Public school curricula are rarely just a reflection of historical facts. They shape civic identity. When a state decides what goes into a textbook, it decides who belongs in the national narrative and who is left out. Because Texas and California are the two largest textbook markets in the United States, their State Boards of Education do not just set local lesson plans. They exert outsized influence on the educational frameworks used across the country.

The curriculum battles of the last two decades show how minority communities navigate institutional power. Comparing California’s long fight over South Asian history with the changes to Islamic history finalized by the Texas State Board of Education in early September 2026 reveals how civic engagement, media narratives, and coalition building determine whether a marginalized group’s history is accurately preserved or politically rewritten.