Texas educators debate “new” curriculum

The inability of many Texas students to write and speak good English is like a dreadful disease requiring aggressive treatment, say some education advocates who want to use different teaching approaches. Social conservatives on the State Board of Education, influenced in part by a retired teacher, are backing a new curriculum that increases the focus on basics, including grammar.

They’ve met fierce resistance from teachers and educators who warn this emphasis will prepare students for the 1950s, not the 21st century, and embarrass Texas in the process. They fear the state’s proposed new standards for reading and English language arts contradict established research and will only make things worse. Read about the controversy in The Houston Chronicle online.