Mandatory reading list one step closer to being used in Texas classrooms
Click play to listen to this article.
Texas educators are reacting after the State Board of Education gave preliminary approval to a mandatory school reading list created by the Texas Education Agency. Books on the list will be taught in classrooms from kindergarten through the 12th grade starting in 2030.
Kelsey Kling, government relations specialists and policy analyst for the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said the list takes control away from local school districts and teachers.
"Having any sort of state-mandated reading list really goes against what we know teachers value in their classrooms," Kling said, "and what we think communities value about being able to conduct the education of the children in their community."
The TEA says it used suggestions from roughly 5,700 teachers to create the list of approximately 200 titles. A final vote on the list is scheduled for June.
This is the first time a mandatory reading list has been created for teachers. Kling said educators and community members are concerned that the list lacks diversity, underrepresents women and contains several Biblical passages, including "David and Goliath" and the "Parable of the Prodigal Son."
"You certainly butt up against our separation of church and state concerns, parents' rights to direct the religious instruction of their students, the inclusivity to learn about the other rich religious traditions that have guided the formation of this country," Kling said.
Kling said information from books on the list will be included on standardized tests and the books will be housed in school libraries.
"This is a real constriction, a real narrowing of what is considered good literature and what students will even have access to in our schools," Kling said. "And I think that's something that should be deeply troubling to every parent, regardless of how you feel about any specific title."
