Social Studies News in Brief

Texas Board Approves Most Contested Texts

By Liana Loewus — December 02, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Nearly all the social studies textbooks that were being considered by the Texas school board have been approved for use next school year.

Of the 96 books reviewed, 89 were approved by the GOP-controlled board last month, the Associated Press reported. Six were rejected, and one publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, withdrew a government text.

Groups from both sides of the political spectrum argued against the textbooks’ approval, alleging they contained distortions. The Texas Freedom Network Education Fund, for instance, said some books exaggerated Moses’ influence on the founding of the United States. The National Center for Science Education, which took issue with the way Pearson and McGraw-Hill presented climate change, said those publishers revised their books “to eliminate misrepresentations.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the December 03, 2014 edition of Education Week as Texas Board Approves Most Contested Texts

Events

Student Well-Being & Movement K-12 Essentials Forum How Schools Are Teaching Students Life Skills
Join this free virtual event to explore creative ways schools have found to seamlessly integrate teaching life skills into the school day.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Social Studies Opinion My Step-By-Step Framework for Taking Flight Into Black History
Here’s how I teach my AP African American Studies students to excavate truth from primary sources.
Nick Kennedy
4 min read
Black History books behind a Sankofa bird image
Erin K. Robinson for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion Do Students Still Need to Learn Geography?
It’s tough to grasp what's going on about Venezuela or Greenland if you don’t know where they are.
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Social Studies Spotlight Spotlight on Teaching Social Studies to Build Literacy and Critical Thinking
This Spotlight explores social studies literacy, evaluating source bias, introducing complex narratives, and key U.S. history topics.
Social Studies Oklahoma Must Rework Social Studies Standards After Court Ruling
The controversial standards were approved without the legally required public notice, the court ruled.
3 min read
State Superintendent Ryan Walters, right, listens during public comment at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
A court put on ice Oklahoma standards for social studies pushed by former state Superintendent Ryan Walters, pictured here listening to public comment at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
Nick Oxford/Human Rights Campaign via AP