Textbook Review Process is Fair and Open

Today’s vote of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) proved to be a win for Texas schoolchildren.

The process, which provided citizen input in three public hearings and several months in which written testimony was accepted, brought comments from citizens from around the state.

“The Founding Fathers would have applauded the process. Democracy works,” said Peggy Venable, Director of the 48,000-member Texas Citizens for a Sound Economy. “This has been an open, transparent, participatory and productive process. Virtually everyone involved has agreed this has been a success.”

The SBOE adopted over 130 social studies textbooks available for grades K through twelve and the books will now be selected by local school districts for use in the classrooms in fall 2003.

The textbooks are paid for out of the Permanent School Fund, which is managed by the SBOE.

Citizens participated in the process, and all recommended changes are available on the Texas Education Agency web site along with the publishers’ responses.

“CSE members and other reviewers I’ve talked to say about half or 40 percent of their recommendations were accepted,” said Venable.

Among those were sections in one textbook which stated socialism and communism were “for the good of the people” and failed to point out how they are failed systems. Those references were changed.

“Our focus was on getting accurate textbooks into the classroom that are void of political propaganda,” said Venable.

The process brought hundreds of technical errors, factual errors as well as other concerns raised by individuals. “Individuals traveled from across the state to testify at hearings, poured countless hours over textbooks, and made changes which improved the books,” said Venable. “Our focus was on making sure the Texas Education Code was upheld and that the textbooks presented democracy and free enterprise in a favorable light and promoted a sense of patriotism.”

“We are pleased that the SBOE provided the forum for public participation and we are happy to have been a part of the process,” said Venable.