Florida searched math textbooks for “forbidden subjects.” Next: Social Studies.

The detailed process of reviewing and approving textbooks has typically been an administrative affair, drawing the attention of education experts, publishing executives, and state bureaucrats.

But in Florida, textbooks have become hot politics, part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign against what he describes as “wakeful indoctrination” in public schools, especially when it comes to race and gender. Last year, his administration caused a stir when it rejected dozens of math textbooks, citing “prohibited subjects.”

Now the state is revising the curriculum in what is arguably the most controversial subject in education: social studies.

Over the past few months, a small army of state experts, teachers, parents and political activists have combed through thousands of pages of text as part of the review process — not only to evaluate academic content, but to highlight anything that could indicate, for example, at critical race theory.

A prominent conservative education group, whose members volunteered to review textbooks, objected to a slew of books, accusing publishers of “promoting their bias”. At least two publishers refused to participate at all.

And to show how fraught the political landscape has become, one publisher created multiple versions of its social studies material, softening or eliminating references to race — even in Rosa Parks’ story — while trying to win approval in Florida .

“Normally, state adoption is a pretty boring process that a few of us care about, but there are a lot of people looking at it because there is so much at stake,” said Jeff Livingston, a former publisher who is now an education consultant.

It’s unclear which social studies textbooks will be approved in Florida, or how the chosen materials might address issues of race throughout history. The state is expected to announce its textbook decisions in the coming weeks.

The Florida Department of Education, which mandates teaching black history, stressed that requirements have recently been expanded, including to ensure students understand “the impact of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping on individual freedoms.”

But Mr. DeSantis, a leading 2024 Republican presidential candidate, also signed a law last year known as the Stop WOKE Act, which prohibits instructions that would force students to feel responsibility, guilt or fear for what other members of their race are doing in have done in the past. , among other limits.

The state’s guidelines for evaluating textbooks focus on “critical race theory,” a graduate-level academic theory rarely seen in younger classes but has become a catchall for some conservatives; and “social-emotional learning,” an approach that seeks to help students develop positive mindsets that the DeSantis administration considers alien to core academics.

Florida — along with California and Texas — is a major market for textbook publishing, a $4.8 billion industry.

It’s under more than a dozen states that approve textbooks, rather than leaving decisions solely to local school districts. Every few years, Florida reviews textbooks for a particular subject and compiles a list from which districts can choose. (Districts also have a few discretion to choose their own materials.)

Because state approval can be lucrative, publishers often quietly serve the largest markets by tailoring content to their local needs and political affiliations.

Publishers and politics

The Florida Citizens Alliance, a conservative group, has urged the state to reject 28 of the 38 textbooks its volunteers reviewed, including more than a dozen from McGraw Hill, a major national publisher.

The alliance, whose co-founders served on Mr. DeSantis’ education advisory team during his transition to governor, has helped lead a sweeping effort to remove school library books deemed inappropriate, including many featuring LGBTQ characters. It trained dozens of volunteers to revise social studies textbooks.

In a summary of its findings submitted to the state last month, the group complained that a fifth-grade textbook from McGraw Hill, for example, listed slavery 189 times within a few chapters alone. Another objection: An eighth grade book devoted much attention to the “negative side” of the treatment of Native Americans, while failing to give a fuller account of their own acts of violence, such as the Jamestown Massacre of 1622, in which Powhatan warriors killed more than 300 English settlers.

In a statement, McGraw Hill said it was awaiting word on approvals. “We look forward to supporting Florida educators and students as we have for decades,” the company said.

The Florida Citizens Alliance is urging the state to add curriculum from Hillsdale College, a small Christian college in Michigan active in conservative politics.

Hillsdale has drew admiration from the DeSantis administration, but K-12’s history and citizenship materials, which emphasize primary sources, are intended to be a guide to teachers — not to be a textbook for students. The curriculum was not included in Florida’s official assessment, and the state did not comment on the group’s recommendations.

Of the nearly 20 publishers that signed up in Florida, one major player was not on the list: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt of HMH.

HMH, which received approval for social studies textbooks six years ago during Florida’s last review six years ago, was one of several publishers whose math textbooks were initially rejected last year because of “forbidden topics” and other unsolicited strategies, such as critical race theory or social-emotional learning. . (The textbooks were later approved after what HMH described as minor revisions.)

The company said in a statement it was not competing in Florida this year due to “business priorities” and that the math book rejections and Florida’s laws around race were not factors in its decision.

“For competitive reasons, we do not share our strategic decision-making process,” the company said.

However, the company is pursuing social studies bids in other states, including South Carolina, North Carolina, and New Mexico.

Another previously approved publisher, Discovery Education, also chose not to participate this year. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Edits by one publisher: Rosa Parks

In an effort to accommodate Florida, at least one publisher has made significant changes to its material, paring back or omitting references to race, even when telling the Rosa Parks story.

Its publisher, Studies Weekly, primarily serves younger students, with a focus on science and social studies, and its curriculum — short lessons in weekly pamphlets — is used in 45,000 schools across the country, according to the website. The social studies materials are used in elementary schools in Florida today.

The New York Times compared three versions of the company’s Rosa Parks story, intended for first graders: a topical lesson now used in Florida, a first version created for state book review, and a second updated version.

Some of the material was provided by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, a progressive parent group that has opposed the state’s book ban, and confirmed by The Times.

In today’s lesson on Rosa Parks, segregation is clearly explained: “By law, African Americans had to give up their seat on the bus if a white person wanted to sit down.”

But in the first version created for the textbook review, race is mentioned indirectly.

“She was told to move to a different seat because of her skin color,” the class said.

In the updated version, race is not mentioned at all.

“She was told to move to another seat,” the class said, without explaining segregation.

It is unclear which of the new versions has been officially submitted for review. The second version – which does not mention race – was available on the publisher’s website until last week.

Studies Weekly made similar changes to a fourth-grade lesson on segregation laws that emerged after the Civil War.

In the first version for the textbook review, the text routinely references African Americans, explaining how they were affected by the laws. The second version eliminates almost all direct mentions of race, saying it was illegal for “men of certain groups” to be unemployed and that “certain groups of people” were not allowed to serve on a jury.

With these changes, it’s unclear if Studies Weekly is an outlier, or if other publishers may have slowed down their material as well.

The Florida Department of Education suggested that Studies Weekly had gone too far. Any publisher that “avoids the topic of race when teaching the civil rights movement, slavery, segregation, etc., is not adhering to Florida law,” the department said in a statement.

But Studies Weekly said it was trying to follow Florida standards, including the Stop WOKE Act.

“All publishers are expected to design a curriculum that aligns with these requirements,” John McCurdy, the company’s CEO, said in an email.

The company’s curriculum is no longer under consideration by the state.

After inquiries from The Times, the company last week removed its second, sanitized version of the curriculum from its website, saying it had withdrawn from the state’s review.

The Florida Department of Education said it had already rejected the publisher, citing a bureaucratic snafu in the company’s submission.

The company may still try to win over individual Florida counties. It has now returned to the first version of the new curriculum – the one that told Rosa Parks to move her chair “because of the color of her skin”.

Audio produced by Kate Winslett.