Title: Separation of Church and State Curricula? Examining Public and Religious Private School Textbooks (with Emileigh Harrison)

Abstract: Curricular materials not only impart knowledge but also instill values and shape collective memory. Growth in U.S. school choice programs has increased public funds directed to religious schools, but little is known about what is taught. We examine textbooks from public schools in Texas and California and from religious private and home schools, applying and improving upon artificial intelligence tools to measure topics, values, representation, and portrayal over time. Political polarization suggests a narrative of divergence, but our analysis reveals meaningful parallels between the public school collections overall, while religious textbooks differ notably, featuring less female representation, characters with lighter skin, more famous White individuals, and differential portrayal of topics such as evolution and religion. Important similarities, however, also emerge: for example, each collection portrays females in contexts that are more positive but less active and powerful than males, and depicts the U.S. founding era and slavery in similar contexts.