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November 9, 2004

As Texas textbook publishers go, so goes the nation

As the two largest purchasers of textbooks, it's long been a reality that Texas and California effectively have economic control of the textbook market in American public schools. Now, critics charge, Texas is initiating an effort to control the moral content as well.

Last week, the Texas Board of Education voted to approve the purchase of health textbooks after the publishers agreed to some revisions in the marriage section. Thinking that there might be confusion about what properly continues a marriage, the new marriage sections will define wedded bliss as a "lifelong union between a husband and a wife." And no longer will "partners" or "two people" marry, instead the books will read, "when a man and a woman marry."

At least one board member objected to the changes, telling the New York Times, "We're not supposed to make changes at somebody's whim. It's a political agenda, and we're not here to follow a political agenda." But another member of the board defended the changes saying, "I think [people] spoke on Election Day—even Oregon—they all have passed the Defense of Marriage Act. I think the country has spoken."

Less reported has been the fact that the Texas board also insisted that the sex education portions of the textbooks be changed to reflect an abstinence-only message. When contraception is mentioned at all, it is only in the teacher's editions of the books. This despite a recent report showing that young people who pledge abstinence are as likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease as students who do not, but they are less likely to know they've contracted a disease, and are therefore more likely to spread it.

New York University professor of education Diane Ravitch wrote a much noted (in education circles) book called "The Language Police" decrying the influence of culture warriors, from the left as much as from the right, in such decisions. Ravitch, who served in President George H.W. Bush's Department of Education, says the end result is textbooks that feature pretty graphics but deadly dull content. She calls for returning discretion over textbooks to the local level so two state boards don't end up making decisions for the whole nation's children.

This editorial from the Austin Statesman recites other instances of political correctness in Texas Board of Education deliberations. "Allowing values to trump facts undermines education," it says. "In the case of health textbooks, the damage can prove fatal if students believe they can take a nap to prevent AIDS."

Here's your chance to weigh in on this. Tell us what you think.

Posted November 9, 2004 12:00 AM