Board member defends social studies curriculum
By MATT WOOLBRIGHT
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 5, 2010, 10:30PM
Jay Janner Austin American-Statesman
Ken Mercer, who serves on the State Board of Education, defends the changes made in school curriculum.
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EmailKen Mercer is the vice-chair of the State Board of Education's instruction committee and played a significant role in the adopting of a new curriculum for Texas textbooks. A software engineer in San Antonio, Mercer served in the Texas House of Representatives and joined the Board of Education in 2006. The new social studies curriculum, championed by Mercer and the rest of the board's conservative majority, was the subject of tremendous national scrutiny and debate. Mercer discussed the controversial curriculum issue recently with Chronicle reporter Matt Woolbright.
Q: Why do you think the Texas textbook battle got so much national attention?
A: Texas has 4.8 million kids in public school. We have more kids in school than many states have in total population. So people know that oftentimes, the books that Texas publishes will become the books throughout much of the United States.