Texas Social Studies Standards Revision Process is a Trainwreck & it Connects to Colorado

March 2026

Texas is currently revising its State Social Studies Standards, and so far, it has been a constant battle against right-wing Christian indoctrination, AND interestingly, there are Colorado Connections.

Ideologically aligned Social Studies content advisors have provided feedback on the Texas Social Studies Standards, and wow, it is shocking. The Texas Social Studies advisors include David Randall, Director of Research at the National Association of Scholars and Executive Director of the Civics Alliance, and David Barton, whose book about Thomas Jefferson was removed by a Christian publisher due to concerns about its accuracy. Barton is a Woodland Park-based Truth & Liberty Coalition board member, an evangelical Christian political activist, author, and founder of WallBuilders; Jordan Adams is a current consultant for School Boards for Academic Excellence, a former Hillsdale employee, and founder of the education consulting business Vermilion LLC.

Take a listen…..

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Why is this concerning?

In 2022, David Randall, who is a Texas advisor and the Civics Alliance Executive Director, sought to have the Colorado State Board of Education adopt the American Birthright Social Studies Standards. The State Board of Education rejected the standards; however, the Woodland Park School Board adopted the Social Studies standards.

For several years, the Civics Alliance/National Association of Scholars has sought to have State Boards of Education adopt their American Birthright Social Studies standards. Currently, Tennessee and Nebraska have bills to adopt the National Association of Scholars/Civics Alliance’s History of Communism Standards, and Iowa has a bill that includes language borrowed from the conservative organization Civics Alliance. According to Iowa Public Radio, “The standards say that history classes would cover the “exceptional and praiseworthy” histories of the U.S. and Western civilization”.  

It is important to know that Colorado local school boards have significant local control over curriculum adoption. Parents in Woodland Park were caught off guard when their local school board passed a resolution to adopt the American Birthright Social Studies Standards, and the Garfield Re-2 community rallied against their adoption. Colorado has already witnessed an attempt to inject far-right-wing religious indoctrination into Social Studies Standards, and because Colorado school boards have local control over curriculum, it is imperative that parents stay involved in local school board decisions and understand that History instruction should be honest, accurate, inclusive, and tell the full story of America, not indoctrination.

Resources

• AHA Sends Letter to Tennessee Senate Committee Registering Concerns with History of Communism Education Bill
• AHA Social Studies Standards
• Christian Nationalism Is Writing Texas’s Social Studies Standards
• Critiques of the History of Communism Academic Standards
• Jordan Adams’ Road to Content Advisor for Texas Social Studies TEKS
• NCSS Statement on American Birthright: The Civics Alliance’s Model K-12 Social Studies Standards
• K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states
  • 2022 Colorado Code Title 22 – EducationArticle 2 – Department – Commissioner Part 4 – Facility Schools Unit § 22-2-406. Facility Schools Board Duties – Curriculum – Graduation Standards – Rules
• Telling Jefferson Lies Podcast

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