The proposed curriculum overhaul was released a week after the Texas GOP proposed requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools. School districts that opt to use them will get more funding.

In some states, nearly half of district school boards prioritized STEM/STEAM-related topics, new Burbio data suggests.

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. downplayed the sizable enrollment declines plaguing some of the largest school districts in the state, labeling potential campus closures as a motivation for traditional public schools to "innovate and provide programming that is attractive to parents."

Jean-Claude Brizard is president and CEO of Digital Promise, a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on accelerating innovation in education.