Texas’ New Mandatory Reading List K-6

Good morning, afternoon, or whenever you read this. My state is once again failing Texas students. This conflict of curriculum set by the State Board of Education has been ongoing. It has officially passed, meaning that, barring some kind of intervention, this will be in public classrooms with a target date of 2030. There are two major changes: the mandatory reading list by grade level and the K-12 Social Studies TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). I plan to write about both, but my topic for today is the mandatory reading list. You can check out the official documentation here (which is still being updated) or check out the Houston Chronicle’s list here. The deliberations took hours, with supporters for the changes claiming the new mandatory reading list projects Texas and American exceptionalism, will keep American children from hating America, and promote a shared culture. Opponents claim the mandatory reading list and new TEKS severely reduce diversity in terms of race,…