ALERT: SBOE Social Studies Standards On Agenda; Registration Open
Please sign-up to testify or be present at SBOE meeting June 15 for Social Studies!
Next week, the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) will discuss the Social Studies standards for 8th grade and High School students. It is important that parents and educators voice their opinion on the current drafts of the Social Studies standards to make sure that students are receiving a well rounded and accurate education.
There are already a few concerns in the current drafts. There is again, an attempt to remove Moses from the U.S. Government standards. Studying Moses is important not just for the Ten Commandments but also in teaching kids about the different levels of government and how to govern people.
The current drafts also delete a standard that suggests how to be a good citizen, including: being well informed on civic affairs, serving the military, voting, serving on a jury, observing the laws, paying taxes, and serving the public good. There has also been added a standard that requires students to compare recent election laws in Texas to election laws in other states.
We need you to voice your concerns about these changes. You can register for Agenda Item 3 on Wednesday’s agenda by clicking here.
In the World Geography course, there is the introduction to the Gender Inequality Index. While the Gender Inequality Index on the surface has been used to measure health and economic opportunities for women globally, this concept is often used to promote abortion.
In U.S. 8th grade history, one standard seems to suggest that the Iroquois Confederacy was the main influence of founding American principles of liberty, separation of powers, and federalism. However, other key historical figures and philosophers who directly influenced American government such as William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu are eliminated in other Social Studies standards.
Ultimately, the SBOE needs to be encouraged to keep the Social Studies standards that portray history accurately and positively.
Registration to testify begins at 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 9 and closes Friday, June 10, at 5 p.m. Again, you can register to testify here. Please register for Agenda Item 3 on Wednesday.