of the most heated accusations involve claims about religious bias. Critics say conservatives on the “religious right” are trying to inject too much emphasis on Christianity into history curriculum and textbooks, while the other side argues you can’t tell America’s story without acknowledging those principles.
It’s something I asked a group of parents from Maryland and Virginia about.