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Social studies is quite often a flashpoint for politics in the classroom. And I wanted to report on whether the state’s controversial new social studies standards influenced publishers’ decisions to submit textbooks and materials for approval.
First I had to get a closer look at the textbooks.
What I found is Oklahoma law gives any member of the public access to the same materials under review by the Textbook Committee. They’re on display across the state (at least one in each in congressional district) inside university libraries.
Here is a list of the locations.
The public can also share their comments with the committee, which plans to hold a public hearing Oct. 3, according to a calendar on their webpage. Members of the public wishing to comment at the hearing should contact the committee by Sept. 12 and include a typed summary of the comments they wish to make.
The 13-member committee includes teachers from around the state who are appointed by the governor. The state superintendent or his designee, in this case, former board of education member Kendra Wesson, chair the committee.
My latest story, Textbook Publishers Reveal How They Incorporated Controversial New Standards, delves into the details of how the textbooks handle Bible stories, the 2020 elections, and more.
Questions, comments, story ideas? Please reach out via email.
— Jennifer Palmer
Recommended Reading
- Students in Oklahoma experience housing instability at a higher percentage than the national average. That contributes to the state’s chronic absenteeism rates, with evictions being linked to a decrease in school attendance.[Oklahoma Watch]
- A senior official’s resignation letter that the Oklahoma State Department of Education has fought to keep secret raises concerns of “fundamental operational issues” at the agency. [Oklahoma Voice]
- The White House intends to send Capitol Hill a second request to claw back congressionally-approved funding — this time targeting the Department of Education, according to a White House aide granted anonymity to share plans not yet made public. [Politico]
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