Whit
@drwhit.bsky.social
Historian. Currently working in history education advocacy. Constantly searching for metaphors. Adaptation requires hope. Also @drwhit@historians.social.
TEA Trejo: Maynard is correct, the current TEKS represent a half year in Grade 8 and Grade 11.
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
TEA Trejo: Maynard is correct, the current TEKS represent a half year in Grade 8 and Grade 11.
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
From ALP (2024), the "US history in Grades 5, 8, and 11" is the national norm, and has been for over a century.
www.historians.org/teaching-lea...
Little is bringing up that this isn't actually a timeline or being taught chronologically.
Young: We got into a discussion about A.D. and B.C. Wanted to keep it A.D. and B.C.
Reveles: Key topics in grade 8/civil war - it's all green. Should we teach the CW only from Texas perspective?
Young: We got into a discussion about A.D. and B.C. Wanted to keep it A.D. and B.C.
Reveles: Key topics in grade 8/civil war - it's all green. Should we teach the CW only from Texas perspective?
November 20, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Little is bringing up that this isn't actually a timeline or being taught chronologically.
Young: We got into a discussion about A.D. and B.C. Wanted to keep it A.D. and B.C.
Reveles: Key topics in grade 8/civil war - it's all green. Should we teach the CW only from Texas perspective?
Young: We got into a discussion about A.D. and B.C. Wanted to keep it A.D. and B.C.
Reveles: Key topics in grade 8/civil war - it's all green. Should we teach the CW only from Texas perspective?
Here are the key topics for K-2 and then 3 through 8. Note how "pre history to world 500 AD" is essentially Western Civ.
November 20, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Here are the key topics for K-2 and then 3 through 8. Note how "pre history to world 500 AD" is essentially Western Civ.
Statutory requirements for Texas H/SS. It's more than you might think, if you're not in Texas. If you're in Texas, you're probably struggling to keep up with it.
November 20, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Statutory requirements for Texas H/SS. It's more than you might think, if you're not in Texas. If you're in Texas, you're probably struggling to keep up with it.
The previous meetings and the schedule for the process. Please note, the only thing the SBOE HAS to do is add history of communism standards. This compressed timeline to overhaul the entire standards is their own invention.
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 AM
The previous meetings and the schedule for the process. Please note, the only thing the SBOE HAS to do is add history of communism standards. This compressed timeline to overhaul the entire standards is their own invention.
The new sequence manages to get rid of all standalone Texas history while making Texas history the sum of world and US history. Take a look at the proposed course themes.
Converting percentages across grades 3-8 into years:
World history: 1.2 years
US history: 2.1 years
Texas history: 2.7 years.
Converting percentages across grades 3-8 into years:
World history: 1.2 years
US history: 2.1 years
Texas history: 2.7 years.
November 19, 2025 at 11:46 PM
The new sequence manages to get rid of all standalone Texas history while making Texas history the sum of world and US history. Take a look at the proposed course themes.
Converting percentages across grades 3-8 into years:
World history: 1.2 years
US history: 2.1 years
Texas history: 2.7 years.
Converting percentages across grades 3-8 into years:
World history: 1.2 years
US history: 2.1 years
Texas history: 2.7 years.
These documents are, so far, the only blueprint we have for what the new K-8 standards might look like. Before the board gets started, I want to emphasize - italics, underline, bold - a few key points about these standards.
November 19, 2025 at 11:46 PM
These documents are, so far, the only blueprint we have for what the new K-8 standards might look like. Before the board gets started, I want to emphasize - italics, underline, bold - a few key points about these standards.
Text of the statute (sorry that it's blurry - it's a screenshot of a powerpoint not in presentation mode on a live feed).
November 19, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Text of the statute (sorry that it's blurry - it's a screenshot of a powerpoint not in presentation mode on a live feed).
They are planning to train 10,000 teachers on civics. Teachers will be given a stipend for attending. We're already on to questions.
November 19, 2025 at 10:45 PM
They are planning to train 10,000 teachers on civics. Teachers will be given a stipend for attending. We're already on to questions.
I haven't been following the RLA conversation in Texas. Looks like it is in respond to HB 1605 (2023). First screenshot is from the bill, second from the TEA's HB 1605 FAQ page. It does appear that the book list will be required.
November 19, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I haven't been following the RLA conversation in Texas. Looks like it is in respond to HB 1605 (2023). First screenshot is from the bill, second from the TEA's HB 1605 FAQ page. It does appear that the book list will be required.
Another helpful timeline. IMRA stands for Instructional Materials Review and Approval, which is what sets the textbook list that districts can adopt. Note that the final implementation for H/SS instructional materials - based off of the current revision in progress - is 2030-2031.
November 19, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Another helpful timeline. IMRA stands for Instructional Materials Review and Approval, which is what sets the textbook list that districts can adopt. Note that the final implementation for H/SS instructional materials - based off of the current revision in progress - is 2030-2031.
Final number of titles on the list. Schedule coming up for "interdependent" processes happening concurrently. Note the social studies TEKS are scheduled to be adopted on June 26.
November 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Final number of titles on the list. Schedule coming up for "interdependent" processes happening concurrently. Note the social studies TEKS are scheduled to be adopted on June 26.
Word clouds of most often assigned works, K-5 and 6-12. Probably unsurprisingly, Elie Wiesel's Night seems to be far and away the most often assigned.
November 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Word clouds of most often assigned works, K-5 and 6-12. Probably unsurprisingly, Elie Wiesel's Night seems to be far and away the most often assigned.
Metro areas well represented in the survey. Note primary sources listed as a genre. Presenter noted that decreased # of works is expected due to the increase in complexity of the literary works assigned.
November 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Metro areas well represented in the survey. Note primary sources listed as a genre. Presenter noted that decreased # of works is expected due to the increase in complexity of the literary works assigned.
Influences on the comprehensive reading list. The presenter is currently going more in depth on the teacher survey.
November 19, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Influences on the comprehensive reading list. The presenter is currently going more in depth on the teacher survey.
The new K-8 sequence (unprecedented amongst standards in the US) will take a lot of investment, tens of millions, to implement. And yet, cost has not once entered the conversation. The commissioner dismissing funding levels is not going to ease these concerns.
I'll circle back to this image later.
I'll circle back to this image later.
November 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM
The new K-8 sequence (unprecedented amongst standards in the US) will take a lot of investment, tens of millions, to implement. And yet, cost has not once entered the conversation. The commissioner dismissing funding levels is not going to ease these concerns.
I'll circle back to this image later.
I'll circle back to this image later.
Meanwhile, taken from r/fednews. www.reddit.com/r/fednews/co...
January 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Meanwhile, taken from r/fednews. www.reddit.com/r/fednews/co...
The mood in the WFH office this morning.
January 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The mood in the WFH office this morning.
If the existence of a mandate depends on how you count it, then does it count as a mandate?
November 19, 2024 at 7:35 PM
If the existence of a mandate depends on how you count it, then does it count as a mandate?
I was curious as to why Jack Dorsey left and found this. www.businessinsider.com/jack-dorsey-... (paywall)
November 16, 2024 at 2:02 PM
I was curious as to why Jack Dorsey left and found this. www.businessinsider.com/jack-dorsey-... (paywall)
Sign up for your local CSA to get some food security for next year’s fruit and vegetable supply. Policy are going to streamline diets by making imported food more expensive (tariffs on imports, US producers raising prices w/ worker deportations, climate change and all 50 states being in drought).
November 15, 2024 at 5:18 PM
Sign up for your local CSA to get some food security for next year’s fruit and vegetable supply. Policy are going to streamline diets by making imported food more expensive (tariffs on imports, US producers raising prices w/ worker deportations, climate change and all 50 states being in drought).