Texas School Board Backs More Inclusion in Social Studies Draft

Reinstatement Ordered for Christmas, Rosh Hashana

Members of the Texas board of education have directed writers of new social studies standards to reinstate two cherished holidays and solidify the positions of prominence of two historical minority figures.

In the latest go-round of revisions of academic content standards in a state where the task is often rife with controversy, the board told writers not to delete Christmas and Rosh Hashana, as had been proposed in a draft . It also rejected calls from some Texans to downplay Thurgood Marshall, the first black U.S. Supreme Court justice, and Cesar Chavez, the well-known organizer for farmworkers’ rights, as some reviewers had recommended.

At a meeting this month, the board heard testimony from five of six reviewers who had been appointed to make recommendations for the new standards. They also listened to testimony from representatives of most...