A simmering school-finance battle came back to life Wednesday in separate hearings that brought up Texas' educational endowment, the largest in the country.  While lawmakers in the Capitol recommended making significant changes to the fund, members of the State Board of Education lamented in their own meeting that the School Land Board has so far stood by a funding decision they announced in August that immediately spurred controversy.   "They need to reconsider now," state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said Wednesday night. view article

The State Board of Education today adopted a new Long-Range Plan for Public Education that establishes goals through the year 2030. The plan establishes an overall goal of access and equity so that all children receive what they need to learn, thrive, and grow. This reflects a desire to have equitable access to funding, advanced courses and modern technology. Developed after assessing the strengths, opportunities, and challenges across Texas, the plan also focuses on student engagement and empowerment; family engagement and empowerment; and educator preparation, recruitment and retention as key areas that are vital to educational progress. view article

AUSTIN, Texas — Responding to concerns that Texas public school students would no longer learn about Hillary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller and defenders of the Alamo, the State Board of Education took a final vote Friday to reject recommendations from board-created working groups to remove the figures from social studies curriculum.  The board on Friday unanimously approved the curriculum, cementing dozens of changes the panel made earlier this week. The new learning requirements will go into effect for middle and high school in the 2019-20 school year and the following year for elementary schools. view article

The State Board of Education approved amendments to a proposed Long-Range Plan for Public Education during its Sept. 11-14 meeting. Final adoption of the plan is expected to occur at the board's Nov. 13-16 meeting.  Four years in the making, this plan creates recommendations to be achieved by the year 2030 in four broad categories.  The goals of access and equity serve as the overarching vision of the proposed plan. These goals refer to funding, as well as access to advanced courses and modern technology.  view article

Texas education officials tentatively approved keeping the biblical figure Moses in the state’s social studies curriculum Wednesday while voting to change the language that potentially links Islamic fundamentalism with terrorism. view article

After more than 10 hours of discussion and public input, the Texas State Board of Education on Tuesday tentatively agreed to keep Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller in the state’s social studies curriculum. The majority-Republican board discussed the proposed curriculum changes and decided to keep Keller, a disability rights advocate who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree, and Clinton, the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, the Dallas Morning News reported. view article

Around two months ago, the Texas State Board of Education voted to remove Hillary Clinton from the state’s 11th-grade U.S. History standards. But on Tuesday night, the board backed a motion to reinsert Clinton into the curriculum. That action was just one of many the board took at its Tuesday meeting,  view article

Approaching the podium, Dallas middle school teacher Ron Francis faced the circle of 15 large, wooden desks at the Texas State Board of Education’s September meeting. The board was discussing changes to the social studies curriculum standards, the result of a 10-month-long process to cut back on what teachers have to cover in the classroom. But Francis, a 6-foot-tall Army veteran who teaches in Highland Park ISD, was more concerned about what the board wasn’t cutting. The standards currently list slavery alongside three other causes for Texas’ involvement in the Civil War, which he said downplays its historical role. “Get rid of tariffs, states’ rights and sectionalism,” Francis told the board bluntly. “Thank you.” view article

AUSTIN — At the end of the day, Helen Keller prevailed. So did the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots who stepped up to run flight and service missions in World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Board of Education preliminarily voted Tuesday night to restore Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller to the state’s history curriculum and to slightly soften language about the Arab-Israeli conflict – surprising moments of bipartisanship for members who have long waged ideological battles about how students in the nation’s second largest state learn history. The moves came after the board’s 10 Republicans and five Democrats heard hours of often impassioned testimony from students, teachers, activists and university experts on proposed edits meant to streamline academic standards for history. A final vote is scheduled for Friday and more changes can still be made. view article

The Texas State Board of Education will vote on Tuesday whether to eliminate major historical figures like Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller from the state’s social studies curriculum, The Austin American-Statesman reported. Education professionals were appointed earlier this year by the Republican-majority school board to propose changes in social studies requirements for elementary, middle, and high school students, the report said. view article

Pastor David Sincere Jr. was recently honored by the Texas State Board of Education with the 2018 Heroes for Children Award in recognition for his service to the Fort Bend Independent School District. “Pastor Sincere is a valued community partner who is helping to make a positive difference in the lives of so many FBISD students,” Anthony Indelicato, FBISD assistant superintendent of school improvement said. “His commitment and genuine concern for children is apparent in all he does, whether behind the scenes or on the front line, and we couldn’t be more proud to partner with him.” view article

Suzanne Smith says she has tried to run a nonpartisan campaign in her low-profile bid for a place on the State Board of Education. But she stands to benefit from the current contentious political climate that might have Texas Democrats running to the polls.  Since January 2017, Smith’s campaign has blown through over $160,000 – just short of all other board candidates’ expenditures combined. With $26,000 left in the bank as early voting comes to an end, Smith could be the first Democrat seated in North Texas’ District 12 since it became an elected position in 1987. view article

It is time that we had a frank discussion about our public education system, Texas. By 2020, Texas is set to educate over 5.5 million students in the public K-12 education system, yet this great state ranks 40th in the nation when it comes to education outcomes. If you were to ask any student, parent, or teacher what they disliked about our education system, you would hear one response time and again: standardized testing. Despite the fact that standardized tests have been shown to exhibit a negative bias towards minority and disadvantaged populations, we have allowed standardized testing to become a cornerstone of Texas education. And as we have become more test-centric, we have also allowed the power of critical thought and practical knowledge to fall by the wayside. view article

History and social studies teachers in Texas schools must perform a daily quickstep if they want to keep up with rigorous curriculum standards that require them to educate children about high-priority topics and key historical figures.  The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards set the bar high, with third-graders expected to learn about "the purposes of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights" and "the basic structure and functions of various levels of government." view article

The Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees announced its choice for two construction managers at risk for upcoming construction projects.  The contractors could bid on one, two or three of the possible bond projects: the middle school, the high school multipurpose facility and the high school baseball/softball complex. Berry and Clay out of Rusk was awarded the bid for the middle school and the high school multipurpose facility.  “They’ve been in business for 41 years,” Torres said. “They’ve completed in the last few years 59 different projects with Goodwin-Lasiter-Strong. view article

The state of Texas will require schools to teach that “Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict” in the Mideast. The Texas Board of Education voted during a curriculum review last week to keep the controversial sentence in high school textbooks, used by approximately 5.4 million public-school children. The board is comprised of five Democratic members and 10 Republican members, implying that the decision was likely demonstrative of a shift towards a more right-wing educational program. view article

Hillary Clinton made history as the first-ever woman nominated by a major party for president, but whether she makes it into history lessons in Texas schools is up for debate. The Texas State Board of Education voted Friday to “streamline” the social studies curriculum in its public schools, including reconsidering which historical figures are considered required learning. Board members approved the removal of Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller, the deaf and blind woman who became a college graduate, author, and political activist, while keeping Biblical figure Moses in lessons on the founding of the US.    view article

After four years of battles over ethnic studies textbooks and courses in a state with a booming Latino population, state education officials gave final approval to adopt a Mexican-American studies course that can be taught statewide. Although the State Board of Education OK’d the course with no discussion at its board meeting Friday in Austin, the issue of teaching Texas students about the influence of Mexican-Americans has dominated much of the board’s discussion for more than four years. view article

Texas schoolchildren will still learn of the heroic "Victory or Death" letter penned by Lt. Col. William Barret Travis while besieged in the Alamo, under streamlined social studies curriculum standards given approval Friday by the State Board of Education to solicit public feedback.  The board rejected a proposal by an advisory group that suggested deleting the specific reference to the famous letter and deleting the word “heroic” when describing the Alamo heroes.  Instead the board unanimously voted to include this revised language to the seventh-grade Texas history standards: "Explain the issues surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, the siege of the Alamo, William B. Travis's letter 'To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World,' and the heroism of the diverse defenders who gave their lives there; the Constitutional Convention of 1836; Fannin's surrender at Goliad; and the Battle of San Jacinto." view article

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) performs a crucial role in reviewing the material taught in our public schools. Among all of the educational disciplines, our Texas history is among the most important to be taught to our children. History itself is full of ironies. I have the distinct honor to serve Senate District 18 in the Texas Senate, an area that encompasses the town where William Barrett Travis lived most of his life in Texas. view article

If the Committee of the Full Board does not complete its agenda Wednesday, it will resume its meeting in Room 1-104 on Thursday and/or Friday. If the Committee on Instruction does not complete its agenda Thursday, it will resume its meeting in Room 1-104 on Friday. If the Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund does not complete its agenda Thursday, it will resume its meeting in Room 1-100 on Friday. If the Committee on School Initiatives does not complete its agenda Thursday, it will resume its meeting in Room 1-111 on Friday.  view article

As a fight over Alamo Plaza’s physical layout rages in San Antonio, a new debate flared last week over how the historic siege of the Alamo will be characterized in classrooms around the state.  Amid the process of revising state social studies standards, the State Board of Education heard testimony in Austin Tuesday morning on proposed changes that would remove a reference to “heroic defenders” of the Alamo in seventh-grade Texas History curriculum. Another suggested change would strike a reference to William B. Travis’ famous letter that called for “victory or death.” view article

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott rallied his supporters on social media against the removal of defining Alamo defenders as "heroic" from social studies curriculum standards. This week, the State Board of Education tentatively voted to keep the language intact.  Seventh grade Texas social studies teachers will likely still be required to describe Alamo defenders in terms of their “heroism” and refer to William B. Travis’ letter “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World,” contrary to an initial recommendation of a board-appointed work group view article

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas education committee has backtracked on its recommendations to remove curriculumrequirements referencing Alamo fighters as “heroic” and a famous letter written during the siege. The Texas State Board of Education received hundreds of calls and emails after the committee of teachers, parents and business representatives recommended the changes this spring. The changes included removing the language “all the heroic defenders” from the state’s description of those who fought at the Alamo. view article

AUSTIN — The State Board of Education will hold a hearing today on whether the Texas social studies curriculum should drop the words “all the heroic defenders” from a description of those who fought at the Alamo, a proposal that has been rebuked by the governor and other top elected officials. view article

Heeding an outcry from conservatives, a working group nominated by the State Board of Education has backtracked on its recommendation to remove references to “heroic defenders” and a letter by William B. Travis from the Texas school curriculum on the Alamo. Stephen Cure, director of education with the Texas State Historical Association, said he and his colleagues on the working group did not intend to offend anyone by removing those references from the Alamo curriculum standard, which is taught in Texas middle schools. Instead, he said the working group thought the language was redundant because it would be impossible to teach the Alamo without referencing its defenders and the Travis letter. view article

Heroism abounded on the 1836 battlefield at the Alamo. Is “heroic” then a “value-charged” term that warrants deletion from the curriculum taught to Texas seventh graders — in relation to the Alamo defenders? Clearly not. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Alamo defenders fought to the death or were killed after capture. Whatever you make of the various motivations involved in the struggle, this is incontrovertible fact. The only “value” involved here is accuracy. view article

How “heroic” were the defenders who died at the Alamo?  That’s a question that the State Board of Education will likely take up during hearings next week, as it considers recommended changes to the state’s seventh-grade history curriculum standards.  And it’s one that’s drawn attention from top state lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who has encouraged Texans to call members of the SBOE and “stop political correctness” in how students are taught about the attack by Mexican troops. view article

Agendas:  September 11-14, 2018 view article

The proposed Long-Range Plan for Public Education, which calls for establishing educational goals that will impact the next generation of Texas public schoolchildren and educators, will be considered Tuesday by the State Board of Education’s Committee of the Full Board..  Four years in the making, this plan creates recommendations through the year 2030 in four broad categories.The goals of access and equity serve as the overarching vision of the proposed plan. Access and equity refers to funding, as well as access to advanced courses and modern technology. read more

Opening a new front in the seemingly endless battle over how to remember the Alamo, an advisory group of educators recommended eliminating the words “heroic defenders” from the standard that requires seventh-graders to learn about the 1836 siege in their Texas history classes. view article

A panel advising the Texas State Board of Education on curriculum is recommending that the word "heroic" be dropped from study materials that describe the defenders of the Alamo. The reason? Apparently, the panel believes that the word "heroic" is a "value-charged word." view article

A committee is recommending that the State Board of Education cut the word from the school curriculum standards because it is ‘value-charged.’  he concept of defenders of the Alamo being heroic is engrained in the history of this state—and in the psyche of most Texans. The Alamo has been compared to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, in which an outnumbered Greek army fended off a much larger Persian army for several days before being annihilated. But a committee streamlining the state’s history curriculum standards has removed the word “heroic” from a proposed revision of the curriculum because it is “a value-charged word.” view article

Fifteen volunteers who have collectively donated 223 years of service to Texas public schools will receive the Heroes for Children award Sept. 14 from the State Board of Education (SBOE).  One outstanding school volunteer is selected from each board district. The SBOE will recognize the honorees in a ceremony at 9 a.m. in Room 1-104 of the William B. Travis State Office Building, 1701 N. Congress Ave., in Austin. The board meeting and award ceremony will be broadcast online. view article

AUSTIN – State Board of Education Chair Donna Bahorich will participate in the Federal Commission on School Safety (FCSS) listening session in Montgomery, Alabama on Aug. 28. read more