History Scholars Criticize Social Studies Textbooks
Enlargecredit: Ross Ramsey
Scholars recruited by the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund are criticizing social studies textbooks under state consideration, saying the books offer distorted views on history and current events.
The historians said at a Wednesday press conference that the textbooks, which the State Board of Education will consider approving in November, exaggerate Judeo-Christian influence on America’s founding, portray Islam negatively, skim over gay and lesbian history and downplay violence in the spread of Christianity. The Texas Freedom Network is a nonprofit organization that describes itself as a watchdog of the religious right. The network says its education fund conducts research while supporting religious freedom.
“The board of education and these texts had the opportunity to empower high school students with knowledge — instead they chose to treat students as pawns in our cultural war,” said Emile Lester, an associate professor in political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. “Too often, these texts exaggerate or even invent history."
The Texas Freedom Network Education Fund paid ten scholars, seven of whom are doctoral students at the University of Texas at Austin, more than $20,000 to review the content in 43 textbooks. In a report released Wednesday, the scholars said that Texas' curriculum standards made it difficult for publishing companies to write textbooks that comply while remaining historically accurate and free of political bias.
State Board of Education member David Bradley of Beaumont, a Republican who has been on the board for 18 years, said the Texas Freedom Network complains to the board nearly every year and its concerns will likely fall on deaf ears this year.
"Being that the Texas Freedom Network actively recruits liberal opponents to run against the board, I don’t think they are going to make much headway with the board’s majority," Bradley said. "If Texas Freedom Network is unhappy with [the textbooks], then I am probably going to feel pretty good about them."
The State Board of Education has been a source of conflict for many years. At times, it has History Scholars Criticize Social Studies Textbooks | The Texas Tribune: