Our Values

Politics, religion and education - a volatile mix on the Texas school board

By Wayne Baker AnnArbor.com Community Contributor

Posted on Mon, May 24, 2010 : 12:09 p.m.

Photo by flickr user J. Stephen Conn

After months of ideological debate, social conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education won several changes to social studies curricula, according to news media like CNN. Is it another skirmish in the Culture War? Or a local tempest in a teapot?

The state board made hundreds of revisions to the curricula in history and social studies, many at the last minute.

One change has to do with the principle of the separation of church and state. Students will be compelled to read the First Amendment and compare its language with judicial writings on the topic.

Here’s another one: BC and AD will be used to date eras, retaining the traditional acronyms for “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini.” The state board rejected the use of BCE and CE as too secular.

What do you think of the changes so far in Texas? This week at Our Values, we’ll discuss changes like these made by politicians rewriting history and social studies.

Read more and join the conversation here about the new Texas State Board of Education standards and their national impact.

Dr. Wayne E. Baker is a sociologist on the senior faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He specializes in researching the core beliefs and desires that motivate and shape American culture. Occasionally, Dr. Baker will share with AnnArbor.com readers a series of faith-related discussions from his blog, Our Values. He can be reached at ourvaluesproject@gmail.com