The board is taking up the final reading of the new high school history standards this week.
The Monday press conference comes as members of the state board prepare to amend and give final approval of the new high school Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills social studies standards, which were postponed following the passage of the elementary and middle school TEKS during the June board meeting.  The high school TEKS are divided into five separate subchapters—U.S. History, Government, Geography, World History, and Personal Financial Literacy.  Pickren told attendees that the Declaration of Independence recognizes that our rights come “from our Creator” and that to erase this from history is not neutrality, but historical revisionism.  “Our schools must never become laboratories for political indoctrination, teach students what Marxism and communism actually produced: the destruction of private property, the destruction of economic freedom, and the destruction of individual liberty, and the death of millions of people under totalitarian regimes,” said Pickren. view article

In political campaigns and the party’s platform, Texas Republicans condemn “sharia law” as a dangerous system of extremist Islamic rules and restrictions that threaten democracy, religious freedom and personal liberty — an affront to American values that must be stamped out.  But when Shaimaa Zayan considers what “sharia” means to her, the Austin resident doesn’t see a hot-button political issue or a legal code that undermines the U.S. Constitution. She sees a set of daily practices that gradually lead Muslims like her closer to Paradise. view article

The board is taking up the final reading of the new high school history standards this week.
State Board of Education Members Julie Pickren and Brandon Hall are urging the complete rejection of attempts to rewrite history, specifically the exclusion of how the Bible influenced both the values and founding of America and Texas.  The Monday press conference comes as members of the state board prepare to amend and give final approval of the new high school Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills social studies standards, which were postponed following the passage of the elementary and middle school TEKS during the June board meeting.  The high school TEKS are divided into five separate subchapters—U.S. History, Government, Geography, World History, and Personal Financial Literacy.  Pickren told attendees that the Declaration of Independence recognizes that our rights come “from our Creator” and that to erase this from history is not neutrality, but historical revisionism. view article

Kay Granger, the first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and who served for nearly three decades, has died view article

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) today announced the resignation of Houston ISD School Board Member Michelle Cruz Arnold following three years of dedicated service to the district and community.   read more

The State Board of Education approved the reading lists and K-8 social studies changes after months of debates.  Texas will require Bible stories in public schools after the State Board of Education approved a mandatory reading list Friday alongside a rewrite of K-8 social studies lessons that minimize racial, geographic and cultural diversity.  The Republican-led board passed the mandated Christian stories in public school lessons on a 9-4 vote along party lines, with two members not present for the vote.  view article

Thousands of corrections — from typos to copyright concerns — are needed in state-produced reading and math materials used by hundreds of public schools.  The Texas Education Agency must spend up to $8.4 million in taxpayer money to correct thousands of errors in learning materials that drew national scrutiny for their inclusion of Bible stories.  That funding will pay for printing and shipping new materials as well as disposing of the current batch, according to a contract provided to The Texas Tribune by Pam Little, a Republican State Board of Education member. Texans must cover the cost of roughly 4,200 corrections to Bluebonnet Learning because agency officials developed it using state funding. view article

Rising demand for Texas natural gas by data centers and foreign nations has sparked a surge in pipeline projects view article

The State Board of Education will hold a final vote Friday on incorporating more Christian stories into classrooms and deemphasizing race and cultural diversity in history lessons. view article

Until now, cattle were believed to be the main screwworm carriers. Investigations continue.Until now, cattle were believed to be the main screwworm carriers. Investigations continue.  McALLEN — As the New World screwworm continues to infiltrate livestock and other animals in Texas, many have been asking how the parasitic fly landed here to begin with.  Last week, the Texas Animal Health Commission identified a potential cause: small wildlife and rodents like armadillos, opossums and rabbits. view article

AUSTIN, Texas(AP) — The Texas education board will vote Friday on a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms. The proposal in Texas — which would mandate literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside parables from the New Testament — has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. view article

Dozens of speakers called on the Texas State Board of Education to move forward with a set of revised social studies standards during testimony that began Monday afternoon and stretched well into the night. Dozens more asked the board to amend the standards to give more attention to certain cultures or chapters in history.  Monday's meeting represented the last opportunity for the public to weigh in on the standards before the board takes them up for a final vote. More than 250 people signed up to give public testimony on the issue. Board members are expected to discuss proposed amendments in the coming days before taking a final vote on Friday. view article

Texas public school enrollment has declined as the state expanded public education offerings beyond traditional school districts to charter campuses and private school vouchers. Families have more schooling choices than ever, and the state's five largest school districts aren't immune to the changes. view article

The chosen readings, to be voted on soon by the State Board of Education, draw heavily from Christian perspectives.The State Board of Education is preparing to vote next week on requiring Texas schoolchildren to read about a dozen Bible passages and religious stories, stepping into the long-running debate over religion’s — and specifically Christianity’s — place in the public school classroom.    A detailed look at the religious excerpts, part of about 200 passages that could become required reading in kindergarten through high school, shows a reliance on Christian perspectives without clear guidance on how to place the stories in historical or devotional context.  The new curriculum would have students as young as 6 interact with biblical stories titled “Noah’s Ark,” “David and Goliath” — meant to be read aloud from picture books — and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” in their English classes. Daniel’s story is to be supplied by the Christian Broadcasting Network, a media company founded by televangelist Pat Robertson in the 1960s. view article

Texas may change how your child understands biology when taught in a public high school classroom. The Texas' Board of Education tentatively approved changes to portions of the states Biology curriculum. Instead of asking Texas public school students to “evaluate” scientific explanations for the origins of DNA and the complexity of certain cells, the state will now ask that the students "examine" the scientific explanations for the origins of DNA and complexity of certain cells. In the past, some educators have argued that the word "evaluate" encouraged students to challenge the scientific theory of evolution and opened the door to teaching creationism. view article

The Georgetown Board of Trustees has hired Fred Brent as the district's newest superintendent. view article