Standing Up to Experts: The Politics of Public Education

• Main Author: Thurman, Scott
• Other Authors: Levin, Ben
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Texas 2010
• Subjects: Evolution; politics; education
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67944/

In a small room in Austin, Texas, a group of 15 people are single-handedly deciding what is taught to the next generation of American children. The highly politicized 15 member Texas Board of Education is currently going through the once-in-a-decade process of rewriting the teaching and textbook standards for its nearly 5 million schoolchildren. Texas is also unbelievably influential on the standards that textbook publishers use as a basis for their textbooks nationwide. Over the last 10 years, the textbooks adopted by this board found their way in upwards of 65% of American classrooms. My goal is to shed light on this important issue and the key players in this process - I explain their goals, explore the scope of their influence, and delve into the personal motivations behind their actions, which will affect public education throughout the country.