Christianity is infused throughout proposed Texas public school lessons more than other world religions, according to a new Texas Freedom Network Education Fund report.
The state’s proposed instructional materials for elementary schoolers includes stories that lack religious balance, are at times inaccurate and appear to go out of its way to work the Bible into lessons, the examination found.
“The curriculum tends to promote Christianity over other religions and, in some cases, presents Biblical texts in a manner more appropriate for Sunday school than public schools,” said religious scholar David Brockman, of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Brockman reviewed the learning materials for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, which included the teacher guides and student readings.
The report comes days after a heated exchange among state legislators over the role of religion in Texas schools. They discussed whether the lessons could violate the idea of the separation of church and state during a House Public Education committee hearing.
State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, questioned Education Commissioner Mike Morath on the amount of Christian stories and how it could cause Jewish, Muslim or Hindu students to feel excluded.
“There is a difference between teaching and preaching,” the lawmaker, a former teacher, said.
One of his Republican counterparts pushed back, saying such lessons are what parents crave.
“The simple truth is that all world religions did not have an equal impact on why we’re here today,” state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, said. “I don’t think we should ever be ashamed of mentioning the name of Jesus in our curriculum, or shying away from the role of Christianity in developing this country.”
Texas Education Agency officials say that religious context can give students the ability to more deeply understand literary references and historical events.
“Religious source material is shared in the context of historical knowledge building and in a manner appropriate for a public-school setting, not to proselytize or present one religion as superior to another,” agency spokesman Jake Kobersky said in a statement Thursday.
The lessons are under review, and the agency is taking feedback.
“If someone suspects a lesson is factually inaccurate or biased, we encourage them to provide that feedback and cite why,” Kobersky said. “TEA is reviewing each bit of feedback received to ensure the materials are of highest quality and free from error or bias.”
Texas Freedom Network staff said it was important to probe the proposed lessons because instructional materials adopted in this state can have national implications.
“As we all know, what happens in Texas never stays in Texas,” said Emily Witt, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Brockman noted that the instructional materials whitewash the past.
“It consistently downplays what is — though it grieves me as a Christian to acknowledge — the well-documented history of Christians’ involvement in injustice and oppression,” he wrote in the report.
In a Thursday news conference, speakers tied the lesson plans to national politics and the way some conservative politicians are pushing for more religion in public schools. Recent examples include Texas legislation to allowing chaplains to work as counselors and a proposal to hang the 10 Commandments in all classrooms.
They emphasized that Ben Carson, the former Republican presidential candidate, is on the advisory board for these instructional resources.
Speakers urged the State Board of Education to reject the lesson plans when they vote on them in November.
Texas schools have latitude in selecting lesson plans and can source their materials from a range of publishers. Local districts would not be required to use the state’s product. However, if the state board gives the lessons its stamp of approval, districts could get a stipend for utilizing them.
Also Thursday, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, released a survey that found nearly two-thirds of Texans support the inclusion of historical religious stories in the state’s instructional materials.
The poll, taken in late July, surveyed 801 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3.5%.
“The survey also shows that Texans generally agree that religious texts or primary sources, such as the Bible and other religious texts, can help students better understand the development of Western civilization,” the group wrote in a news release.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
