After a decade of Howard Zinn-ified civics lessons infused with pieces of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project, Texas schools have had enough. Texas is bringing back traditional civics lessons, placing them at the core of its elementary education curriculum and ensuring educators are properly prepared. This fall, following America's 250th birthday, Texas elementary schools will implement a holistic, structured civics program centered on the nation's founding documents. The program is designed to be implemented across every aspect of classroom culture, from behavior to principles, beginning in Kindergarten and deepening as students advance.
Created by the Region 18 Education Service Center (ESC) in Midland, Texas, the program was born of both state law directives and a noticeable decline in students' proficiency in social studies and civics. Teacher training is a foundational aspect of the program, ensuring that the state directive is fulfilled and that students are instructed by well-informed, unbiased educators. Based on 12 defined civic ideas, the program's "building blocks" include natural rights, limited government, American exceptionalism, and more.
Program founder Dr. Dewitt Smith, Executive Director and CEO of the Region 18 Education Service Center, said he wants the program to produce "productive leaders who are virtuous and service-oriented," and a sense of "informed American patriotism." Smith said the curriculum is focused on a "close-guided study" of America's founding documents, not just a textbook summary. “Where do you get American patriotism? You get it by being informed through our source documents,” Smith said.
To build the program, the ESC received a state grant from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). From there, the center began producing materials for students, as well as the two-day teacher training model and online certification program. In February, the State Board of Education (SBOE) passed the curriculum, authorizing its implementation in the fall. SBOE Chairman Aaron Kinsey praised the program, saying, "The state’s new civics training program brings traditional values back to Texas classrooms and will help set our kids up for lifelong success. Its train-the-trainer model is highly scalable, and when it came before the board, I was excited to move forward with the SBOE’s approval," he said.
Even the teacher training seminar was designed to be proud and patriotic, as Smith described to the Permian Press. "I wanted to create a civic experience, because if we can create a civic experience, people will replicate what you model,” Smith said. “We draped it in patriotism," he said. The two-day, 12-hour training session is free for school districts, and teachers who attend the program outside their contract hours can even claim a $600 stipend. Just like the eventual students, teachers moved through lessons chronologically, reading the founding documents and engaging in interactive activities.
Beginning in Kindergarten, students read the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Texas Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights in chronological order to show cause and effect. For kindergarteners and young students, the documents are presented through stories, songs, and symbols. As students advance, studies include historical maps, voting mechanics, and state and local government. Judeo-Christian values, free enterprise, and media literacy are also focal points of the curriculum, serving as foundational values that have led the United States to prosperity.
The K-5 curriculum will kick off this fall, as the ESC continues working on secondary instruction for grades 6-12, which might include in-depth analyses of other critical founding documents. The secondary curriculum will be implemented next year, pending approval from the SBOE. As the culture war continues in public schools, Texas is leading the charge in taking back the education system. Preserving American exceptionalism starts by ensuring that even the youngest members of society understand and appreciate its founding principles.
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