AUSTIN - The State Board of Education got an earful Wednesday.
State representative Norma Chávez (D-El Paso) was among 20 people who came to Wednesday’s board meeting to address support or opposition to proposed changes to the Texas social studies curriculum, known as the social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Board members are scheduled to take their first vote on the new curriculum in January. The standards chosen at that time will stay in place for a decade.
Chávez told the board about her discontent with the lack of Latino representation in the historical figures draft of the social studies curriculum. The draft includes deletions of some historical figures and the addition of others for each grade level.
“Eight thousand plus letters were presented to this board from (Hispanic state legislators and U.S. Congressmen) and, unfortunately, today in the Oct. 17, 2009 draft, César Chávez is only listed in the fifth grade (as a not required but optional figure),” Norma Chávez said. “This is no longer about César Chávez. It’s about the entire Hispanic community in Texas.”
Rep. Chávez pointed out that of the 162 historical figures found throughout the entire list for K-12, 16 are of a Latino background.
Of the 23 figures required in the TEKS for the high school level world history class, none are Hispanic, she said. Latino figures are also absent from the government class TEKS.
Chávez noted that Henry B. Gonzales, a San Antonio native and the first Hispanic elected to the U.S. Congress, is not included in government or any of the other TEKS.
“It is my intention to ask the appropriations committee that I’m on to review this agency,” Chávez said.
Board member Patricia Hardy (R-Weatherford) took issue with Chávez’s remarks.
“When people review this material, they don’t (in the legislature) have a good idea of pedagogy,” she said. “You guys sound like, since 40 percent of our population is Hispanic, then 40 percent of historical figures should be. I feel that to be revisionist.”
Hardy said some figures have to be replaced as new ones are introduced, to which Chávez responded, “They replaced history?”
“This is not revisionist history. We are not asking you to make 40 percent of the historical figures Hispanic, but you are not accurately reflecting the history of this state,” Chávez said. “You, as a board member, put Moses in government.”
“It’s Mosaic Law,” Hardy responded.
Board member Mary Helen Berlanga (D-Corpus Christi) agreed with the sentiments of state representative Chávez.
“When Stephen F. Austin came to Texas, there were people, Tejanos, here already to help him,” she said.
The standards put into place will dictate not just the standards for history and social studies for all grade levels, but will influence the writing of new textbooks, as well as end-of-course exams.
The State Board of Education will continue to meet today and Friday in the William B. Travis Building, 1701 N. Congress Ave. in Austin.
