Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
The Texas Freedom Network released new polling data that shows that Texans are a good deal more reasonable on educational matters than those they elect to the state board of education. Like this:
72 percent of likely Texas voters want teachers and scholars, not politicians, to be responsible for writing curriculum requirements for public schools.
And that includes 63% of Republicans.
80 percent of likely Texas voters agree that high school classes on sex education should teach "about contraception, such as condoms and other birth control, along with abstinence."
And yet Texas requires abstinence-only sex ed -- and mandates that the only information that can be given out about condoms and other forms of birth control are their failure rates. Which explains why Texas has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the nation.
88 percent of likely Texas voters think public schools should be required "to protect all children from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in school, including the children of gay and lesbian parents or teenagers who are gay."
And yet there is no such policy in place.
Politics
Comments
That's what you get when people's only criterion for voting for someone has to do with the letter that follows their name... If only people used rational thought when they voted instead emotion, we might actually have a decent government at all levels.
Posted by: Saul Adrem | July 19, 2010 9:09 AM
Ed, I find that's true in S.C. too (although I have not lived there for over 25 years). The people you meet and get to know are much more reasonable than the policies of the state would lead you to believe. It has to be due to the dynamics of the political discussion that the professional manipulators have devised over the years. You think you are voting for so-and-so because he/she is a "good" person and they reflect your views, but you have been manipulated into that mindset in subtle subliminal ways.
Posted by: Michael Reynolds | July 19, 2010 9:37 AM
I recently moved from Chicago to Dallas. The thing that floored me when I got down here is that almost everyone single woman has at least one kid. I'm not saying that there were no single mothers in Chicago, but if I met someone there was a pretty good chance that she didn't have kids. Now...not so much.
Admittedly, it's only anecdote. But by the same token I recall getting comprehensive sex ed growing up in Illinois...
Posted by: Geds | July 19, 2010 9:41 AM
I look at it this way -- given their track record, Texans could hardly be less rational than those they elect, could they?
Posted by: Squiddhartha | July 19, 2010 9:42 AM
I brought this up when Greg Laden posted about this poll:
I don't think this poll is representative of Texas as a whole, and quite possibly the majority view as well.
Posted by: AnonymousCoward | July 19, 2010 9:46 AM
I can't deny I'm absolutely astounded that educational matters in Texas are decided by those who may well have no qualification to do so, and in fact use their position to promote what is effectively anti-education. Just *how* is this situation tolerated? Is it a case of true American exceptionalism, as I'd be surprised if any other country dealt with their curriculum standards this way.
Posted by: dreamfish | July 19, 2010 12:14 PM
It should be mentioned that the "teacher" is Jesus and the "scholar" is Paul. And also Chuck Norris fits in there somewhere.
Posted by: Modusoperandi | July 19, 2010 1:08 PM
These results are encouraging, but I suspect that the responses are highly sensitive to how the questions are worded.
Take this one:
Consider the loaded word "politicians".
What instead if the question asked, "Who should be responsible for writing curriculum requirements, elected school-board members or unelected bureaucrats and academics?" I bet less than 72% would go with the latter.
Some of the other questions seem perfectly fine though.
Posted by: Steve Reuland | July 19, 2010 2:05 PM
I wonder if the abstinence only crowd are proud of how many abortions they have caused.
Posted by: Paen | July 19, 2010 2:31 PM
If this is correct, it would appear that a large portion of the voting public was not sampled. It looks like all we can conclude is that most of the idiots in Texas are over the age of 30. And apparently vote.
Posted by: Leni | July 19, 2010 6:30 PM
I think you're mistaken Ed.
The wingnuts would assume "politicians" meant "liberal democrats", and the "teachers and scholars" they would have in mind would be the sort of frauds who are always claiming that the US was founded as a Christian nation, or other forms of revisionist history.
Posted by: Jon H | July 19, 2010 6:31 PM
Then why do they elect nuts!?
Posted by: Pacal | July 19, 2010 11:06 PM
Sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't live in Texas.
Posted by: AnonymousCoward | July 20, 2010 11:00 AM