'Textbook War' Underway in Austin

Austin, TX - The battle over Texas textbooks is underway. Members of the State School Board are debating new standards. 

The standards being discussed Wednesday will not be voted on until May but several points of view were expressed before the meeting began.

A group of UT students marched to the meeting -- they are protesting what they consider to be an effort to insert conservative beliefs into the social studies and history standards.

"There is no reason to alter the history that actually happened, the Civil rights movement, eliminating people like Thurgood Marshall, Cesar Chavez, from what we are learning in schools," said Markose Butler, a UT student who participated in the march.

On the opposite side of the debate, there are those who believe there is an effort to waterdown history with they they perceive to be too much political correctness.

“I realize as time goes on, we are going to have to add people, events and so forth, I understand that,” said retired teacher Tommy Wood who spoke at a press conference outside the meeting. “I just want us to go slow, on who we remove and concepts we remove."

The process of setting standards for school textbooks is currently putting Texas in the national spot light. However, that may soon come to an end.

Members of the state school board, on Wednesday, discussed what should, and should not, be taught in social studies and history classes. The Texas review is watched nationally, because standards set here are often used in textbooks for other states.

New digital printing and publishing technology may soon change this controversial process. Representatives with publishing companies say the new technology will help give other states more say in the books they buy. According to T.E.A. spokesperson Debbie Ratcliffe, several publishing companies are already using computers to edit out Texas information for the textbooks they sell to other states.

"All the publishers provide CDs of the material, beside the hardback book, but we know more and more things are going to be electronic," said Ratcliffe.

Using the new technology will in turn ease the political pressure on the Texas review process. The state of Texas is also moving to use more electronic sources for textbooks. Members of the school board will talk about that on Thursday.

Wednesday’s hearing stretched well into the evening as the board members discussed more than 25 amendments to high school social studies standards.

The debated everything from which dating system to use, B.C. or B.C.E., to the terminology behind the Vietnam War. Some argued it was a “conflict.”

On Thursday the board will revisit any amendments still in question. They will also vote to approve the latest science and biology curriculum before the latest edition of the book goes to print.