After quibbles over civil rights, Christmas, Texas readies for debate over social studies
By April Castro, APWednesday, January 13, 2010
Texas braces for fight over social studies lessons
AUSTIN, Texas — Parents, teachers and activists are preparing to sound off on how history will be taught to millions of Texas school children for the next decade.
The State Board of Education begins taking testimony Wednesday, before a tentative vote later this week on new social studies curriculum standards.
Early quibbles over how much prominence to give civil rights leaders such as Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall, and the inclusion of Christmas seem to have been smoothed over in the draft now being considered.
But board members are crafting dozens of amendments to be raised for consideration before the tentative vote, expected Thursday. The 15-member board won’t adopt final standards until March.
More than 130 people have signed up to testify.
