Texas adopts new high school social studies standards aimed at emphasizing Western civilization, American history 

Texas has adopted first-of-its-kind new high school history standards that supporters say will “restore American history, Western civilization and the principles of liberty to their proper place in the classroom.”

“For years, we have pushed against entrenched radical ideological opposition and a system hellbent on the critical analysis and destruction of our great nation,” Texas Public Policy Foundation Senior Fellow Mandy Drogin said in a statement supporting the standards. “This victory matters far beyond one curriculum or one state. It is about whether future generations will understand the civilization and nation they are tasked with preserving for their posterity.”

The new standards, approved by the Texas State Board of Education last week, make Texas the “first state in the nation to implement a classically inspired, comprehensive, and chronological approach to social studies,” the foundation added. The nation’s second-largest state has more than 5 million public school students.

The revised curricula, which follow similar K-8 changes earlier this year and will take effect beginning in 2030, weave Christianity and religious influence throughout world history, U.S. history, geography and government curricula, the Dallas Express reported.

Some observers see Texas’s approach as a potential template for other states: Mark Chancey, a professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University, told Education Week they could provide “a model for those with the same ideology in other states to look to for guidance.”

That dynamic echoes a broader pattern already playing out nationally, as a wave of legislation mandating Ten Commandments displays in classrooms has spread across several states in recent years, suggesting Texas’s curriculum changes could become another reference point in that larger movement.

Topics listed in the standards include Jesus, early Christianity and persecution of Christians, and biblical origins of American history. One section describes Mohammed’s “brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes” and taking of female slaves, while another section explicitly links “the rise of radical Islam” to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the outlet reported.

The updated standards “represent Texas’ commitment to rigorous learning, with a central emphasis on the foundations of Western Civilization and the values that shaped America’s and Texas’ founding,” Texas State Board of Education Chairman Aaron Kinsey said in a statement, noting the revisions took more than a year to complete. “Texas students will graduate with a solid understanding of our history, our republican form of government and our exceptional place in the world.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which describes itself as a Muslim civil rights group but was designated as a terrorist organization by Gov. Greg Abbott, opposes the new standards. In a statement, the group accused the state board of deciding to “single out and denigrate Islam” and “entirely erase Palestinian history.”

In addition to the social studies standards, the state board adopted new personal financial literacy standards, which Kinsey said will help students “understand the financial impact on their economic future under capitalism compared to socialism and communism.”

“There is no better way to teach a lesson than to make it personal, and financial outcomes vary greatly under these different economic models,” he added.