Texas Textbooks Determine the Direction of the Nation, Part 1 - with Dr. Julie Pickren

A handful of votes in Austin can quietly shape what students read in classrooms across America and most families never hear about it until the books are already printed. We start with a hopeful cultural moment, America Reads the Bible, and talk about why public Scripture literacy still shows up in civic life, from shared language to the way laws and history are taught. We also look ahead to the 250th anniversary and the idea of a national rededication, echoing early American practices of prayer, fasting proclamations, and public thanksgiving.

Then we zoom in on one of the biggest leverage points in the country: the Texas State Board of Education. Because Texas and California drive textbook publishing, the social studies standards and TEKS decisions made in Texas can ripple nationwide for the next 10 to 15 years. David Barton explains why down ballot SBOE races can touch daily life more than people realize, and why the real divide is often conservative vs progressive rather than simply Republican vs Democrat.

Finally, we’re joined by Texas SBOE member Julie Pickering for an on-the-ground update from the latest hearings. She describes the public turnout, the media narrative battle, and the pressure campaigns that shape who gets heard in “public testimony.” Julie also walks through how Texas is rebuilding the social studies framework around primary source documents, a patriotic lens required in state law, and the context students need to understand terms that appear in modern law and culture. If you care about accurate history, civic education, and who influences curriculum, this conversation is your roadmap.

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