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Many across Texas grew concerned last week after reports suggested that new education program materials being considered by the Texas State Board of Education might be entirely digital. We now know that the programs in question are available in both digital and print formats.
The K–5 materials are being reviewed as part of the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) Cycle 2025 and were created by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The good news is that if the K–5 reading materials are ultimately recommended, they will likely be the print versions. According to education expert Dr. Carole Haynes, “The state is wanting to move toward print. Our commissioner of education, Mike Morath, wants children on print, not just digital.”
And for good reason. Dr. Haynes notes that, beyond ongoing questions about the effectiveness of online and digital learning tools, there are significant risks associated with giving children even more screen time.
“These computers are bad because the children get accustomed to them, and they start becoming addicted to them,” she said. Once that addiction takes hold, it can lead to everything from socialization problems to sleep issues.
Haynes also pointed out another key advantage of print: content meant to indoctrinate children could potentially be added to digital versions after approval, whereas physical paper copies do not have that vulnerability.