"Texas Textbooks Update," Scrapbook, The Weekly Standard, issue of June 7, 2010

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/not-so-greasy-pole?page=2

Scrapbook: Texas Textbooks Update

Texas has been much in the news as it adopts new textbook standards reflecting a more conservative approach to numerous issues in American history. These include such ideologically freighted issues as the role of Christian belief in the founding of the American republic, the nature of the capitalist system in contrast with the failure of socialism, and the doctrine known as “American exceptionalism.”

If we may be immodest, one area of concern that has been neglected except in these pages (“What Johnny Needs to Learn About Islam,” -Stephen Schwartz, December 7, 2009) are the new standards for teaching about Islam, which ended up surprisingly good.


The final draft of the standards was released by the Texas Education Agency on April 15, for public comment before a final vote by the Texas State Board of Education. The second draft of the Texas standards clarified the relationship of Islamic fundamentalism and Palestinian terrorism, as Schwartz had recommended in his article last December. The final version reads as follows:

§113.42, World History Studies, (14), “History. The student understands the development of radical Islamic fundamentalism and the subsequent use of terrorism by some of its adherents. The student is expected to:


(A) summarize the development and impact of radical Islamic fundamentalism on events in the second half of the 20th century, including Palestinian terrorism and the growth of al Qaeda;


(B) explain the U.S. response to terrorism from September 11, 2001, to the present.”

In his capacity as executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, Schwartz attended the public hearing in Texas and testified in support of the proposed changes in standards, on May 19. We’re happy to report that the Texas State Board of Education voted to adopt the new standards two days later.