Textbook Watchdog Norma Gabler Dies
Norma Gabler began scrutinizing textbooks in Texas after being appalled at the some of the things her children were reading in them. The education sector has long known that if a textbook isn’t accepted by the Texas Board of Education, it most likely will not even be printed. Gabler and her husband began their campaign in 1961 from their kitchen, and by 1973 had incorporated to form Educational Research Analysts. According to the New York Times, their goal was “to rid schoolbooks of content they considered antifamily, anti-American and anti-God.”
The Gablers’ “scroll of shame” of factual errors found in textbooks led to publishers being fined for not making the corrections. Other shames pointed out by them included history books that gave more attention to Marilyn Monroe than George Washington, and more space to the French Revolution than the American Revolution. Gabler also worked to ensure that marriage was defined as a life-long union between a man and woman.
“Prayer, preparation, and persistence” guided the Gablers into being the most effective textbook editors in the country, despite the fact that neither of them had a college degree.
Norma Gabler’s son, James, reported that she died of Parkinson’s Disease on July 22. She was 84.
Source: New York Times
religion, education, books, christian, christian women
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