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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Checking in a few days later to say that the Texas social studies standards revision has been the disaster anyone could have expected. Round up of coverage below: www.dallasnews.com/news/educati... www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202... www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

houstonchronicle.com

Live updates: Texas education board cuts required lessons on slavery, segregation

Follow along as Texas' State Board of Education votes this week to overhaul what the state's 5.5 million public school students learn in social studies classes.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

They have finally gotten to public testimony on Item #2, which is the social studies TEKS. You can rest assured that this will stretch for quite a few hours yet.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Still on Item #1, still taking testimony. Whew. The SBOE may get to the social studies TEKS today, but I will not be with them. Life carries on. I'll report back tomorrow on whatever they pass in the dark of night tonight.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Checking in and yes, we're still on testimony - not SBOE debate - on Item #1. Long, long week ahead for the people in that room and Texans who are bracing for whatever's about to come out of this elected body.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Currently, a teacher is testifying on the literary list, and is talking about how teacher retention is abysmal* and that she is not comfortable pushing Christianity on her students. *Feature, not a bug.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

But we can celebrate that people are still showing up and making thundering arguments for sensible, rational, and effective education. If you're reading this and you've testified in Texas or in other hostile environments to speak up for good education, you have my thanks and admiration.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

And I must emphasize: they are doing this to their constituents. They are actively making a calculation that whatever happens here, it will not affect their electoral career. This decidedly does not look like a healthy democracy.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

The degree to which Pickren and Hall, specifically, have whipped up racism & Islamophobia in this process, to the point that kids and moms in hijabs are being threatened by big men in the lobby before they testified (which happened last time, several times) is frightening.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Several board members are consistently hostile, mean, and condescending, sometimes badgering anyone who disagrees with them. It takes a lot of bravery to stand up for your ideals to folks who have made clear that if you were drowning, they would debate between throwing you a lifesaver or a rock.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

There's just no other state I've ever seen where there's this kind of national identity at the state level.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Listening to someone argue that there needs to be more Texas history. Texans' opinion of Texas has thoroughly elevated it to nation status. The allegiance people voice is to Texas first, then to the United States - and how Texas, specifically, should interpret its founding documents.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Checking in and, as expected, we're still talking the literary list. Did hear a Jewish testifier argue with Brandon Hall about why the translation of the text matters. Hall was proudly sticking up for Christian interpretations of Jewish scripture and the superlative nature of the King James version.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I'm having to do multiple things at once, so I won't be covering in the detail I've done previously. I will check in with highlights as this meeting drags on. Today is just the first day. Marathon, not a sprint.

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

It's going to be a very, very long week. You can follow along here. Over two hours in, and it appears they are still debating the first item, which is the equally controversial literary list, which is as ideological as the social studies revision. www.adminmonitor.com/tx/tea/commi...

adminmonitor.com

Admin Monitor - Texas - Texas Education Agency

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Whit @drwhit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Good morning, all. I'm back! Starting late for the blockbuster Texas SBOE meeting, during which we can expect the large majority of the board to continue jamming their enormous, costly, ill-advised, slapdash, Christian Nationalist social studies standards revision for 5.5 million kids in Texas.

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American Historical Association @historians.org · 29/04/2026

What do students miss when US history lessons stop at Vietnam? Join our State of the Field for Busy Teachers event on May 6 at 1:45 p.m. ET on teaching recent US history, from themes and sources to classroom strategies. With Gregory Daddis, Sage Gray, Mindy Lawrence, and Lee Vinsel. Register now.

historians.org

State of the Field for Busy Teachers: Post-1970s US History – AHA

State of the Field for Busy Teachers: Post-1970s US History AHA Learn Wednesday, May 6, 1:45–3 p.m. ET Secondary teachers interviewed and surveyed for the AHA's American Lesson Plan (2024) consistentl...

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American Historical Association @historians.org · 04/05/2026

Growing up in Germany, Katharina Matro “was confronted with my country’s history without mercy. It’s made me a more informed citizen, a more politically aware citizen, a more critical thinker.” #FreedomToLearn #HonestHistory

youtube.com

Teaching with Integrity: Confronting a Nation's Past

YouTube video by American Historical Association

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Reposted by Whit

American Historical Association @historians.org · 29/04/2026

The AHA has released a statement opposing the new Texas Tech University Course Content Guidelines, which prohibit content related to sexual orientation & gender identity in undergraduate courses, without defining these terms. Students deserve full and accurate histories. Read the statement:

historians.org

AHA Opposes Restrictions on Teaching and Learning at Texas Tech University - AHA

The AHA has released a statement strongly opposing the new Texas Tech University Course Content Guidelines. The guidelines impose a “strict prohibition” on content related to “Sexual Orientation and G...