A new Mexican-American studies textbook being proposed by the Texas Board of Education makes some rather startling claims about Mexican-American history.
The article mentions Cynthia Dunbar, who’s a rather infamous figure in Texas. She’s essentially been using the Board of Education as a tool to promote her own religious and ideological viewpoints and have those viewpoints implanted in K-12 curriculum. There was a documentary made 5 or 6 years ago that had her as one of the central characters. The documentary is called The Revisionaries, and you may be able to find it with a google search. Maybe the most infuriating part about this story is that Texas has some of the most respected scholars in the field of Latin American Studies, yet the board refuses to utilize them and instead are using a textbook written by people with no apparent expertise in the field. You can find more quotes from the proposed textbook in the link below:
It’s unsurprising coming from that state. The School Board guy they got the quote from is a disgusting piece of trash. I fear for the students of Texas if the rest of that board is like him.
No one should be dismissive of the shenanigans related to Texas books. Unfortunately as Texas goes, there goes a lot of other states, since they are the largest, other than California.
If I read correctly, the authors of the book have submitted it for review by the State. Heck, anyone can submit a book for review in the annual adoption cycle. Putin and Martians can submit a book for adoption, but that far, far from “being proposed” by the BoE.
The adoption cycle is a lengthy, public process. With the exception of one stupid Board member, there is nothing to see here. Yet.
Unfortunately, this was the only textbook submitted for this subject. When the Board rejects it, it will be back to the beginning and supposedly several years out before I new one will be considered.
This is the sort of thing that would make me look for a new job and move my kids out of Texas if I lived there and did not have the means to fund more suitable, enlightened private schooling.
I mean that absolutely literally. I would move before I would subject my kids to that sort of thinking.
You know, it takes a lot of effort, collaboration and resources to put together an entire textbook. What on earth would make all of the people involved create such a monstrosity? There must have been some thought or hope on their part that this textbook would be acceptable. Or was it purely a vanity project? SMH.
The company that submitted this textbook is headed by an ex member of the BOE who has a history of a known agenda. Because of her and others that were on the board at the same time, the ruling that schools had to use their recommended textbooks was changed to it becomes only a recommended book. She still has friends on the board but luckily they are now a minority. Education groups are now very involved in vetting all proposed material and raising questions when facts are inaccurate and slanted .
That being said my DDs received an excellent public education in the state of Texas even considering the textbooks. If there were inaccuracies, the teachers tended to point them out and have class discussions. In history, there tends to be many perspectives and actually students learn more when they are all discussed.
“There must have been some thought or hope on their part that this textbook would be acceptable.”
I don’t know about that. The people behind this textbook do not want the Mexican-American Studies curriculum to be implemented. Having a garbage textbook as the only option is a roadblock to actually making those courses happen.