The core process of reviewing and approving school textbooks, typically an administrative task, has attracted the attention of education experts, publisher executives, and state bureaucrats.
But in Florida, textbooks have become hot politics as part of a campaign against what Gov. Ron DeSantis describes as “woke indoctrination” in public schools, especially when it comes to race and gender. Last year, his administration made headlines when it rejected dozens of math textbooks due to “prohibited subject matter.”
The state is currently reviewing the social studies curriculum, perhaps the most controversial subject in education.
In recent months, as part of the review process, a small army of state experts, teachers, parents, and political activists have scrutinized thousands of pages of text, evaluating not only the academic content but also the following: I flagged anything that could be a hint. , in Critical Race Theory.
A prominent conservative education group, whose members volunteer to proofread textbooks, opposed many of the textbooks and accused publishers of “reinforcing bigotry.” At least two publishers refused to participate outright.
And in a sign of how dangerous the political climate has become, some publishers softened or removed references to race in Rosa Parks’ Even stories created multiple versions of social studies materials.
“Typically, state adoption is a very tedious process that very few people are interested in, but the stakes are so high that a lot of people are paying attention to this,” said former publishing executive and current said education consultant Jeff Livingston. .
It is unclear which social studies textbooks will be approved in Florida or how the selected materials will address historical racial issues. The state is expected to announce textbook decisions in the coming weeks.
The Florida Department of Education, which mandates the teaching of Black history, emphasized that requirements have recently been expanded to include ensuring students understand “the impact of prejudice, racism, and stereotypes on individual freedom.”
But Mr. DeSantis, a leading Republican candidate for president in 2024, also last year announced a “Stop” law banning instruction that forces students to feel responsible, guilty, or distressed for past actions committed by other members of their race. signed into law known as the Walk Act. There are restrictions such as
The state’s guidelines for evaluating textbooks cover “critical race theory.” This is graduate-level academic theory that rarely appears in lower grades, but has become a catchall for some conservatives. And “social-emotional learning,” an approach that helps students develop a positive mindset, is considered unrelated to core academics by the DeSantis administration.
Florida, along with California and Texas, is a major market for school textbook publishing, a $4.8 billion industry.
More than a dozen states approve textbooks, rather than leaving decisions solely up to local school districts. Every few years, the state of Florida reviews textbooks for certain subjects and releases a list from which school districts can choose. (Districts also have the discretion to select their own materials.)
Because national recognition can be lucrative, publishers have often quietly catered to their largest markets, tailoring content to local needs and political leanings.
Publishers and politics
The conservative group Citizens United of Florida is calling on the state to reject 28 of 38 textbooks proofread by volunteers, including more than a dozen from major national publisher McGraw-Hill. ing.
The coalition’s co-founders served as members of DeSantis’ education advisory team when he became governor, and the coalition’s co-founders served as members of DeSantis’ education advisory team when he became governor. He has helped lead widespread efforts to remove books. We trained dozens of volunteers to proofread social studies textbooks.
In a summary of its findings submitted to the state last month, the group complained that McGraw-Hill’s fifth-grade textbook, for example, mentions slavery 189 times in just a few chapters. Another counterargument: 8th grade books pay too much attention to the “negative aspects” of the treatment of Native Americans, while not enough attention to violent acts by Native Americans themselves, such as the Jamestown Massacre of 1622. No explanation given. Killed over 300 British settlers.
McGraw-Hill said in a statement that it is awaiting word on the approval. “We look forward to supporting Florida’s educators and students as we have for decades,” the company said in a statement.
The Citizens United of Florida is asking the state to add to the curriculum of Hillsdale College, a small Christian school in Michigan that is active in conservative politics.
Hillsdale has drawn praise from the DeSantis administration, but its primary source-heavy K-12 history and civics materials are intended to guide teachers, not textbooks for students. The curriculum was not included in Florida’s official review, and the state does not comment on the group’s recommendations.
Of the approximately 20 publishers that applied in Florida, one major company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), was not on the list.
HMH, which won approval for social studies textbooks in Florida’s last state review six years ago, cited “forbidden subject matter” such as critical race theory and social-emotional learning and other unilateral strategies. was one of the publishers whose mathematics textbooks were initially rejected last year. (The textbook was later approved after what HMH described as minor revisions.)
The company said in a statement that it will not compete in Florida this year to “first prioritize business,” and that the rejection of math textbooks and Florida’s racial laws were not factors in its decision.
“For competitive reasons, we do not share our strategic decision-making processes,” the company said.
But the company is pursuing social studies bids in other states, including South Carolina, North Carolina and New Mexico.
Another previously approved publisher, Discovery Education, also chose not to participate this year. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
Edited by a publisher: Rosa Parks
In an effort to meet Florida’s needs, at least one publisher made significant changes to the material, retreating or omitting references to race even in the telling of Rosa Parks’ story.
The publisher, Studies Weekly, primarily targets young students with an emphasis on science and social studies, and its curriculum (short lessons in weekly booklets) is used in 45,000 schools across the United States. According to the company’s website. Its social studies materials are currently being used in elementary schools in Florida.
The New York Times published three versions of the company’s Rosa Parks story for first-graders: the current lesson currently used in Florida, the first version created for the state’s textbook review; Compare updated versions of.
Some of the materials were provided by the Florida Freedom to Re Project, a progressive parent group fighting the book ban movement in Florida, and confirmed by the Times.
Current lessons on Rosa Parks clearly explain racism. “The law stated that African Americans had to give up their seats on the bus if a white person wanted one.”
However, the first version created for textbook certification indirectly mentions race.
“He was asked to move to a different seat because of the color of his skin,” the school said.
There is no mention of race in the updated version.
“She was asked to move to another seat,” the class said, but there was no explanation of racial segregation.
It is unclear which new version was officially submitted for review. The second version, which makes no mention of race, was available on the publisher’s website until last week.
Studies Weekly made similar changes to its fourth-grade class on racial segregation laws that arose after the Civil War.
In the first version for textbook certification, the text always referred to African Americans and explained how they were affected by the law. The second version removes almost all direct references to race, saying it is illegal for “men of certain groups” to be unemployed and that “people of certain groups” serve on juries. It is said that it is not possible.
Due to these changes, it is unclear whether Studies Weekly is an outlier or whether other publishers may have also restricted their material availability.
The Florida Department of Education suggested that Studies Weekly went too far. “Publishers who avoid the topic of race when teaching about the civil rights movement, slavery, racism, etc. are not complying with Florida law,” the department said in a statement.
But Studies Weekly said it is trying to follow Florida standards, including stop-walk laws.
“All publishers are expected to design their curriculum around these requirements,” the company’s CEO John McCurdy said in an email.
The company’s curriculum is no longer considered by the state.
In response to questions from the Times, the company last week said it had removed a stripped-down version of the second edition of the curriculum from its website and withdrew from state review.
The Florida Department of Education said it had already rejected the publisher, citing bureaucratic lapses in the company’s filing.
The company may continue to try to win support from districts in Florida. We are now back to the first version of the new curriculum. Rosa Parks was asked to move her seat “because of the color of her skin,” it said.
audio creator kate winslet.