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Our Vision

The members of the Teach the Truth coalition believe that students across the state of Texas deserve an accurate, honest, and quality education that allows them to see themselves represented, to access truthful information, and to learn from our past in order to build a better future for themselves and our country. Together, we will ensure that the voices of our communities and not politicians drive education policy.

Join Our Movement to Teach the Truth

Upcoming Events & Actions

Pledge to testify at upcoming SBOE meetings

Sign up to learn more about all upcoming Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) meetings where testimony is needed.


Advocacy Trainings Available on Demand

TX SBOE 101: Who Decides What Textbooks Are Taught In Classrooms? (June 2022)

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How to Testify at the SBOE (August 2022)

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Is there something going on in your community that you’d like to report?

Report Book Banning & Educational Censorship

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this campaign about?

Across the country, there have been efforts to censor classroom lessons and ban books from schools and libraries, many of them about the experiences of people of color and LGBTQIA+ people. Texas hasn’t been immune. The Teach the Truth campaign is a coalition response to education censorship efforts in Texas. It seeks to ensure students receive a truthful education and access to books that reflect the diversity of our state and country.

Where are these things – book bans and censorship efforts – happening?

Efforts to censor history and diverse experiences are happening at various levels.

The Texas Legislature passed a bill in 2021 that limits the discussions of current events, as well as the truthful teaching of our country’s troubled history of racism and discrimination. In 2023, they took their censorship further with HB 900, a controversial law that sought to completely ban or restrict materials in public school libraries by creating a vague and undefined rating system that would target LGBTQIA+ books and history. Thankfully, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked parts of HB 900 in January 2024 — but confusion and litigation continues.

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) decides what every student in Texas public schools will learn from kindergarten through high school by adopting curriculum standards and textbooks for public schools in the state. For decades, far-right politicians on the SBOE and their extremist allies have taken advantage of this flawed system to dismiss the advice of experts and scholars. They have instead worked to inject their personal views into textbooks on everything from evolution and climate change to the history of slavery, civil rights, and separation of church and state.

So are you saying that ANYTHING should be taught in schools?

Not at all. But we believe that Texans want education to be a community endeavor, one in which what we teach in our schools and what books sit on the shelves is decided through an orderly process and with input that is representative of the state and our local communities. Unfortunately, far too often, it is self-serving politicians and ill-intentioned activist groups trying to scare parents who are attempting to dictate the content of books and classroom lessons.

How can we get involved?

You probably already know this: Texas is pretty big! The best thing you can do is get involved at the local level, at your district’s school board meetings and city hall. In some cases, we might be able to help. See an issue in your community? Tell us about it by joining our campaign and letting us know what’s going on where you live. Whether it’s hosting an educational meeting with concerned parents and other community members, or working with your neighbors and others to engage in grassroots lobbying of school board members to pass an affirmative resolution to teach the truth in our schools, we can likely find a way to support you in your efforts.

What is the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), and what does it have to do with educational censorship?

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) is a 15-member board that decides what every student in Texas public schools will learn from kindergarten through high school by adopting curriculum standards and textbooks for public schools in the state. In short, the SBOE decides what is — and isn’t — taught in our public schools. This is a massive responsibility.

The SBOE is meant to create curricula that teach the truth and serve the needs of all Texas students. Instead, for decades, far-right politicians on the SBOE and their extremist allies have taken advantage of the flawed system to dismiss the advice of experts and scholars. They have worked to inject their personal views into textbooks and curricula on everything from evolution and climate change to the history of slavery, civil rights, and separation of church and state.

The SBOE’s decisions don’t just affect Texas, by the way. Texas is one of the largest markets for textbooks. Major national publishers will create textbooks based on our standards and revisions. Other states will then purchase those textbooks, which means students across the country will receive an education that was not decided by their own state or school district, but by the far-right Texas SBOE.

Who is organizing the Teach the Truth campaign?

Across the country, there have been efforts to censor classroom lessons and ban books from schools and libraries, many of them about the experiences of people of color and LGBTQIA+ people. Texas hasn’t been immune. The Teach the Truth campaign is a coalition response to education censorship efforts in Texas. It seeks to ensure students receive a truthful education and access to books that reflect the diversity of our state and country.

Teach the Truth Talks

Public Education Reports

From the National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund

How Proposed Science Textbooks in Texas Address Climate Change & Evolution
August 2023

Texas has a long history of political battles over what schools can and can’t teach about climate change and evolution, even though teaching on on these proven topics shouldn’t be up for debate at all.

We worked with a panel of expert scientists and educators to evaluate how well the textbooks submitted to the SBOE for review address these important topics.

How State Public School Science Standards Address Climate Change
October 2020

Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, political debate over the reality of climate change and human responsibility for it rages on. To what extent are public schools helping students understand what is happening and preparing them to responsibly engage in civic deliberation on the problem and possible solutions?

We engaged in a comparative study of how each state’s science standards address climate change.

Read More About Teach the Truth

Visit our blog to learn more about our current and past work to ensure schools #TeachTheTruth:

PragerU Kids Is Twisting Black History One Video at a Time

Content warning: This blog discusses historical racial violence. If you keep up with public education, you’ve probably heard of PragerU by now. Maybe you even followed the controversy when far-right State Board of Education (SBOE) member Julie Pickren falsely claimed it was coming to Texas classrooms last year. Let’s get it straight: PragerU is not…

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Right-Wing SBOE Member Julie Pickren Attempts to Politicize Texas Classrooms Through Announcement with Controversial Vendor PragerU

Julie Pickren yesterday claimed in a video that materials from PragerU, a controversial vendor already introduced in Florida public schools, will soon be available in Texas schools. Board members have not yet met to discuss the adoption of educational materials, nor have parents, students, or educators had the opportunity to testify publicly on the matter.

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REPORT: Proposed Textbooks Could Help Texas Students Learn More About Climate Change

Texas State Board of Education, a Notorious Hotbed of Anti-Science Politics, Will Vote This Fall on Which Textbooks to Adopt for Public Schools  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 22, 2023Contact:Emily Witt, Texas Freedom Network (TFN), [email protected] Oh, National Center for Science Education (NCSE), [email protected] https://youtu.be/rWHftC1oAXM AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Freedom Network Education Fund and National Center for…

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Teach the Truth Coalition Partners