Tag Archives: textbooks

You can try, but you can’t out-embarrass the SBOE

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Court of Criminal Appeals has had a good run lately as the public institution that has caused the most embarrassment to Texas, thanks in no small part to the ongoing Keller saga and the recent hot judge-on-prosecutor ruling. But … Continue reading →

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The future of textbooks

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I figure the traditional textbook is eventually going to go away, but how and when it will be replaced is not yet clear. The average college student spent $702 on books in 2006-07, according to the National Association of College … Continue reading →

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Textbook ideology

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Who cares about Cesar Chavez and Henry Cisneros when our students could be learning about Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh? The State Board of Education has appointed “review committees” made up largely of active and retired school teachers to draft … Continue reading →

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The new social studies curriculum, so far

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no reason to believe that the lunatic fringe of the State Board of Education will do anything but push an unrealistic and ideological change to the state’s social studies curriculum. They’ve made that clear by the kind of “expert” … Continue reading →

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What kind of patriot are you, anyway?

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Contrarian reports on more SBOE follies. A reader passed along a link to this Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel story that shows just how much some members of the State Board of Education are trying to slant social studies classes in … Continue reading →

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Defining “expert” down

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman editorial board lets us know how Don McLeroy defines an “expert” on something. Don McLeroy, who couldn’t muster enough votes in the Republican-dominated Texas Senate to win confirmation as chairman of the State Board of Education, has a … Continue reading →

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The best way to fix a mistake is to avoid making it in the first place

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In re: the fight over social studies now brewing in the State Board of Education, the problem is described as follows. About 75 teachers, principals, social studies coordinators, college professors, retired teachers and ordinary citizens are developing the new curriculum … Continue reading →

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The fight over social studies

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve talked before about how the State Board of Education wants to do to history what it’s been doing to science. The Chron adds some details to the discussion. Biographies of Washington, Lincoln, Stephen F. Austin? Not fit reading material … Continue reading →

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Perry appoints Lowe chair of SBOE

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is, he didn’t pick Cynthia Dunbar. The bad news is, it’s not clear how much better new State Board of Education Chair Gail Lowe will be. Lowe, co-publisher of the Lampasas Dispatch Record, was first elected to … Continue reading →

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Dunbar in line to chair SBOE

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The crazy never stops. Critics who engineered the recent ouster of State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy, in part because of his strong religious beliefs, could end up with someone even more outspoken in her faith. Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond, … Continue reading →

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And here are the vetoes

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list, with links to statements about individual bills, here’s his press release, and here’s his budget statement. A few points of interest: – Perry wimped out and allowed HB770, the Wayne Christian Homestead Bill, to become law … Continue reading →

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Electronic textbooks

Posted on May 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting. [State Rep. Dan] Branch won unanimous approval for HB 4294, which would require the Texas education commissioner to adopt a list of electronic textbooks and instructional materials from which schools could select electronic textbooks or instructional materials … Continue reading →

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The “strengths and weaknesses” showdown

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in January, the State Board of Education somewhat surprisingly voted to remove anti-science “strengths and weaknesses” language from the curriculum. That was only a preliminary vote, however, and today is the day that the hearings begin for the final … Continue reading →

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Evolution remains legal in Texas

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Whew! That was a close one. In a major defeat for evolution critics, a sharply divided State Board of Education voted Thursday to follow the advice of a panel of science educators and drop a long-time requirement that “weaknesses” in … Continue reading →

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You there! Stop evolving this minute!

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Someone once said that no one’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session. I’d extend that observation to note that no one’s intelligence or education is safe when the SBOE is in session. For those … Continue reading →

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