Educational Research Analysts
Encyclopedia
Educational Research Analysts is an organization based in Longview, Texas
in the United States, founded by the late Mel and Norma Gabler
to monitor public school textbooks.
The organization reviews books to locate factual errors and to promote a conservative Christian
point of view
, offering preference to textbooks which, for example, promote sexual abstinence
rather than contraception
and firearms safety
rather than gun control
. They launched the organization in 1961 from their kitchen
table in tiny Hawkins
in Wood County
in east Texas
, after having begun to review textbooks assigned to their son. Many of the books that the Gablers have given high ratings have been adopted by the Texas State Textbook Committee. If a school district wishes textbooks with other viewpoints than those approved by the state committee, it must fund such materials from its own resources.
, teachers, professors, parents, and civil libertarians have alleged that the Gablers promoted their fundamentalist views in the textbook selection process. They have pointed out that the Gablers did not have college degrees, yet assumed the role of textbook monitors and claimed editorial authority over textbook authors. Many have criticized the State Board of Education for giving the Gablers a platform from which to present their findings. These criticisms are more numerous than they would otherwise be since Texas, as a large and populous state, requires very many textbooks, and both publishers and smaller states can save much-needed operating costs or education funds by simply using the Texas version of a given text.
The organization is now operated by Neal Frey, who had worked with the Gablers since 1982.
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
in the United States, founded by the late Mel and Norma Gabler
Mel and Norma Gabler
Melvin Nolan Freeman Gabler and his wife, Norma Elizabeth Rhodes Gabler were campaigners against public school textbooks which they regarded as "anti-family" or "anti-Christian"....
to monitor public school textbooks.
The organization reviews books to locate factual errors and to promote a conservative Christian
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
point of view
Perspective (cognitive)
Perspective in theory of cognition is the choice of a context or a reference from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another...
, offering preference to textbooks which, for example, promote sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
rather than contraception
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
and firearms safety
Gun safety
Gun safety is a collection of rules and recommendations that can be applied when handling firearms. The purpose of gun safety is to eliminate or minimize the risks of unintentional death, injury or damage caused by improper handling of firearms....
rather than gun control
Gun politics
Gun politics addresses safety issues and ideologies related to firearms through criminal and noncriminal use. Gun politics deals with rules, regulations, and restrictions on the use, ownership, and distribution of firearms.-National sovereignty:...
. They launched the organization in 1961 from their kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
table in tiny Hawkins
Hawkins, Texas
Hawkins is a city in Wood County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,331 at the 2000 census. A post office was established in Hawkins in 1873.-Geography:Hawkins is located at ....
in Wood County
Wood County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,752 people, 14,583 households, and 10,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 17,939 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
in east Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, after having begun to review textbooks assigned to their son. Many of the books that the Gablers have given high ratings have been adopted by the Texas State Textbook Committee. If a school district wishes textbooks with other viewpoints than those approved by the state committee, it must fund such materials from its own resources.
Criticism
ProgressivesProgressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
, teachers, professors, parents, and civil libertarians have alleged that the Gablers promoted their fundamentalist views in the textbook selection process. They have pointed out that the Gablers did not have college degrees, yet assumed the role of textbook monitors and claimed editorial authority over textbook authors. Many have criticized the State Board of Education for giving the Gablers a platform from which to present their findings. These criticisms are more numerous than they would otherwise be since Texas, as a large and populous state, requires very many textbooks, and both publishers and smaller states can save much-needed operating costs or education funds by simply using the Texas version of a given text.
The deaths of the Gablers
Mel Gabler died of a brain hemorrhage on December 19, 2004, after falling and hitting his head two days earlier. Norma Gabler died of Parkinson's disease on July 22, 2007. She had been unable to assume her duties for the last two years of her life.The organization is now operated by Neal Frey, who had worked with the Gablers since 1982.