Texas education officials are contemplating significant changes to the English and social studies curriculum, which would mandate a new state-required reading list that includes passages from the Bible. This proposal, set to be discussed by the Texas State Board of Education, aims to emphasize U.S. and Texas history over global perspectives. The draft reading list features well-known children's literature like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” for kindergartners and “A Wrinkle in Time” for seventh graders, alongside historical speeches such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” for eighth graders. However, the inclusion of Bible stories, like the tale of David and Goliath, has raised concerns among historians and progressive groups who argue that the shift diminishes the importance of world history. Additionally, while the list contains texts from notable Black figures like Langston Hughes and Frederick Douglass, it has been criticized for lacking sufficient representation of Hispanic and Black authors.