/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/HN5OBK337VCG7DSCJLXHCXTCXA.JPG "A student searches for textbooks in a storage space at Nature Coast Technical High School. Social studies textbooks are the current focus in Florida, where state officials have rejected dozens of books submitted by publishers for the 2023-24 school year.")
As it did last year with math textbooks, the Florida Department of Education on Tuesday announced that dozens of social studies textbooks landed on its “not recommended” list, while providing few details about why.
The state “caught” and “fixed” dozens of other books to prevent “political indoctrination of children,” a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a tweet.
Education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in a statement that the state seeks to approve books “that focus on historical facts and are free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric.”
Below is the list of 34 texts that remain unfit for public schools, according to state officials. Asterisks denote books that contain references to the unwanted strategies and topics.
What are those?
In its specifications, the state told publishers not to submit books containing topics including critical race theory, culturally responsive teaching, social justice and social-emotional learning.
It described critical race theory in part as any material that would make “an individual ... feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.”
Culturally responsive teaching, now frowned on by Florida’s Republican leaders, is a classroom strategy that includes cultural references and recognizes students’ cultural backgrounds as a means to better engage them.
The state described social justice as being “closely aligned” with critical race theory, and said it includes any effort “to eliminate undeserved disadvantages for selected groups.”
Social-emotional learning, according to the state, has to do with “managing emotion,” “developing relationships” and “social awareness.” But the strategy was criticized as “extraneous” and “unsolicited.”
The state released five examples of passages that were changed by publishers after input from Florida education officials, but no other details were available on the many other edits that were made.
Here are the rejected books, listed by elementary, middle and high school levels:
Grades K-5
Florida History Makers: Myself, My School, My Community (grade K), 2021, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.
Florida History Makers First Grade Social Studies My Family, My Community, and Me, 2021, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.
Florida History Makers: My Country and My State (grade 2), 2024, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.
Florida History Makers: Our Regions, Our Country, Our World (grade 3), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.
Florida History Makers: Our State (grade 4), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.
Florida History Makers: Our United States (grade 5), 2022, 1st Edition, published by Analytic Orange, Inc.
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Explore all your optionsFlorida Social Studies, Living, Learning, and Working Together (grade K), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
* Florida Social Studies, Our Community and Beyond (grade 1), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
Florida Social Studies, Who We are as Americans (grade 2), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
* Florida Social Studies, United States’ Regions and Neighbors (grade 3), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
Florida Social Studies, Florida Studies (grade 4), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
* Florida Social Studies, United States History (grade 5), 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
Social Studies Alive! Me and My World (Florida Series, Grade K), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
* Social Studies Alive! My School and Family (Florida Seriers, Grade 1), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
* Social Studies Alive! My Community (Florida Series, Grade 2), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
Social Studies Alive! Our Community and Beyond (Florida Series, Grade 3), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
Social Studies Alive! Florida and Its People (Florida Series, Grade 4), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
* Social Studies Alive! America’s Past (Florida Series, Grade 5), 2022, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
Grades 6-8
Gateway to Early American History with Revised Civics and Government Standards Advanced, 2022, 1st Edition, published by Florida Transformative Education
Civics and Government (Florida M/J Social Studies), 2023, 1st Edition, published by Gallopade International, Inc.
* Civics Alive! Foundations and Functions, 2023, 1st Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
* Civics, Advanced, Florida Edition, 2024, 1st Edition, published by McGraw Hill
Grades 9-12
* American History, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO
* Florida US History interactive, 2024, 1st Edition, published by Savvas Learning Company
* Florida US History interactive - Honors, 2024, 1st Edition, published by Savvas Learning Company
* The African-American Experience, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO
Living Smarter, 2022, 1st Edition, published by Achievements Educational Development
Personal Financial Literacy and Money Management, 2020, 2nd Edition, published by International Empowerment
Foundations in Personal Finance-Honors, 2022, 4th Edition, published by The Lampo Group
* American Government, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO
Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, 2020, 3rd Edition, published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
* Thinking About Psychology, 2019, 4th Edition, published by Bedford, Freeman and Worth Publishing Group
* Modern Genocide, 2022, published by ABC-CLIO
History of the Holocaust, 2022, 2nd Edition, published by eDynamic Holdings LP
• • •
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