Texas Insider Report
Last week the Texas State Board of Education released its updated Social Studies & History Standards as voted on in its last meeting. After review Jonathan Saenz Director of Legislative Affairs for the Liberty Institute of Plano Texas released the following statement: Liberty Institute applauds the State Board of Education (SBOE) for their hard work and strong dedication to the students of Texas and especially for maintaining the integrity and timetable of the curriculum standards review process which includes five public hearings and over a year of work that began in early 2009 and will conclude in May 2010 with a final public hearing and final vote."
We are however concerned that a small vocal minority is now pressuring the SBOE to throw out these standards and begin the process anew to push a political agenda" said Saenz.
The public deserves to know that it was an unelected review panel and not SBOE members who removed Christmas Albert Einstein and others from the standards when this process began in 2009. The public also should know that it was a Texas professor Jesus F. de la Teja who proposed removing Alexander Graham Bell and Neil Armstrong completely and Columbus partially from the social studies standards while asking for the
National Organization of Women (NOW) to be added" Saenz said.
This is surely not the common sense direction to go for the education of our children. Thankfully the SBOE has corrected the missteps of others said Saenz.
Professor de la Teja criticized the SBOE at a Mexican American Legislative Caucus press conference last month.
To help clear up public misrepresentations about the social studies standards Liberty Institute has compiled a condensed list of approved social studies standards for study. Among those:
- Historical Figures: Neil Armstrong Mother Teresa Albert Einstein Thomas Edison Columbus (voted back into standards previously removed by unelected review committees (Columbus/Edison-partial).
- Tejano leaders: Juan N. Seguin Lorenzo de Zavala and Jose Antonio Navarro others.
- Important Concepts: American Exceptionalism"
- Contributions of Founding Fathers: John Hancock John Jay John Witherspoon and numerous others
- Thomas Jefferson: Contribution of his political philosophy (hes covered in four different sections)
- Religious Heritage: Impact of religion and Judeo-Christian legal tradition on America.
- Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Brown v. Bd of Education Sweat v. Painter Hernandez v. Texas Roe v. Wade Tinker v. Des Moines Miranda v. Arizona.
- Cultural Leaders: Cesar Chavez Dolores Huerta James A. Baker III Hillary Clinton Ann Richards Barbara Jordan Sam Walton Thurgood Marshall Martin Luther King Jr. W.E. B. Dubois Irma Rangel Oprah Winfrey Bill Gates Estee Lauder Harriet Tubman Todd Beamer Mary Kay Ash Roy Benavidez John Danny" Olivas Henry B. Gonzalez Jonas Salk Hector P. Garcia Carmen Loma Garza Vernon J. Baker Michael Dell George Washington Carver Michael DeBakey.
- Groups: LULAC Black Panthers NAACP NRA Moral Majority Heritage Foundation.
Actual text of the approved standards and Jesus F. de la Tejas review details can be found at
Texas Legislative Update blog.
The Liberty Institute testified before the SBOE in the March meetings and will continue to
work on and monitor the meetings May 19-21 2010.
The Liberty Institute is a non-profit policy and legal organization committed to protecting freedoms and strengthening families. Learn more at
www.libertyinstitute.org.
Visit our Texas Legislative Update Blog at www.texaslegislativeupdate.wordpress.com
National Organization of Women (NOW) to be added" Saenz said.
This is surely not the common sense direction to go for the education of our children. Thankfully the SBOE has corrected the missteps of others said Saenz.
Professor de la Teja criticized the SBOE at a Mexican American Legislative Caucus press conference last month.
To help clear up public misrepresentations about the social studies standards Liberty Institute has compiled a condensed list of approved social studies standards for study. Among those:
