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Texas Textbooks Woefully Outdated

Ohanian Comment: Politicians are eager to spend big bucks on testing but refuse funds for textbooks.

AUSTIN -- Texas history teachers this year won't have to use antiquated textbooks that name Dan Morales as attorney general. After all, the state's former top legal official is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion charges.

Other textbooks won't be as current.

Despite pleas from the state Board of Education, the Legislature cut textbook funding by $182 million this year. As the school year begins, some books are 14 years old, and gaffes in accuracy are inevitable.

For example: The Food and Drug Administration now recommends two to three servings of dairy a day, but outdated health books still recommend four daily dairy servings.

Jim Hutchinson, a high school health teacher in Bastrop, said recent strides in research and health care have turned numerous truths into fallacies.

"In the AIDS and HIV chapter, treatments were so limited at the time the book was written there were just three possible treatments. Now there are probably hundreds," Hutchinson said. "Also, it's so limited with symptoms simply because of the time it was published."

Health books used in all grade levels were published in 1989 and were implemented in the 1990-91 school year.

Education officials weren't planning to renew those books until the 2005-06 school year anyway, largely because priorities were placed on other subjects after a 1995 curriculum overhaul, according to Robert Leos, director of textbook administration for the Texas Education Agency.

Most of the books scheduled to be adopted in November weren't funded. But money for those books likely won't come until after the next regular legislative session -- in 2005. Until then, teachers will have to rely on outdated books, most of them about 10 years old.

Of the books scheduled for adoption this year by the State Board of Education, biology will be the only textbook to be renewed. New biology books are scheduled to be adopted in November.

Books used to teach English to Spanish-speaking students were among those forced into extended lifespans.

Others include agricultural science and technology education, business education, home economics education, technical education/industrial technology education, marketing education, trade and industrial education, technology applications, career orientation and health science technology education.

New social studies textbooks, with the Morales reference, were replaced earlier this year -- helping to bring books up to date with newer curriculum mandates.

"The new books are aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and assessment," said Rosemary Morrow, administrative superintendent for social studies for the Austin school district. "The outdated textbooks just meant we didn't have things aligned to our state standards."

The new books, Morrow said, have extra software and support tools that were not available before.

Hutchinson, who's also a high school football coach, said keeping books current could go a long way to improving students' lagging enthusiasm.

"It's just so outdated, but luckily we have the Internet so we can supplement a lot of the outdated stuff," he said. "It's just not an adequate learning tool right now."



— April Castro
Many School Textbooks Woefully Outdated
Houston Chronicle
2003-09-01
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/2077259

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