Houston ISD Slavery Lesson Controversy

Overview

• A lesson plan in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) asked seventh graders whether slavery should be legal in Texas, focusing on the historical context of the 1836 Texas Constitutional Convention.
• The lesson was criticized for not meeting curriculum quality standards and will be replaced.

Lesson Details

• Students were asked to imagine themselves as delegates at the 1836 Texas Constitutional Convention and consider three issues, including slavery.
• Options given for the slavery question:
  • Allow slavery to satisfy slaveholders.
  • Outlaw slavery as it is immoral and cruel.
  • Allow slavery for 20 more years to give slaveholders time to prepare.
• The lesson was part of the district's centrally created curriculum, required for 85 schools.

Reactions

• Former trustee Kathy Blueford-Daniels, representing predominantly Black schools, criticized the lesson as harmful, especially for Black students.
• Union president Jackie Anderson called the lesson "demeaning" and an example of disempowering reform efforts.
• Criticism also focused on the difference in educational resources between predominantly Black and brown schools versus other areas.

Curriculum and Reform Context

• HISD's New Education System, led by Superintendent Mike Miles, aims for turnaround efforts and includes centrally created curriculum.
• Plans to expand the system to 26 additional campuses next year, eventually covering over half the district.

Legal and Historical Context

• Texas law prohibits teaching that slavery was a founding principle of the U.S., as per the 2021 legislative ban.
• The law mandates understanding of "the history of white supremacy," including slavery, as morally wrong.

Further Developments

• Superintendent Miles and the district responded by stating the lesson doesn’t meet standards and will be replaced.
• The controversy brings into focus ongoing debates over how the history of slavery and racism should be taught in schools.

Related Concerns

• Anderson called for a halt in the expansion of the New Education System until the curriculum quality is reviewed and improved.
• Historical teaching methods around slavery continue to be a contentious issue in Texas educational policy.