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A Texas mom shocked that her son鈥檚 textbook merely called African slaves 鈥渨orkers鈥� is . But changing a single caption is hardly enough to combat what some educational experts call a wave of ideologically-fueled school standards that downplay the role of race and slavery in shaping America today.

Roni Dean-Burren was horrified when her son sent her a snapchat of his McGraw-Hill World Geography textbook, an edition created especially for Texas鈥� new state standards adopted in 2010. Opening up to a graphic titled 鈥淧atterns of Immigration,鈥� he . The caption reads:聽

The Atlantic Slave Trade between the 1500s and the 1800s brought millions of workers from Africa to the southern United States to work on agricultural plantations.

Examining his book more closely, Ms. Dean-Burren realized that although European indentured servants are described as working for 鈥渓ittle or no pay,鈥� there was no further mention of black slaves; their presence is simply portrayed as part of 鈥渋mmigration.鈥�

鈥淓rasure is real y鈥檃ll!!! Teach your children the truth!!!鈥� she commented alongside 聽which has already been viewed more than 1.6 million times on Facebook.

It certainly got McGraw-Hill鈥檚 attention. The publishing giant maintains that 鈥淭his program addresses slavery in several world lessons and meets the learning objectives of the course,鈥� but the caption鈥檚 language about slavery. (A full Table of Contents for this edition is not available online.)

For many historians and educators, however, the learning objectives themselves are the problem.聽

Texas has been held up as a prime example of many states鈥� abysmal social studies standards, earning a 鈥淒鈥� in one , a right-leaning think tank, which awarded the nation 18 鈥淔鈥漵, 11 鈥淒鈥漵, 12 鈥淐鈥漵, and a single, shining 鈥淎鈥�: South Carolina.

Citing students鈥� performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Institute鈥檚 writers bemoaned that the US is creating a 鈥済eneration of students who don鈥檛 understand or value our own nation鈥檚 history鈥� by relying on overly ideological curricula, influenced by both the left and the right.

鈥淓ven as the left pushes stories of American perfidy, the right counters with triumphal accounts of American perfection,鈥� the report says, arguing that either slant handicaps students鈥� ability to understand the world around them.

The criticism from a conservative organization may be particularly noteworthy, since the controversial standards gaining ground in Texas (and popping up in similar debates from 听迟辞 ) are often pushed by Republican-dominated committees and school boards, particularly when it comes to interpretations of the Civil War.

Texas Board of Education member Patricia Hardy, a Republican, believes 鈥淪tates鈥� rights were the real issues behind the Civil War. Slavery was an after issue,鈥� 聽鈥� a view , according to the Pew Research Center, and held by more people under 30 than in any other age group.

Critics of the Texan standards say it鈥檚 also the view students are learning, despite most scholars鈥� conclusion that slavery was central to the Civil War, .

The gaps don鈥檛 stop there: as the Post reports, social studies classes in Texas today , including Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan, and portray the United Nations as a threat to national sovereignty. Moreover, the Fordham Institute for ignoring the separation of church and state and being 鈥渄etermined to inject their personal religious beliefs into history education.鈥澛�

Former US Secretary of Education and Houston Superintendent Rod Paige , citing their political bent and thin coverage of race-related issues.

鈥淲e may not like our history, but it鈥檚 history, and it鈥檚 important to us today,鈥� he told the Board.聽