Texas board gives preliminary approval to social studies standards tying Islam more closely to violence
DALLAS - The Texas State Board of Education voted early Thursday to give preliminary approval to an amended list of state social studies standards that draws even stronger connections between Islam and violence.
The board voted Wednesday night and early Thursday to give preliminary approval to standards for grades six through eight, as well as U.S. History and World History. The board will take up amendments to the remaining courses, including U.S. Government, at Thursday's meeting.
The revised World History standards include a new provision asking students to explain Islam through "the Prophet Mohammed's brutal military campaigns." The change comes after Muslims have repeatedly asked the board to include references to Islam's positive contributions.
The 15-member State Board of Education - where Republicans hold a majority - is in the final steps of a monthslong process to overhaul the standards that lay out what students are expected to learn in their social studies classes in each grade. Roughly 5.5 million children are enrolled in Texas public schools, and the proposed standards would affect students for years to come.
Dozens of speakers, some traveling to Austin from across the state, spoke for and against the proposed standards Monday, the last opportunity for the public to weigh in. The proposed standards have drawn controversy, with critics saying they place too much emphasis on Christianity while giving short shrift to other world religions.
The board discussed and revised late into the night Tuesday and gave initial approval early Wednesday to a new set of social studies standards for elementary school students. It returned later Wednesday to take up standards for higher grades.
Social studies standards and instructional time
Over the course of more than 10 hours, board members debated dozens of amendments before voting to give preliminary approval to the amended document one or two grade levels at a time. One of the biggest challenges the board faced during the amendment process was instructional time. In most grades, the proposed standards already took up at least as much time as is available in the school year. That meant that any board member who wanted to add a concept to the standards also had to cut or consolidate a concept elsewhere.
The issue was particularly pressing in the World History course, which was overloaded considerably with required concepts. Shannon Trejo, the Texas Education Agency's deputy commissioner of school programs, told the board that, without cuts, the board could end up sending a set of standards to teachers that required more time to teach than they have in a single school year. The version of the document the board approved shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday still contained too much material. Board Chairman Aaron Kinsey, R-Midland, said the board would have to make further revisions on Friday before voting to give final approval.
After the board approved several cuts to the standards, board member Brandon Hall, R-Aledo, reintroduced an amendment that narrowly failed a short while earlier, asking students to explain "the Prophet Mohammed's brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes," as well as the taking of female captives as harem slaves.
Hall, a Christian minister, often spars with Muslim speakers during board meetings. Hall said the amendment was his top priority, saying Mohammed is one of the most consequential figures in world history. The board approved the amendment by a 9-5 vote. The vote to approve the amendment came not long after the board voted to eliminate a standard asking students to understand that the teachings and beliefs of Islam are found in the Koran.
Debate over underrepresented voices in history
Another of the concepts the board pared down during Wednesday's meeting was a standard for several grades that required students to consider historical events from multiple perspectives, including the points of view of people whose voices are less represented in historical accounts. Republican board members stripped out the part of that standard dealing with underrepresented voices, leaving a standard that only asks students to "compare and contrast multiple perspectives on a historical event."
Hall said the change would streamline the standards and save instructional time. Hall questioned the value of asking students to consider a wide range of viewpoints rather than focusing strictly on historical fact.
Gustavo Reveles, D-El Paso, said the change was dangerous. He said the move came out of a desire by some board Republicans not to respect diverse voices or opinions that don't conform to the majority.
During discussion of the sixth grade standards, board member Will Hickman, R-Houston, proposed a new standard requiring that students be able to contrast fascist ideas with the principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution. The standards already included material on the tenets of communism, and Hickman said it's important for students to understand the features of other repressive forms of government. After board members workshopped the standard to prevent it from adding too much instructional time, the board approved the amendment without objection.
The board is scheduled to hold a final vote on the social studies standards for all grade levels at a meeting Friday.
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