Texas ‘Christian’ Textbooks Coming to Class?

In March, we had a report from Dan Harris about a textbook controversy in Texas with national implications. At issue? Controversial new curriculum standards that may affect how students across the country are taught. Today, by a 9-5 vote, the 15-member Texas Board of Education approved the standards, which call for greater focus on the Christian traditions of the founding fathers. Take, for example, changing the language "Democratic society" to "Constitutional Republic." Or emphasizing the achievements of a Republican icon like Newt Gingrich. Critics — and there were plenty of them when we first blogged about this — say the standards impose ideology in the classroom. Why does what Texas does matter for the rest of the country? With 4.7 million public school students, textbooks publishers often tailor their curriculum to meet the desires of the Lone Star state. Embedded below is the original report, "Texas Textbook Controversy."