Texas Mulls Curriculum That Cuts Helen Keller, Keeps Moses
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Board of Education is discussing changes to the history curriculum that could scrap lessons featuring Hillary Clinton, Helen Keller and Barry Goldwater, but keep instruction about how Moses influenced the nation's Founding Fathers and the ways states' rights helped cause the Civil War.
The Republican-controlled board is hearing from students, teachers, activists and academic experts who are defending or decrying proposed edits meant to streamline academic standards for history.
A vote is scheduled for Tuesday, with final approval coming Friday.
Texas has around 5.4 million students, more than any state but California.
Though teaching board-approved lessons isn't mandatory, its sanctioned curriculum can affect what's published in textbooks. And Texas is a large enough market that the state curriculum sometimes influences what's published in materials used elsewhere.
