• Knowledge is Power • May 20, 2022 •
The Texas State Board of Education heard public testimony this week about the proposed framework for kindergarten through eighth-grade social studies standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, TEKS). The board expects to adopt revised social studies standards in November and will hold additional hearings with public testimony before then.
This is the first review of social studies curriculum standards following passage of classroom censorship legislation in Texas.
IDRA Deputy Director of Advocacy, Michelle Castillo, Ed.M., presented testimony urging the board to add historical figures who are Black, Latino, Indigenous and women to the revised TEKS, including those named in the stricken sections of House Bill 3979 when it was replaced by the current law, Senate Bill 3.
Castillo stated: “Earlier this year we surveyed educators. Teachers reported increased barriers to planning lessons that are meaningful to their students, and programs that offer student leadership and civic engagement opportunities to K-12 students have been canceled.”
Read her testimony: Texas Social Studies Curriculum Should Include Black, Latino, Indigenous and Women’s History.
See a list of the historical figures included in HB 3979 that is no longer current law.
[©2022, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the May 20, 2022, edition of Knowledge is Power by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]
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