Advocacy group speaks against SBOE content advisors revising social studies standards

Textbook contents & state board of education

Advocacy group Texas Freedom Network, along with the Teach the Truth Coalition, are criticizing the appointment of a panel that's reviewing the state's social studies curriculum, calling it hyper-partisan.

AUSTIN, Texas - Advocacy group Texas Freedom Network, along with the Teach the Truth Coalition, are criticizing the appointment of a panel that's reviewing the state's social studies curriculum, calling it hyper-partisan. 

They're worried students won't learn about the diverse history of the nation. 

There are nine content advisors who will work on the review. 

Advocacy group speaks out

What they're saying:

"We all believe children deserve a high-quality, well-rounded education grounded in truth and free from hyper-partisan influence and religious agendas," Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate with the Texas Freedom Fund said. 

"We are concerned that the current overhaul of those standards is already headed off the rails and into another political swamp," Rocio Fierro-Perez, political director with the Texas Freedom Network said. 

The Board periodically reviews the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Content advisors provide feedback on the review and revision process.

"There is an active effort to rewrite, and in some cases, erase history," Tiffani Clark, SBOE member representing District 13, said. "You cannot cut African-American or Mexican-American contributions from the curriculum and still claim the founding documents were meant for all students."

"We will not give up until they adopt a curriculum that is inclusive of all students and that they appoint content advisors that represent the diversity of this great state," Ayaan Moledina, a high school student, said.

Content advisor speaks out

The other side:

One of the content advisors facing criticism, David Randall, spoke to FOX 7. He is the executive director of the Civics Alliance and director of research for the National Association of Scholars.

He disagrees that the process is political. 

"We're trying to do good social studies for the citizens of Texas, and I would say that the conversations have been remarkably technical and unpolitical on the whole," he said.

In response to critics who are worried about diverse voices being pushed away, he says, "they're premature. I could argue as long as the day is about what is correct and what is not, but the committee has just started. The committee is not everything. This is part of a complicated process."

He says the committee is a good mix of professional experience.

"What I have been bringing about, the Civics Alliance, has been working to reform social studies in general, to provide depoliticized content-based model for social studies, and therefore, in effect, everything else, national history, Western history, world history, geography, all of that, we have some expertise in providing a model for different states to consider over the last several years," he said. "It is a committee full of people who are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, who are dedicated to providing the best possible social studies education for the people of Texas. It is a thoughtful, responsible, good expert committee, which I am confident will do a good job."

Other educators respond

What they're saying:

Jordan Adams, an independent education consultant, says "both 'left' and 'right' content advisors are all working well together, in my opinion."

We asked the State Board of Education for their response. We will update this article if a response is received. 

We reached out to all nine content advisors. We will update this article with their responses. 

Dr. Yolanda Chavez Leyva, a professor of history at University of Texas El Paso sent the following statement:

Dr. Donald Frazier, director of the Texas Center at Schreiner University and chairman of the 1836 Committee, says:

"There seems to be a lot of premature bellyaching—which looks and smells suspiciously like political theater to me.

We content advisors have only come up with the big key topics at this point—which was our charge—and among our content advisors there has been a great deal of consensus…no matter if their views are right, left, or middle. Nothing much beyond what has been taught in years past, with all the legislative mandates folded in.

Naysayers need to wait and see what emerges from this preliminary process before they start their sputtering outrage routine.

They might discover that they are pleasantly surprised."

Andrea Hutchison says she is not giving a statement at this time.