ACTION ITEM:  SBOE Meets Next Week

to consider new Social Studies TEKS

Sorry to be sending you TWO action items in two days, but things move fast around the TX Legislature.  Today, it's the State Board of Education.

The State Board of Education (SBOE) will be meeting every day next week in Austin.  One of the items on the agenda is consideration and action on a committee report for Social Studies TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) in K-12.  We need to remind our SBOE representatives that we expect TEKS and instructional material that will be a comprehensive model, taught in a chronological manner, to include:

• American Exceptionalism and Texas Greatness
• Dedicated instruction on Texas State History
• Promote love of country while encouraging honest reflection on trials and triumphs

There are three ways you can take action:

1)      Attend the SBOE meeting in Austin on Wednesday, Sept 10.  Either just be in the room to observe and lend support, or actually testify.

2)      Submit written testimony to the Board via the Board’s email link.

3)      Contact your own SBOE Board member and ask them to vote for responsible Social Studies TEKS that support critical thinking, comprehensive and chronological teaching of US and Texas history, and reflect the true history of Texas and America.

Here’s what you need to know:

1)      To testify in person:  you must register to testify in advance.  Registration is open from now until 5:00 pm on Friday Sept 5 (that's tomorrow!).  See instructions for public testimony at this link.  Read the rules, and then click the link at the bottom of the page that says: “I acknowledge that I have read the above instructions and procedures and am ready to proceed to registration.”  Then fill in the blanks on the form.  The agenda item for SS TEKS is Committee of the Full Board on Wed. Sept 10.  Testimony is limited to 2 minutes.

2)      To submit written testimony, send an email prior to Monday Sept 8 to [email protected].  Your submitted testimony will be distributed to all Board members.

3)      To contact your SBOE representative, use this link to Board members.  Click on your representative and you will see an email address, mailing address and phone number.  Don’t know which district you’re in?  Find out here.

Talking points:

·         Share why it matters to you personally

·         Emphasize the need to go deep on the principles and history that make Texas special

·         Highlight what students gain with a robust perspective

·         Keep it positive!  Talk about supporting Texas students, educators, and parents

·         Social Studies should take a comprehensive approach, not be simply repetitive, repeating the same things at different grade levels.

·         Stress importance of an 8^th grade year of Texas history in context to America and the world.  (some proposals do away with 8^th grade TX history)

Please do what you can to emphasize the importance of teaching Texas and American history to Texas students.  You can do one, two or all three of the suggested action items.  I think it’s particularly important to contact your SBOE representatives to let them know your thoughts.  But if possible, please testify either in person or via the email link.

Thanks for staying engaged!

Fran Rhodes, President