The Required Reading List of the Historically Classic and Bible Texts for Texas Public Schools

The Texas Board of Education on June 26, 2026 approved a required reading list of around 200 wide-ranging texts for its K-12 English and literature curricula in public schools across the state—perhaps the first of its kind in the US. The titles are appropriate for people of all ages to read for a well-rounded education.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Free Online Educational Resources to Grow Your Spiritual Knowledge ]

The list includes only 20 or so Bible passages and many more non-biblical and classical books such as Jack and the Beanstalk, The Life of Paul Revere, Winnie-the-Pooh, Aesop’s Fables, tales about Native Americans, a children’s version of Don Quixote, Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, Treasure Island, Declaration of Independence, A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution, The Gettysburg Address, The Man in the Arena, Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, biographies of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, poems by Langston Hughes and Robert Frost, and many more classics. Multiple titles are mandated for each grade, and each one must be read in its entirety. The reading list will take effect during the 2030-31 school year.

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Hostility Spreading Against Religious People: Pew Research

In Pew Research Center’s latest global study of religious freedom, Israel and Bangladesh have joined Nigeria, India, Syria, and Pakistan as the six nations that experienced very high social hostilities against religion in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION ]

An additional 49 countries encountered high levels of religion-driven social hostilities in 2023, bringing the total to 55 countries—28% of countries—with elevated levels of religion-driven social hostilities. The annual study covers two types of indexes—Government Restrictions and Social Hostilities—in a total of 198 countries and territories.

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Mindset: 7 Lessons You Can Learn From Losing

“‘You win or you learn… You never lose,’ as the late Italian football player and manager Mr Gianluca Vialli once put it.” So begins the article on the MR PORTER website, 7 Lessons You Can Learn From Losing, According To Elite Athletes, by Ms. Helen Bazuaye.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Small Decisions Matter: The 1% ‘Marginal Gains’ Rule ]

It continues, “There is always a choice in failure and few understand this better than athletes who play at sport’s elite levels. Day in, day out, they work towards goals framed by the desire to be the best – to succeed by outsprinting, outkicking, outjumping and outscoring. But there can only ever be one winner. So, what lessons can we learn from defeat from those well versed in it? Is there something in their mindset that keeps them on track and committed to their goal, even when they don’t cross the line first—or at all?”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Kairos: The Wisdom of Knowing When to Act for Strategic Impact ]

Here are the 7 lessons she suggests:

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Personal Defense World EDC Video Series: Vehicle Situational Awareness

The print and digital magazine Personal Defense World describes itself as “your go-to site for everything essential to serious self-defense.” One of its feature productions is the Everyday Carry Video Series offering brief instructional videos on a variety of EDC topics.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of EVERYDAY CARRY (EDC) ]

Below is the EDC 7-minute video explaining the importance of being situationally aware as a self-defense tool while walking to your vehicle. Following that is the list of, and links to, other videos in the series.

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