9486 in the collection
Education Board in Texas Faces Curbs
This is quite a defense:
"As crazy as the Texas Board of Education
is, there are just as many crazies, percentage-
wise, in the state Legislature," said board
member Pat Hardy.
By Stephanie Simon
Texas state legislators are considering reining
in the Board of Education amid frustration with
the board's politically charged debate over how
to teach evolution.
The board last month approved a science
curriculum that opens the door for teachers and
textbooks to introduce creationist objections
to evolution's explanation of the origin and
progression of life forms. Other parts of the
curriculum were carefully worded to raise
doubts about global warming and the big-bang
theory of how the universe began.
While the science standards have drawn the most
attention, the 15-member elected board has been
embroiled in other controversies as well. Last
year, it rejected a reading curriculum that
teachers had spent nearly three years drafting.
In its place, the board approved a document
that a few members hastily assembled just hours
before the vote.
Some lawmakers -- mostly Democrats -- say they
have had enough.
The most far-reaching proposals would strip the
Texas board of its authority to set curricula
and approve textbooks. Depending on the bill,
that power would be transferred to the state
education agency, a legislative board or the
commissioner of education. Other bills would
transform the board to an appointed rather than
elected body, require Webcasting of meetings,
and take away the board's control of a vast pot
of school funding. Gov. Rick Perry, a
Republican, hasn't taken a position on specific
bills, a spokeswoman said.
"At this point, a lot of us are
questioning...whether the state Board of
Education serves a purpose anymore," said state
Rep. Donna Howard, a Democrat.
Most state boards of education oversee
curricula and assessment tests, but
responsibilities for textbooks and school
funding vary from state to state.
Board members, who aren't paid, object to most
legislative meddling.
"As crazy as the Texas Board of Education is,
there are just as many crazies, percentage-
wise, in the state Legislature," said board
member Pat Hardy. Another member, Cynthia
Dunbar, said the board's fierce debates should
be seen as a sign that all views are well
represented.
While the Legislature debates the board's
future, candidates on the left and right are
gearing up for 2010, when eight seats will be
on the ballot. Results of that election could
affect how the new science standards are
interpreted -- and which biology texts the
board approves in 2011. Texas is one of about
20 states that require local districts to buy
only textbooks approved by the state board.
Over the years, the Texas board has been
aggressive about editing submitted textbooks
before granting approval. Publishers have been
asked to delete -- among other things --
favorable references to Islam, discussions of
global warming, and illustrations of breast and
testicular self-exams, according to the Texas
Freedom Network, a nonprofit that calls itself
a counterweight to the religious right.
The Texas market is so large and lucrative that
it is hard to brush off the board's requests --
especially because publishers often come before
the board already having spent tens of millions
of dollars to create a curriculum that meets
state standards, said Jay Diskey, executive
director of the school division at the
Association of American Publishers.
The state expects to spend nearly $600 million
on science textbooks in 2011 and 2012.
Kenneth R. Miller, co-author of several popular
biology textbooks, said he inserted a header
about the "strengths and weaknesses of
evolutionary theory" before bringing his latest
book before the board several years ago.
But Mr. Miller, a professor at Brown
University, said the text below the header was
unchanged from previous editions. It explored
"unsolved puzzles of evolution," such as why
sexual reproduction is ubiquitous or how the
first life arose. None of the questions, he
said, cast doubt on the basic premise of
evolution.
"We will do whatever we think is appropriate to
meet the spirit and the letter of Texas
standards," he said. "We will never put
anything in our books that will compromise our
scientific values."
— Stephanie Simon
Phi Delta Kappan
2009-10-13
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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