Texas Republicans -- and I doubt that they are alone -- have done the United States a service and come out of the closet. They have articulated what has long been obvious between the lines in much of what passes for conservative politics: They are against critical thinking in schools.
With regard to critical thinking, the Republican Party of Texas document states: "Knowledge-Based Education - We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student's fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority."Old school conservatives, many of them endowed with a sharp sense of critical thinking, may cringe all they like. The rot-riddled tide is rising and throws into relief why and how it is that the United States is slip-sliding towards a Third World status.