The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Life:Powered project, the Texas Natural Gas Foundation (TXNG), and the Texas Energy Council (TEC) today publicly commended the members of the State Board of Education (SBOE) for voting to revise Texas’ science curriculum standards to emphasize the critical role of energy in modern life.
Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) represent the compulsory teachings that the Texas Education Agency requires children to learn in public schools. The TEKS review process occurs only once every eight to 10 years and is a fundamental part of the state’s education process.
Life:Powered, TXNG, and TEC worked diligently for years on recommendations to amend existing science standards to include the role Texas is playing in eradicating global energy poverty and to encourage teachers to access learning experiences outside the classroom, such as museums and industry mentors. State leaders and energy experts from across the state publicly expressed support for the revisions, including Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Wayne Christian.
“From an early age, students should exhibit an understanding of just how vital these resources are. From the lights in their homes to the nylon jackets they wear to the buses they ride to school every day, Texas’ natural resources impact countless aspects of their daily lives. As Texans, our state’s natural resources are essential to our way of life — it’s critical that our educational curriculum reflect those values,” Commissioner Bush said.
“These recommendations are based on sound energy science and engineering experience that will benefit our STEM students, Texas’ energy sector employing STEM students, and the overall Texas economy,” Chairman Christian said. “The industry directly employs more than 360,000 hardworking Texans in quality, high-paying jobs with an average salary of $132,000.”
“We’re tremendously grateful to the SBOE and everyone who advocated for these revised standards,” said Life:Powered Director Jason Isaac. “Our students need to appreciate how combatting energy poverty is the number one global issue for most of the world. As the nation’s top energy-producing state — the state that is responsible for a quarter of U.S. natural gas production and drove our nation to energy independence — must lead the way in educating the next generation about this critical issue. Right here in Texas, the key to ending global poverty lies under our feet.”