The following press release and statement were sent to the Texas State Board of Education from the American Historical Association today.

The elected council and officers of the American Historical Association fully concur with the commitment expressed by many members of the Texas State Board of Education that historical understanding is an essential element in educating young people in their developing role as citizens of their state, the nation, and the world. The Council, however, calls on the Texas State Board of Education to reconsider their recently proposed amendments to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies. We attach, therefore, a statement prepared by key elected officials of our organization who have studied the documents relevant to the State Board of Education’s upcoming decision. This statement proposes a constructive way forward for reconsidering the amendments with the goal of enhancing the historical education of Texas school children. We strongly endorse the statement’s urgent call for a delay in the decision on the current proposed amendments. The American Historical Association, chartered by the Congress of the United States in 1889 includes almost 15,000 individual members as well as 113 affiliated organizations committed to the study of history.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.