Texas Math Below National Standards

I have discussed on this blog several times in the past how the state of Texas is failing it's children in the education it offers them. Much of this failure can be laid at the doorstep of the State Board of Education which sets the standards that students must meet to be considered educated (at least through the high school level). While the board failed to replace real science with creationism completely, they did require a leaflet be issued with science books that denigrates evolution and puts forward the creationist argument.

More recently, the board has rewritten history and social studies to fit their own extreme right-wing views. They have done this to such an extent that some other states have passed laws insuring that textbooks written for Texas will not infect their own classrooms, and there is no way that Texas social studies standards could come up to the national standards.

Governor Rick Perry must share the blame for Texas' subpar educational system. He has turned down hundreds of millions of dollars for education because it would require Texas to meet national education standards. He wants Texas to determine it's own standards, even if they don't come up to the standards students in other states are expected to achieve. I must admit I really don't understand that view. What is so wrong about meeting national standards? Personally, I think the governor should be demanding that Texas students not only meet those standards, but exceed them.

Now we learn some more bad news about Texas education. The state's math curriculum does not come up to national standards either. In light of the new national standards, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute reviewed the educational standards of the states and found Texas wanting. They gave Texas standards a grade of C "saying they were minimal and lacked specificity." At least half of the states have adopted the national standard in math (and all other subjects), but Texas has not. They will go into the next school year with the subpar math standards.

The one bright spot in Texas education standards was in English and language arts, where the Institute gave Texas an A-, being one of only three states to actually exceed the national standards. But give the State Board of Education some time. Now that they know this I'm sure they'll find a way to screw it up.