Hinduism in California Textbooks
In November 2017, California State Board of Education adopted the IQC recommendation of September, 2017 to adopt 10 of 12 instructional materials submitted to the IQC from publishers. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's two programs were not approved:
- HMH Kids Discover (K-6)
- HMH Social Studies (6-8)
While the following programs were approved as part of the September 2017 decision:
- Discovery Education: Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook (6-8)
- First Choice Educational Publishing: E Pluribus Unum: The American Pursuit of Liberty, Growth, and Equality, 1750–1900 (Grade 8)
- McGraw-Hill School Education LLC: IMPACT: California Social Studies (K-6)
- McGraw-Hill School Education LLC: IMPACT: California Social Studies (6-8)
- National Geographic Learning, a Division of Cengage Learning, Inc.: National Geographic World History (6-8)
- Ancient Civilizations (Grade 6)
- Medieval and Early Modern Times (Grade 7)
- U.S. History: American Stories, Beginning to World War I (Grade 8)
- Pearson Scott Foresman & Prentice Hall: Pearson California History-Social Science: myWorld Interactive (K-5)
- Pearson Scott Foresman & Prentice Hall: Pearson California History-Social Science: myWorld Interactive (6-8)
- Studies Weekly, Inc: California Studies Weekly – Social Studies (K-6)
- Teachers’ Curriculum Institute: Social Studies Alive! California Series (K-5)
- Teachers’ Curriculum Institute: History Alive! California Series (6-8)
All the 6th and 7th grade instructional materials include India & Hinduism as required by California's History Social Science Standards (1998) and History Social Science Framework (2016) and retain the majority of Hinduphobic content outlined by the Hindupedia team in the critiques submitted by Hindupedia to the IQC.
The SBE’s received letters from thousands of Hindu American parents, children, educators and community members from across California, including immigrant Hindus from Fiji, Caribbean and India, as well as letters from a broad coalition of more than 75 interfaith and community groups, 17 state and federal elected officials and 75 leading academics leading up to the hearing. It also heard 500 people before Board President Mike Kirst declared the SBE public hearing closed. He said: “That was the longest in the history of the state Board of Education.”
During the September IQC hearing, the IQC, in their recommendation to the SBE to not approve HMH's two programs called out :
- Several violations of the acceptance criteria 54 citations mentioned in the letter to them from Hindupedia
- Several violations of the FAIR act as voiced by LGBT groups
- 3000+ edits and corrections submitted by HMH
In their recommendation to approve McGraw Hill's programs, the IQC accepted approximately 10 edits from Prof. Long, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College with relation to India and Hinduism.
Other than for HMH and Studies Weekly, the IQC accepted almost all the recommended edits from LGBT groups bringing those texts in alignment with the FAIR act.
These books will be made available to school districts across California and adoption will happen between 2019-2022.
[edit]
- EdSource (Nov 8, 2017) Hindus urge California state board to reject textbooks due to negative images
- EdSource (Nov 9, 2017) After hours of testimony, California state board rejects two history textbooks, approves 10 others
- Economic Times (Nov 9, 2017) California Board urged to represent Hinduism accurately
- Diya TV (Nov 10, 2017) Hindu Americans claim victory in decade long battle over representation in California Textbooks
- The Hindu (Nov 10, 2017) Controvercial U.S. textbooks get nod
Related articles[edit]
- California standards on Hinduism and India for Grade 6
- Hinduism and India in California's History Social Science Framework
- California textbook approval process in 2017, inputs and outcomes
Issues with textbooks[edit]
- Hindupedia submission to the IQC detailing racist and bias issues with draft textbooks from HMH, McGraw Hill, Studies Weekly, Nat Geo and Discovery Education
- Hindupedia submission to SBE identifying History Social Science Standards and Framework violations in draft textbooks