Floor Remarks of U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) - Restoring American History and Civics to Classroom Prominence
March 20th, 2009 - Mr. President, on a day in a week when there is a lot of news where people are hurting in a serious economy, I have some good news to report, and it will just take me a few minutes to do it. Our senior Senator, Mr. Byrd, Senator Ted Kennedy, who is chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and I introduced legislation today that will help push the teaching of U.S. history in our classrooms. The way I like to describe it is by saying this: that it will help to put the teaching of American history and civics back in its rightful place, in our classrooms, so our children can grow up learning what it means to be an American.
The legislation which we have introduced would expand summer academies for outstanding teachers, authorize new teacher programs, require States to set standards for the teaching and learning of U.S. history, and create new opportunities to compare the tests that students take on U.S. history.
Specifically, the legislation would, No. 1, authorize 100 new summer academies for outstanding students and teachers of U.S. history and align those academies with locations in our national park system, such as the John Adams' House in Massachusetts or the Independence Hall in Philadelphia. I see the pages sitting here today. They are real students of U.S. history because they live it and learn it. I don't know what their scores are on the advanced placement tests for U.S. history, but I know one fact, which the Chair may be interested in learning: The highest scores in any high school in America on the advanced placement test for U.S. history is not from a New England prep school or a Tennessee prep school or an elite school in some rich part of America; it is from the page school of the House of Representatives. They had better scores on U.S. history than any other high school. I don't know what the Senate page scores were, so I won't compare them.
The point is -- and this is an idea David McCullough, a well-known author, had: We would expand the number of presidential and congressional academies for outstanding students and teachers and have them placed in the National Park Service initiative.
Second, the bill we’ve introduced today would double the authorization of funding for the teaching of American history programs in local school districts, which today involve 20,000 students as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Third, it would require States to develop and implement standards for student assessments in U.S. history, although there would be no Federal reporting requirement, as there is now for reading and mathematics.
Finally, it would allow States to compare history and civics student test scores in the 8th and 12th grades by establishing a 10-State pilot program expanding the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), which is also called the "Nation's Report Card." We have a tradition in the Senate where each of us, when we first arrive, make a maiden speech. We still call it that. Most of us pick a subject that is important to us. I made mine almost exactly 6 years ago, on March 4, 2003. The subject was something I cared about then and care about today and on which we have made some progress.
I argued, as I mentioned earlier, it was time to put the teaching of American history and civics back in its rightful place in our schools so as our children grow, they can learn what it means to be an American. On the "Nation's Report Card," our worst scores for our seniors in high school are not in math or science but in U.S. history. It will be very difficult for us as a country to succeed if we don't learn where we came from.
I ask unanimous consent that the speech I made 6 years ago be printed in the Record immediately following my remarks.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if Senator Byrd and Senator Kennedy make statements today on this legislation, as I believe they will, that our statements be put in the Record in about the same place, with Senator Byrd's first, then Senator Kennedy's, and mine third.
Mr. President, in the speech I made 6 years ago, I called it the American History and Civics Education Act. I suggested we create summer academies for outstanding students and teachers of American history. The idea was to create one of those academies focused on American history and civics for teachers and one for students and to see how they worked and to gradually expand them.
These presidential academies for students and teachers were modeled after the Tennessee Governors School, which I began when I was Governor of Tennessee, which still continue today, after 20 years. They are relatively inexpensive. They are 2-, 3-, or 4-week schools for students, and one for teachers. They held students in a variety of subjects, such as mathematics, science, the arts, international studies. They come together for a while and inspire one another, and then they go back to their schools and inspire their fellow students. They have been a great success in Tennessee and in other States.
Senator Reid, the majority leader, was the whip at that time. He was on the floor when I made my remarks and he asked to be the prime cosponsor of the legislation, and he was. Senator Kennedy, who has had a long interest in U.S. history, takes his family once a year to some an historical part of the United States. A couple years ago, they went into Virginia and saw where Patrick Henry made his famous speech. I kid him and say he cares so much about history because he is a part of it in such a big way. Senator Kennedy heard about the proposal, and he went along the Democratic side and rounded up 20 cosponsors of the legislation. So, Senator Kennedy, Senator Reid and I and several Republican Senators introduced a bill. We had a hearing during which Senator Byrd testified on behalf of my proposal for summer academies. It passed the Senate and the House, and we have had those summer academies now for three summers. One of those is at the Ashland University in Ashland, OH, which has been a great success. I see the students and teachers every summer. I bring them on the Senate floor, and it has been proven that it is good for teachers and good for our country. So that is the reason we want to expand those programs. We also felt we would meet as a group -- those of us who have something to do with U.S. history here -- and we met with the Library of Congress and with other parts of the Federal Government and many of us are involved in helping Americans learn more about our country's history, especially young people. As part of that, we thought it would be wise to try to consolidate in one section of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- which we call No Child Left Behind -- the various programs we already have for U.S. history and then to expand those that seemed worthwhile.
That is what this legislation does. There is a great need for it. I mentioned earlier that it is our worst subject for high school, even though some of our pages seem to do pretty well. Very few students score at or above the proficient level on the American history exam conducted by the National Assessment for Education Progress. Twenty percent of fourth graders were proficient in U.S. history, 17 percent of eighth graders were proficient in U.S. history, and 12 percent of high school seniors were proficient in U.S. history.
In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act may have had the unintentional effect of reducing the focus on U.S. history, as some school districts have concentrated their efforts on reading and mathematics. Therefore, it is appropriate and necessary to improve and expand State and local efforts to increase the understanding and awareness of American history and to do it, of course, in a way that doesn't preempt State and local responsibility and authority for elementary and secondary education.
Therefore, what the legislation we are doing today will do is expand the summer academies. We call them presidential academies for teachers and congressional academies for students. Those academies were created in 2004 to the number of 100 in the summer gradually over the years. The priority would be to place those academies in the National Park Service's national centennial parks initiative so the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and other museums that have innovative programs in U.S. History can be aligned with these academies. David McCullough, for example, suggested we have the academies at locations such as Andrew Jackson's home in Heritage. I think an even better idea would be to have a week for U.S. teachers at John Adams' home in Massachusetts, with Mr. McCullough as the teacher. That is the idea.
Secondly, we would expand the Nation's report card -- we call that NAEP -- so there could be a 10-State pilot program for American history and civics student assessment in grades 8 and 12. Today, our Nation's report card doesn't measure State performance in American history. It gives us a picture of how 8th to 12th graders do nationally. This would permit Colorado, Tennessee, Alaska, and California to compare the seniors and, in doing so, call attention to improvements that might need to be made.
The third thing would be to require all States to develop and implement standards and assessments in American history under the No Child Left Behind Act. But it doesn't require any Federal reporting, as we do in other subjects. Finally, it would take Senator Byrd's program -- called Teaching American History, which he put into the No Child Left Behind Act 6 years ago -- and it would double the authorization for that program from $100 million to $200 million, so it can serve even more than the 20,000 teachers it serves today.
I thank David Cleary and Sarah Rittling of my staff, who have worked hard with the staffs of Senators Byrd and Kennedy to prepare this legislation. We intend to invite all Members of the Senate, and we hope the House will join us in cosponsoring this.
Finally, I wish to tell one short story to conclude my remarks about some of the teachers who have participated. One of the things a Senator can do is to bring someone on the Senate floor who is not a Senator. It has to be done when the Senate is not in session and I have found it is a great privilege for most Americans. Early one morning last summer, I brought onto the Senate floor the 50 teachers who had been selected -- one from each State -- for the presidential academy for outstanding teachers of American history. I showed them Daniel Webster's desk right here, and I showed them Jefferson Davis's desk, which is back there, and where the sword mark is where when the Union soldier came in and started chopping the desk, and the soldier who was stopped by a commander who said, "We came to save the Union, not destroy it." I showed them where the majority and minority leaders speak. They saw "E Pluribus Unum" up there, and "In God We Trust" back there. They learned that we operate by unanimous consent, and we talked about what it would be like to actually try to operate a classroom by unanimous consent, much less the Senate.
As you might expect, they asked a lot of good questions, being outstanding history teachers. I especially remember the final question. I believe it was from the teacher from Oregon who asked: Senator, what would you like for us to take back to our students? I said that what I hope you will take back is that I get up every day, and I believe most of us on either side get up hoping that by the end of the day, we will have done something to make our country look better. It may not look that way on television or read that way in the newspaper because we are sent here to debate great issues. That produces conflict and disagreement a lot of the time. I feel, and I believe all of us feel, we are in a very special place, in a very special country, with a very special tradition. We would like for the students to know that and to know that is how we feel about the job we have.
I am delighted today that Senators Byrd and Kennedy, who have contributed so much to U.S. history over the years, both in their own personalities and by legislation they have introduced, have joined me in this effort to expand the Federal programs that focus on putting U.S. history and civics in a little higher place in the classroom so that our students learn what it means to be an American.
I invite my colleagues to join us, and I invite all Americans to join us in their communities, in their schools and in their States, to make that a priority. I yield the floor.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
FLORIDA PUSHES TO REFORM NAEP, EXPAND HISTORY AND CIVICS LEGISLATION
March 30, 2009
The Honorable Senator Lamar Alexander
455 DIRKSEN Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4944
Dear Senator Alexander,
The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (FASSS) applauds your efforts to strengthen and consolidate a number of vital programs affecting the teaching of United States History and Civics into another measure – S659. The provisions of this bill will greatly enhance and strengthen these subjects in the nation’s public schools. Florida’s social studies teachers can attest first hand to the effectiveness of such programs as: “We the People,” “Project Citizen,” “National History Day,” “National Close-Up,” and the “Teaching Traditional American History Grant Program.” Moreover, your provision to implement and expand student and teacher summer academies in these disciplines will additionally serve to revitalize the civic and historical mission of the nation’s public schools.
Even more significantly is the provision within the bill to provide equity – by ensuring first time comparability to a national profile -- of these vital subjects on the 2010 National Assessment for Educational Progress program. Unlike other core curriculum subjects and despite repeated attempts to correct this problem in previous Congresses, states have yet to be held accountable in these areas. Florida’s Social Studies educators feel such comparisons are vitally important to the civic health of our nation. Not long ago, American History and American Government were briefly eviscerated from the list of course requirements all Florida students had to successfully complete for graduation. Although these requirements have since been reinstated in Florida, events continue to threaten the civic health of both our state and nation. At a time when drastic demographic changes are challenging the vital civic mission of our schools and when our former adversaries glibly predict the imminent collapse of our Republican form of government, it is imperative that Congress pass this important provision within S659.
FASSS is committed to the entire proposal and will work to secure additional co-sponsors for the bill. We will also aggressively urge like-minded national groups and organizations to join you in this vital campaign. We urge that you make this legislation a priority!
Sincerely,
Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair
Florida Association for Social Studies Supervisors
Cc: Honorable Senator Robert C. Byrd
Honorable Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Honorable Representative Betty McCollum
Susan Griffin, Executive Director, National Council for the Social Studies
Cynthia Stout, Executive Director, National Council for History Education
Lee White, Executive Director, National Coalition for History
The Honorable Senator Lamar Alexander
455 DIRKSEN Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4944
Dear Senator Alexander,
The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (FASSS) applauds your efforts to strengthen and consolidate a number of vital programs affecting the teaching of United States History and Civics into another measure – S659. The provisions of this bill will greatly enhance and strengthen these subjects in the nation’s public schools. Florida’s social studies teachers can attest first hand to the effectiveness of such programs as: “We the People,” “Project Citizen,” “National History Day,” “National Close-Up,” and the “Teaching Traditional American History Grant Program.” Moreover, your provision to implement and expand student and teacher summer academies in these disciplines will additionally serve to revitalize the civic and historical mission of the nation’s public schools.
Even more significantly is the provision within the bill to provide equity – by ensuring first time comparability to a national profile -- of these vital subjects on the 2010 National Assessment for Educational Progress program. Unlike other core curriculum subjects and despite repeated attempts to correct this problem in previous Congresses, states have yet to be held accountable in these areas. Florida’s Social Studies educators feel such comparisons are vitally important to the civic health of our nation. Not long ago, American History and American Government were briefly eviscerated from the list of course requirements all Florida students had to successfully complete for graduation. Although these requirements have since been reinstated in Florida, events continue to threaten the civic health of both our state and nation. At a time when drastic demographic changes are challenging the vital civic mission of our schools and when our former adversaries glibly predict the imminent collapse of our Republican form of government, it is imperative that Congress pass this important provision within S659.
FASSS is committed to the entire proposal and will work to secure additional co-sponsors for the bill. We will also aggressively urge like-minded national groups and organizations to join you in this vital campaign. We urge that you make this legislation a priority!
Sincerely,
Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair
Florida Association for Social Studies Supervisors
Cc: Honorable Senator Robert C. Byrd
Honorable Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Honorable Representative Betty McCollum
Susan Griffin, Executive Director, National Council for the Social Studies
Cynthia Stout, Executive Director, National Council for History Education
Lee White, Executive Director, National Coalition for History
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
End of the United States?
DECEMBER 29, 2008 WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.
In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America 'Disintegrates' in 2010By ANDREW OSBORN
MOSCOW -- For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he's found an eager audience: Russian state media.
In recent weeks, he's been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. "It's a record," says Prof. Panarin. "But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger."
Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations.
But it's his bleak forecast for the U.S. that is music to the ears of the Kremlin, which in recent years has blamed Washington for everything from instability in the Middle East to the global financial crisis. Mr. Panarin's views also fit neatly with the Kremlin's narrative that Russia is returning to its rightful place on the world stage after the weakness of the 1990s, when many feared that the country would go economically and politically bankrupt and break into separate territories.
A polite and cheerful man with a buzz cut, Mr. Panarin insists he does not dislike Americans. But he warns that the outlook for them is dire. "There's a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur," he says. "One could rejoice in that process," he adds, poker-faced. "But if we're talking reasonably, it's not the best scenario -- for Russia." Though Russia would become more powerful on the global stage, he says, its economy would suffer because it currently depends heavily on the dollar and on trade with the U.S.
Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.
In addition to increasing coverage in state media, which are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, Mr. Panarin's ideas are now being widely discussed among local experts. He presented his theory at a recent roundtable discussion at the Foreign Ministry. The country's top international relations school has hosted him as a keynote speaker. During an appearance on the state TV channel Rossiya, the station cut between his comments and TV footage of lines at soup kitchens and crowds of homeless people in the U.S. The professor has also been featured on the Kremlin's English-language propaganda channel, Russia Today.
Mr. Panarin's apocalyptic vision "reflects a very pronounced degree of anti-Americanism in Russia today," says Vladimir Pozner, a prominent TV journalist in Russia. "It's much stronger than it was in the Soviet Union."
Mr. Pozner and other Russian commentators and experts on the U.S. dismiss Mr. Panarin's predictions. "Crazy ideas are not usually discussed by serious people," says Sergei Rogov, director of the government-run Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, who thinks Mr. Panarin's theories don't hold water.
Mr. Panarin's résumé includes many years in the Soviet KGB, an experience shared by other top Russian officials. His office, in downtown Moscow, shows his national pride, with pennants on the wall bearing the emblem of the FSB, the KGB's successor agency. It is also full of statuettes of eagles; a double-headed eagle was the symbol of czarist Russia. The professor says he began his career in the KGB in 1976. In post-Soviet Russia, he got a doctorate in political science, studied U.S. economics, and worked for FAPSI, then the Russian equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency. He says he did strategy forecasts for then-President Boris Yeltsin, adding that the details are "classified."
In September 1998, he attended a conference in Linz, Austria, devoted to information warfare, the use of data to get an edge over a rival. It was there, in front of 400 fellow delegates, that he first presented his theory about the collapse of the U.S. in 2010.
"When I pushed the button on my computer and the map of the United States disintegrated, hundreds of people cried out in surprise," he remembers. He says most in the audience were skeptical. "They didn't believe me." At the end of the presentation, he says many delegates asked him to autograph copies of the map showing a dismembered U.S.
He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysts, he says. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.
California will form the nucleus of what he calls "The Californian Republic," and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of "The Texas Republic," a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls "The Central North American Republic." Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia.
"It would be reasonable for Russia to lay claim to Alaska; it was part of the Russian Empire for a long time." A framed satellite image of the Bering Strait that separates Alaska from Russia like a thread hangs from his office wall. "It's not there for no reason," he says with a sly grin.
Interest in his forecast revived this fall when he published an article in Izvestia, one of Russia's biggest national dailies. In it, he reiterated his theory, called U.S. foreign debt "a pyramid scheme," and predicted China and Russia would usurp Washington's role as a global financial regulator.
Americans hope President-elect Barack Obama "can work miracles," he wrote. "But when spring comes, it will be clear that there are no miracles."
The article prompted a question about the White House's reaction to Prof. Panarin's forecast at a December news conference. "I'll have to decline to comment," spokeswoman Dana Perino said amid much laughter. [It’s no laughing matter, Ms. Perino – ed. Comment, JBovee]
For Prof. Panarin, Ms. Perino's response was significant. "The way the answer was phrased was an indication that my views are being listened to very carefully," he says.
The professor says he's convinced that people are taking his theory more seriously. People like him have forecast similar cataclysms before, he says, and been right. He cites French political scientist Emmanuel Todd. Mr. Todd is famous for having rightly forecast the demise of the Soviet Union -- 15 years beforehand. "When he forecast the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976, people laughed at him," says Prof. Panarin.
Write to Andrew Osborn at andrew.osborn@wsj.comFrom: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html
As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.
In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America 'Disintegrates' in 2010By ANDREW OSBORN
MOSCOW -- For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he's found an eager audience: Russian state media.
In recent weeks, he's been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. "It's a record," says Prof. Panarin. "But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger."
Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations.
But it's his bleak forecast for the U.S. that is music to the ears of the Kremlin, which in recent years has blamed Washington for everything from instability in the Middle East to the global financial crisis. Mr. Panarin's views also fit neatly with the Kremlin's narrative that Russia is returning to its rightful place on the world stage after the weakness of the 1990s, when many feared that the country would go economically and politically bankrupt and break into separate territories.
A polite and cheerful man with a buzz cut, Mr. Panarin insists he does not dislike Americans. But he warns that the outlook for them is dire. "There's a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur," he says. "One could rejoice in that process," he adds, poker-faced. "But if we're talking reasonably, it's not the best scenario -- for Russia." Though Russia would become more powerful on the global stage, he says, its economy would suffer because it currently depends heavily on the dollar and on trade with the U.S.
Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.
In addition to increasing coverage in state media, which are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, Mr. Panarin's ideas are now being widely discussed among local experts. He presented his theory at a recent roundtable discussion at the Foreign Ministry. The country's top international relations school has hosted him as a keynote speaker. During an appearance on the state TV channel Rossiya, the station cut between his comments and TV footage of lines at soup kitchens and crowds of homeless people in the U.S. The professor has also been featured on the Kremlin's English-language propaganda channel, Russia Today.
Mr. Panarin's apocalyptic vision "reflects a very pronounced degree of anti-Americanism in Russia today," says Vladimir Pozner, a prominent TV journalist in Russia. "It's much stronger than it was in the Soviet Union."
Mr. Pozner and other Russian commentators and experts on the U.S. dismiss Mr. Panarin's predictions. "Crazy ideas are not usually discussed by serious people," says Sergei Rogov, director of the government-run Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, who thinks Mr. Panarin's theories don't hold water.
Mr. Panarin's résumé includes many years in the Soviet KGB, an experience shared by other top Russian officials. His office, in downtown Moscow, shows his national pride, with pennants on the wall bearing the emblem of the FSB, the KGB's successor agency. It is also full of statuettes of eagles; a double-headed eagle was the symbol of czarist Russia. The professor says he began his career in the KGB in 1976. In post-Soviet Russia, he got a doctorate in political science, studied U.S. economics, and worked for FAPSI, then the Russian equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency. He says he did strategy forecasts for then-President Boris Yeltsin, adding that the details are "classified."
In September 1998, he attended a conference in Linz, Austria, devoted to information warfare, the use of data to get an edge over a rival. It was there, in front of 400 fellow delegates, that he first presented his theory about the collapse of the U.S. in 2010.
"When I pushed the button on my computer and the map of the United States disintegrated, hundreds of people cried out in surprise," he remembers. He says most in the audience were skeptical. "They didn't believe me." At the end of the presentation, he says many delegates asked him to autograph copies of the map showing a dismembered U.S.
He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysts, he says. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.
California will form the nucleus of what he calls "The Californian Republic," and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of "The Texas Republic," a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls "The Central North American Republic." Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia.
"It would be reasonable for Russia to lay claim to Alaska; it was part of the Russian Empire for a long time." A framed satellite image of the Bering Strait that separates Alaska from Russia like a thread hangs from his office wall. "It's not there for no reason," he says with a sly grin.
Interest in his forecast revived this fall when he published an article in Izvestia, one of Russia's biggest national dailies. In it, he reiterated his theory, called U.S. foreign debt "a pyramid scheme," and predicted China and Russia would usurp Washington's role as a global financial regulator.
Americans hope President-elect Barack Obama "can work miracles," he wrote. "But when spring comes, it will be clear that there are no miracles."
The article prompted a question about the White House's reaction to Prof. Panarin's forecast at a December news conference. "I'll have to decline to comment," spokeswoman Dana Perino said amid much laughter. [It’s no laughing matter, Ms. Perino – ed. Comment, JBovee]
For Prof. Panarin, Ms. Perino's response was significant. "The way the answer was phrased was an indication that my views are being listened to very carefully," he says.
The professor says he's convinced that people are taking his theory more seriously. People like him have forecast similar cataclysms before, he says, and been right. He cites French political scientist Emmanuel Todd. Mr. Todd is famous for having rightly forecast the demise of the Soviet Union -- 15 years beforehand. "When he forecast the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976, people laughed at him," says Prof. Panarin.
Write to Andrew Osborn at andrew.osborn@wsj.comFrom: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY - CALL TO ACTION
CALL TO ACTION
CALL CONGRESS TODAY IN SUPPORT OF NHD FUNDING
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
CALL CONGRESS TODAY IN SUPPORT OF NHD FUNDING
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
Please read this full email.
National History Day (NHD) is asking for your help to gain support from members of Congress for a $5 million National History Day appropriation that will help our state programs grow and improve.
Thanks to your efforts, NHD was included in the omnibus bill for FY 2009 with an appropriation of $500,000! It’s important to note that to be included in a congressional budget for the first time is a major accomplishment. National History Day clearly has the attention of members of Congress, so let’s try and build on our success for the 2010 budget. Keep in mind that we have programs across the country that could use the extra help of an increased congressional appropriation.
Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is circulating what is called a “Dear Colleague” letter. The letter is similar to a petition that members of Congress sign in support of funding a program (click here to view the Dear Colleague Letter).The Dear Colleague asks all members of the House to sign their name to the letter supporting NHD. This letter is addressed to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee asking them to support funding NHD in the FY 2010 budget. It is very important to get support from as many members of Congress as soon as possible. This is a very common practice which is implemented during the appropriations process. It is important that we get as many signatures as we can – as soon as we can (in the next two weeks). The appropriations committee will literally count every signature and the more signatures we have the better chance we will have of getting $5 million in support.What to do?Never called your Member of Congress before? Don't worry, it's easy! When you call your Representative, your call will be answered by a receptionist. Tell him or her that you want to leave a message for the Representative. The receptionist will take down your message.
We need your help. Congress must hear from you today!
NHD NEEDS YOUR HELP TODAY! We have two weeks and it is critical that you pick up the phone today to contact your members of Congress and ask them to sign the NHD Dear Colleague Letter. Our goal is get as many members of Congress to sign this letter in two weeks which will demonstrate wide-spread support for funding for the NHD program.
When calling a Representative’s office, tell them:
Your name and the city and state you live in.
You say you’re calling today to urge the Representative to sign the Dear Colleague letter, in support of funding for National History Day in the FY 2010 budget. The letter is being circulated by Rep. Van Hollen.
Tell them why this money would be helpful to the NHD program in your state and district.
How would it make an impact to increase the number of participants and improve overall programmatic efforts in the state.
Tell your member of Congress they can contact Sarah Schenning in Rep. Van Hollen's office at 225-5341 with questions or to sign the letter.
How to Contact a Member of Congress
To find your Member’s contact information, including phone and fax numbers, visit http://server1.streamsend.com/streamsend/clicktracker.php?cd=6739&ld=30&md=46&ud=977a466ab7652e25059e8305f0223662&url=http://www.house.gov/, http://server1.streamsend.com/streamsend/clicktracker.php?cd=6739&ld=30&md=46&ud=977a466ab7652e25059e8305f0223662&url=http://www.senate.gov/, or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Representative.
If you have any questions contact Noah Shaw at National History Day at 301.314.8379
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
NCSS Loses another Opportunity to Lobby for NAEP
Since 2004 FCSS has lobbied NCSS on the need to provide equity on NAEP through its periodic, independently tested Civics, U.S. History and Geography assessments. At one time the NCSS Board of Directors actually passed a motion to have the organization lobby in behalf of a bill that would address this inequity and which has been repeatedly introduced in the last four Congresses. The email below represents one of the few times that NCSS members have been alerted to the fact such a bill is in existance or is even desirable.
Although a memo from NCSS lobbying firm "Washington Partners" briefly addressed the general provisions of the bill and members were urged to read the bill in its entirety, there was no separate legislative alert from NCSS calling for members to support the bill. Nor was a rationale as to why the measure might be important included. Nor was it mentioned that the bill has languished in the last three Congresses due to lack of national support for the measure. Equally baffling is how NCCS can continue to ignore attempts to rectify our inferior status on NAEP by not specifically drawing its members attention to the provisions of these bills in Congress. [Incidentally, the bill calls for hundreds of millions of dollars for continued training of social studies teachers -- in addition to the almost half billion Congress has already spent in that area-- but ignores the rather paltry amount of $7 million per year for two years for the NAEP assessment. The NAEP provision may finally pass now that it's strategically included with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of other "pork" and Congress is in the mood to gleefully spend our children's and grandchildren's inheritance.]
Many FCSS members remember that because Florida has never held accountable on NAEP or any other national assessment, former governor Jeb Bush could without fear of consequence sign into a law a measure that eliminated American History and American Govenment as graduation requirements for all Florida students. Again, if Florida is never to be held 'accountable' for students' knowledge of Civics or American History, why continue to require these subjects of all students? As a result, for two years Algebra was the only course that all Florida public school students had to successfully complete for graduation!
If S659 passed Congress this year, it would compare up to ten states on student performance in U.S. History and Civics on the 2010 NAEP assessment, and thus send the message to all governors that these courses are vital and that their state may one day be held accountable for the civic mission of its public schools!
One has to wonder what's going on at NCSS at this time of national crisis not to specifically point this out to its members through every opportunity? When will NCSS finally urge its affiliates to fight for S659?
(editor's comment: Jack Bovee)
________________________________________
mailto:level.egis@ncss.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:18:51 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [Ncss-legis] Advocacy News: Alexander, Byrd, and Kennedy Introduce History and Civics Education Bill!
NCSS is pleased to share the attached brief memo from Washington Partners on the introduction of S.659--a bill to improve the teaching and learning of American history and civics--by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on Thursday, March 19.
Largely based on the History and Civic Achievement Act that was introduced in the 110th Congress by Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) in the House and by Senators Alexander and Kennedy in the Senate, the bill connects to NCSS advocacy efforts in the last Congress and is of great interest to the social studies. Please be sure to read the brief report for complete details.
The bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee after its introduction and has not yet been made publicly available. As the details and future of this legislation become clearer, NCSS will be working with Washington Partners to express our continued support and determine how we can best assert our voice to improve its prospects. (Note the lack of any 'call to action' here?)
Although a memo from NCSS lobbying firm "Washington Partners" briefly addressed the general provisions of the bill and members were urged to read the bill in its entirety, there was no separate legislative alert from NCSS calling for members to support the bill. Nor was a rationale as to why the measure might be important included. Nor was it mentioned that the bill has languished in the last three Congresses due to lack of national support for the measure. Equally baffling is how NCCS can continue to ignore attempts to rectify our inferior status on NAEP by not specifically drawing its members attention to the provisions of these bills in Congress. [Incidentally, the bill calls for hundreds of millions of dollars for continued training of social studies teachers -- in addition to the almost half billion Congress has already spent in that area-- but ignores the rather paltry amount of $7 million per year for two years for the NAEP assessment. The NAEP provision may finally pass now that it's strategically included with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of other "pork" and Congress is in the mood to gleefully spend our children's and grandchildren's inheritance.]
Many FCSS members remember that because Florida has never held accountable on NAEP or any other national assessment, former governor Jeb Bush could without fear of consequence sign into a law a measure that eliminated American History and American Govenment as graduation requirements for all Florida students. Again, if Florida is never to be held 'accountable' for students' knowledge of Civics or American History, why continue to require these subjects of all students? As a result, for two years Algebra was the only course that all Florida public school students had to successfully complete for graduation!
If S659 passed Congress this year, it would compare up to ten states on student performance in U.S. History and Civics on the 2010 NAEP assessment, and thus send the message to all governors that these courses are vital and that their state may one day be held accountable for the civic mission of its public schools!
One has to wonder what's going on at NCSS at this time of national crisis not to specifically point this out to its members through every opportunity? When will NCSS finally urge its affiliates to fight for S659?
(editor's comment: Jack Bovee)
________________________________________
mailto:level.egis@ncss.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:18:51 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [Ncss-legis] Advocacy News: Alexander, Byrd, and Kennedy Introduce History and Civics Education Bill!
NCSS is pleased to share the attached brief memo from Washington Partners on the introduction of S.659--a bill to improve the teaching and learning of American history and civics--by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on Thursday, March 19.
Largely based on the History and Civic Achievement Act that was introduced in the 110th Congress by Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) in the House and by Senators Alexander and Kennedy in the Senate, the bill connects to NCSS advocacy efforts in the last Congress and is of great interest to the social studies. Please be sure to read the brief report for complete details.
The bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee after its introduction and has not yet been made publicly available. As the details and future of this legislation become clearer, NCSS will be working with Washington Partners to express our continued support and determine how we can best assert our voice to improve its prospects. (Note the lack of any 'call to action' here?)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Legislative Committee Meets with Key Legislators
Date: January 26, 2009
Jason Caros (and Randy Felton, and Pete Cowdrey, Bob Bedford and Jon Conley)
____________________________________________________
Our Group Met With: Sen. Wise, Rep. McBurney, Rep. Flores, and Rep. Legg
Person(s) / _____________________________________________________
On Tuesday, January 13th I drove to Bob Bedford’s office in Tallahassee where he and Jon Conley, his assistant, met with Randy Felton, Pete Cowdrey and me. We discussed Rep. McBurney’s bill and outlined a general game plan for the day. Our first meeting at the capitol took place in Senator Wise’s office with him, Representative McBurney and Richard Pra, McBurney’s aide. McBurney and Wise were very upbeat about Social Studies/Civic Ed and spoke optimistically about HB 13. Wise said he would sponsor the companion will in the Senate (Wise is the Senate K-12 Appropriations Chair and a ranking member of the PreK-12 Education Committee).
Their only hesitation was any potential fiscal impact in the upcoming year or two. Their idea was to establish a meeting with Chancellor Smith and the gentleman in the DOE that will write the fiscal impact report and review the bill with them and gain their support. Wise and McBurney want to schedule a meeting for next month with us and the Commissioner so we can hash it out. Bob Bedford is working on this.
Overall, the meeting with McBurney and Wise was very positive. From there we stopped by Representative Legg’s office. John Legg is the K-12 Ed Chairman and a former Social Studies teacher. He was not in Tallahassee but we met with his legislative assistant and left a set of materials for him. Later we came back to Legg’s office and met with Marleen Ahearn, the Staff Director for K-12 Education. She is also a former SS teacher and she was very much in support of HB 13. We had a good discussion with her and left her our presentation materials.
We were also able to meet with K-12 House Appropriations Chair Anitere Flores. She also strongly supports the bill and asked to be a part of the future meeting with the Commissioner, Wise and McBurney. Rep. Flores was positive and very supportive and wants to work on the fiscal impact issue.
I believe the only thing that will stop the House/Senate bills from passing this year is a DOE report showing short term fiscal impact. The 2014 date in the bill may help. I’ve asked Bob Bedford to try his best to schedule the February meeting the day before the Endowment meeting at FSU so I can attend both back to back…
On a related note, Senator Bob Graham is working for us again, and is going to meet with Governor Crist and the Commissioner on the issue.
Jason
Jason Caros (and Randy Felton, and Pete Cowdrey, Bob Bedford and Jon Conley)
____________________________________________________
Our Group Met With: Sen. Wise, Rep. McBurney, Rep. Flores, and Rep. Legg
Person(s) / _____________________________________________________
On Tuesday, January 13th I drove to Bob Bedford’s office in Tallahassee where he and Jon Conley, his assistant, met with Randy Felton, Pete Cowdrey and me. We discussed Rep. McBurney’s bill and outlined a general game plan for the day. Our first meeting at the capitol took place in Senator Wise’s office with him, Representative McBurney and Richard Pra, McBurney’s aide. McBurney and Wise were very upbeat about Social Studies/Civic Ed and spoke optimistically about HB 13. Wise said he would sponsor the companion will in the Senate (Wise is the Senate K-12 Appropriations Chair and a ranking member of the PreK-12 Education Committee).
Their only hesitation was any potential fiscal impact in the upcoming year or two. Their idea was to establish a meeting with Chancellor Smith and the gentleman in the DOE that will write the fiscal impact report and review the bill with them and gain their support. Wise and McBurney want to schedule a meeting for next month with us and the Commissioner so we can hash it out. Bob Bedford is working on this.
Overall, the meeting with McBurney and Wise was very positive. From there we stopped by Representative Legg’s office. John Legg is the K-12 Ed Chairman and a former Social Studies teacher. He was not in Tallahassee but we met with his legislative assistant and left a set of materials for him. Later we came back to Legg’s office and met with Marleen Ahearn, the Staff Director for K-12 Education. She is also a former SS teacher and she was very much in support of HB 13. We had a good discussion with her and left her our presentation materials.
We were also able to meet with K-12 House Appropriations Chair Anitere Flores. She also strongly supports the bill and asked to be a part of the future meeting with the Commissioner, Wise and McBurney. Rep. Flores was positive and very supportive and wants to work on the fiscal impact issue.
I believe the only thing that will stop the House/Senate bills from passing this year is a DOE report showing short term fiscal impact. The 2014 date in the bill may help. I’ve asked Bob Bedford to try his best to schedule the February meeting the day before the Endowment meeting at FSU so I can attend both back to back…
On a related note, Senator Bob Graham is working for us again, and is going to meet with Governor Crist and the Commissioner on the issue.
Jason
Legilstive Report #10
Legislative Update # 10
TO: All Interested Persons
FR: Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair, FCSS
RE: Latest Legislative News from EDD
For additional information on Florida legislators or issues go to ONLINE SUNSHINE - http://www.leg.state.fl.us/
EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
FEBRUARY 20, 2009
The Legislature has finished the last committee week before the beginning of the regular session. They will be returning March 3rd to begin working on the Legislation and on the budget. Money will be the big issue on everyone’s mind and this 60 day session should result in many heated discussions on how to solve the Florida financial crisis.
BUDGET PROJECTIONS
The Legislature is faced with two budget problems. First, there is expected to be an additional shortfall for the current year (2008-09). There is a rumor that they may try to solve this problem by using some of the Federal Stimulus money. This solution is contingent upon whether Florida will receive the stabilization fund dollars and that these dollars will flow in a timely manner. If this scenario does not work, school districts could face an additional 2% reduction this year. The second budget issue is the projected shortfall of up to $5 Billion for the next fiscal year. This shortfall, if not solved, could result in a 16% reduction in next year’s budget. Many districts are facing the reality of reducing the number of employees, including a large number of teachers.
Possible considerations on the revenue side are:
$1.00 increase on a pack of cigarettes which would generate $700 Million – this revenue could
possibly be earmarked for health.
removal of some of the exemptions from the sales tax, and
enforcing the sales tax on items purchased on the Internet
Of course, the federal stabilization money could come into play to help solve the situation. There is very little discussion of an increase in the sales tax, even on a limited number of years basis. A one cent increase in sales tax would be expected to raise over $3.5 Billion.
Bills have been filed to grant districts with flexibility in a broad range of categorical items and statutory requirements in an effort the assist school districts in the budgeting process.
FEDERAL STIMULUS BILL
The $787 Billion dollar Stimulus bill was signed into law this week. It is a very complex piece of legislation. It will take a period of time for answers regarding how, when, and where the money will flow.
One big issue for Florida will be the waiver process. The Stimulus bill requires that state education budgets needed to be funded at least at the same level as they were in the 2006-2007 school year. That year was the all time high for Florida funding of education and funding for education has declined ever since. While this same scenario is true for several states, we will have to wait and see how the waiver process will work. I feel confident that this issue will be solved and Florida will receive the appropriated share of the money.
The web is overloaded with information concerning the Stimulus bill. The following sites may be of interest to you.
http://www.fsba.org/userfiles/File/FinalStimulus.County.pdf
http://www.fsba.org/userfiles/File/FinalStimulus.EdNarrative.pdf
http://edworkforce.house.gov/
http://www.ncsl.org/statefed/2009economicstimulus.htm
http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/09arrastatetables.pdf
http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr1ENR/pdf/BILLS-111hr1ENR.pdf
Much of the Stimulus money is spread over a two year period, with some taking a bit longer. The process of getting dollars to the districts is expected to be completed on a fast track. Some money is formula driven, while other moneys will require grant application and approval. I would expect that due to the complexity of the bill, states and districts will run into some unexpected snags before all parts of this legislation is implemented. While estimates of different sections of the bill seem to differ, a rough estimate of Florida’s share of some specific allocations (estimates): Total Florida ($3.5 Billion)
Title 1 ($492 Million)
IDEA ($670 Million)
Educational Technology ($30 Million)
Renovation ($655 Million)
Stabilization ($2.7 Billion)
CLASS SIZE REVISITED
The Legislature has spent approximately $10.5 Billion earmarked for the reduction of class size. The 2009-10 budget includes $828 Million to continue the legislative support for implementation of the class size amendment.
I believe that the Legislature will allow districts to meet the class size issue at the school level for the next year, while they search for a permanent solution. The possibility exists that statutory language could change the implementation of the law and would allow some classes to exceed the constitutional maximum by three or five students. Florida cannot possibly fund the cost of full implementation of this requirement, especially during years with budget shortfalls. Representative Weatherford has filed a bill that would place an item on the ballot to once again address the issue constitutionally.
Please see the PDF Attachment for the additional bills filed in the Legislature (since our last update) as of Feb.18th
TO: All Interested Persons
FR: Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair, FCSS
RE: Latest Legislative News from EDD
For additional information on Florida legislators or issues go to ONLINE SUNSHINE - http://www.leg.state.fl.us/
EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
FEBRUARY 20, 2009
The Legislature has finished the last committee week before the beginning of the regular session. They will be returning March 3rd to begin working on the Legislation and on the budget. Money will be the big issue on everyone’s mind and this 60 day session should result in many heated discussions on how to solve the Florida financial crisis.
BUDGET PROJECTIONS
The Legislature is faced with two budget problems. First, there is expected to be an additional shortfall for the current year (2008-09). There is a rumor that they may try to solve this problem by using some of the Federal Stimulus money. This solution is contingent upon whether Florida will receive the stabilization fund dollars and that these dollars will flow in a timely manner. If this scenario does not work, school districts could face an additional 2% reduction this year. The second budget issue is the projected shortfall of up to $5 Billion for the next fiscal year. This shortfall, if not solved, could result in a 16% reduction in next year’s budget. Many districts are facing the reality of reducing the number of employees, including a large number of teachers.
Possible considerations on the revenue side are:
$1.00 increase on a pack of cigarettes which would generate $700 Million – this revenue could
possibly be earmarked for health.
removal of some of the exemptions from the sales tax, and
enforcing the sales tax on items purchased on the Internet
Of course, the federal stabilization money could come into play to help solve the situation. There is very little discussion of an increase in the sales tax, even on a limited number of years basis. A one cent increase in sales tax would be expected to raise over $3.5 Billion.
Bills have been filed to grant districts with flexibility in a broad range of categorical items and statutory requirements in an effort the assist school districts in the budgeting process.
FEDERAL STIMULUS BILL
The $787 Billion dollar Stimulus bill was signed into law this week. It is a very complex piece of legislation. It will take a period of time for answers regarding how, when, and where the money will flow.
One big issue for Florida will be the waiver process. The Stimulus bill requires that state education budgets needed to be funded at least at the same level as they were in the 2006-2007 school year. That year was the all time high for Florida funding of education and funding for education has declined ever since. While this same scenario is true for several states, we will have to wait and see how the waiver process will work. I feel confident that this issue will be solved and Florida will receive the appropriated share of the money.
The web is overloaded with information concerning the Stimulus bill. The following sites may be of interest to you.
http://www.fsba.org/userfiles/File/FinalStimulus.County.pdf
http://www.fsba.org/userfiles/File/FinalStimulus.EdNarrative.pdf
http://edworkforce.house.gov/
http://www.ncsl.org/statefed/2009economicstimulus.htm
http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/09arrastatetables.pdf
http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr1ENR/pdf/BILLS-111hr1ENR.pdf
Much of the Stimulus money is spread over a two year period, with some taking a bit longer. The process of getting dollars to the districts is expected to be completed on a fast track. Some money is formula driven, while other moneys will require grant application and approval. I would expect that due to the complexity of the bill, states and districts will run into some unexpected snags before all parts of this legislation is implemented. While estimates of different sections of the bill seem to differ, a rough estimate of Florida’s share of some specific allocations (estimates): Total Florida ($3.5 Billion)
Title 1 ($492 Million)
IDEA ($670 Million)
Educational Technology ($30 Million)
Renovation ($655 Million)
Stabilization ($2.7 Billion)
CLASS SIZE REVISITED
The Legislature has spent approximately $10.5 Billion earmarked for the reduction of class size. The 2009-10 budget includes $828 Million to continue the legislative support for implementation of the class size amendment.
I believe that the Legislature will allow districts to meet the class size issue at the school level for the next year, while they search for a permanent solution. The possibility exists that statutory language could change the implementation of the law and would allow some classes to exceed the constitutional maximum by three or five students. Florida cannot possibly fund the cost of full implementation of this requirement, especially during years with budget shortfalls. Representative Weatherford has filed a bill that would place an item on the ballot to once again address the issue constitutionally.
Please see the PDF Attachment for the additional bills filed in the Legislature (since our last update) as of Feb.18th
Legislative Report #9
EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE #9
January 16, 2009
SPECIAL SESSION
The Special Session has proceeded as expected. Using a combination of budget reductions and transfers from Trust Funds, the Legislature put together the funds necessary to balance the Budget. The cuts will have a deep impact upon education, where a cut of 2% was made to district funds per student. The Base Student Allocation for 2008-09 is now $3,886.14 which is less than the Base for 2007-08 and only slightly more than the base for 2005-06.
The following categorical were reduced by 2.16%: Declining enrollment, Sparcity, Safe Schools, Supplemental Academic Instruction, Reading, ESE Guarantee, Division of Juvenile Justice Education, School Recognition, Transportation, Instructional Materials, and Class Size Reduction.
The required purchase of the adopted instructional materials for the 2008-09 school year, was waived.
School Board Members were given the right to vote to reduce their salaries.
The Superintendent of a District whose fund balance is projected to fall below 3% , must notify the School Board and the Commissioner of Education of the situation.
If a District’s fund balance is projected to fall below 2%, The Superintendent must notify the Commissioner of Education and submit to the Commissioner a plan developed to avoid financial emergency. (FS 218.503) If the Commissioner does not approve the plan, the Commissioner shall appoint a Financial Emergency Board for the District.
The amount of the District Capital millage that may be used for insurance and purchase of certain vehicles was increased from $65 per student, to $100.
The MAP (merit award program) for the 2008-09 school year will be paid in the 2009-10 fiscal year only to the extent funds are available and specifically appropriated.
Appointed Superintendents and district employees may not have contracts with severance provisions greater than one year of salary.
There were several changes involving the Voluntary Pre-K program regarding reporting and paperwork.
School Districts were authorized to use part of the District’s 1.75 mill levy for enterprise resource software applications that are classified as capital assets.
If you are interested in the actual final Committee Report, Budget, or School District Budget runs, below are the links.
Special Session A (2009)
1. Conference Committee Report (Full Budget)
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/senate/appbills/pdf/confreprt09A.pdf
2. Conference Committee Report (SB 6A, EDU Implementing Bill)
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/Senate/bills/amendments_Com/pdf/sb0006Ac2873898.pdf
3. FEFP Runs Following 2009-A
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/Senate/bills/amendments_Com/pdf/sb0006Ac2873898.pdf
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE #9
January 16, 2009
SPECIAL SESSION
The Special Session has proceeded as expected. Using a combination of budget reductions and transfers from Trust Funds, the Legislature put together the funds necessary to balance the Budget. The cuts will have a deep impact upon education, where a cut of 2% was made to district funds per student. The Base Student Allocation for 2008-09 is now $3,886.14 which is less than the Base for 2007-08 and only slightly more than the base for 2005-06.
The following categorical were reduced by 2.16%: Declining enrollment, Sparcity, Safe Schools, Supplemental Academic Instruction, Reading, ESE Guarantee, Division of Juvenile Justice Education, School Recognition, Transportation, Instructional Materials, and Class Size Reduction.
The required purchase of the adopted instructional materials for the 2008-09 school year, was waived.
School Board Members were given the right to vote to reduce their salaries.
The Superintendent of a District whose fund balance is projected to fall below 3% , must notify the School Board and the Commissioner of Education of the situation.
If a District’s fund balance is projected to fall below 2%, The Superintendent must notify the Commissioner of Education and submit to the Commissioner a plan developed to avoid financial emergency. (FS 218.503) If the Commissioner does not approve the plan, the Commissioner shall appoint a Financial Emergency Board for the District.
The amount of the District Capital millage that may be used for insurance and purchase of certain vehicles was increased from $65 per student, to $100.
The MAP (merit award program) for the 2008-09 school year will be paid in the 2009-10 fiscal year only to the extent funds are available and specifically appropriated.
Appointed Superintendents and district employees may not have contracts with severance provisions greater than one year of salary.
There were several changes involving the Voluntary Pre-K program regarding reporting and paperwork.
School Districts were authorized to use part of the District’s 1.75 mill levy for enterprise resource software applications that are classified as capital assets.
If you are interested in the actual final Committee Report, Budget, or School District Budget runs, below are the links.
Special Session A (2009)
1. Conference Committee Report (Full Budget)
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/senate/appbills/pdf/confreprt09A.pdf
2. Conference Committee Report (SB 6A, EDU Implementing Bill)
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/Senate/bills/amendments_Com/pdf/sb0006Ac2873898.pdf
3. FEFP Runs Following 2009-A
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/Senate/bills/amendments_Com/pdf/sb0006Ac2873898.pdf
Monday, March 2, 2009
Let’s Restore the Civic Mission of Florida’s Public Schools
By Chris Straton, President – League of Women Voters of Collier County
Remember when you learned about Government in school? Remember when Citizenship was an important part of your education? In today’s classrooms, Civics does not have the same importance that it used to. Many say our schools “teach to the test,” and it seems that classroom time has become so focused on the subjects covered by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (Reading, Writing, Math and Science) that little time is left for basic civics.
It’s not for lack of intent. Florida’s “required instruction statute” (FS 1003.42) states that all schools must teach about the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution with emphasis on the Bill of Rights and the structure of our government;, the elements of civil government, including the primary functions of and interrelationships between the Federal Government, the state, and its counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts; the history of the United States; and much, much more. In fact, of the twenty specific provisions mandated by the statute, fully fifteen are related to Social Studies. None relate to Reading, Math, or Writing. Only fleeting reference is made to Science.
Yet despite the intent, our citizens are woefully lacking in basic civics knowledge. National surveys have revealed that 22% of Americans think the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat and Independent, and that over one third of Americans cannot identify even one of the branches of government. A December 2005 survey conducted by the Florida Bar reflected similar findings. A September 2006 national survey found that only a little more than half of Americans believe the President of the United States must follow the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.[1] (The three branches of government are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The President is not above the law; he/she must following the rulings of the Supreme Court.)
Florida does nothing to determine how well our schools prepare students for the only job they will all have in life – that of citizen. Civics educators have been asking both the Commissioner of Education and the legislature to enact a statewide accountability system for Social Studies since the early 1980s. Among ten southern states, only Florida and North Carolina lack such a program. At the national level, Civics and United States History – unlike Reading, Writing, Math and Science – lack state comparative analysis on student performance. Since no state – or in the case of Florida, no county – has ever been held accountable for its civic and historical educational mission, both subjects have lost tremendous instructional time and emphasis. For example, a survey of over 1600 Florida elementary teachers conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship in the fall of 2008 revealed that almost nine of ten instructors reported teaching social studies for less than two hours per week!
During the 2006 legislative session, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause successfully inserted a requirement for a semester of Civics Education into the middle school curriculum. But efforts to mandate student performance standards in Civics Education failed in the 2007 session as, unfortunately, the bill also included the establishment of a Civics Education institute that demanded funds in tight budget years.[2] Similarly, efforts introduced in 2008 to enhance Civics Education were unsuccessful, and while legislation has again been introduced, the outlook for 2009 is equally bleak.
The League of Women Voters of Collier County invites the public to learn more about the state of Civics Education in today’s curriculum, and to consider what it should be. On March 16, our speaker will be Jack Bovee, Social Studies Coordinator for the Collier County Public Schools, who is an advocate for teaching more Civics in the classroom and a contributor to this commentary. Our program will be held twice for the convenience of the community: at 1 PM at the Collier Athletic Club and at 7 PM at the Olde Cypress Clubhouse. The program is offered free of charge, although tax-deductible contributions to help defray expenses will be appreciated. For reservations or more information, please call the League at 263-4656 or email lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org.
[1] http://www.flrea.org/reports/FLREAPowerpoint.ppt
[2] Study and Action 2007 – 2009: A Guide to Public Policy Positions, the League of Women Voters of Florida, p. 30.
Remember when you learned about Government in school? Remember when Citizenship was an important part of your education? In today’s classrooms, Civics does not have the same importance that it used to. Many say our schools “teach to the test,” and it seems that classroom time has become so focused on the subjects covered by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (Reading, Writing, Math and Science) that little time is left for basic civics.
It’s not for lack of intent. Florida’s “required instruction statute” (FS 1003.42) states that all schools must teach about the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution with emphasis on the Bill of Rights and the structure of our government;, the elements of civil government, including the primary functions of and interrelationships between the Federal Government, the state, and its counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts; the history of the United States; and much, much more. In fact, of the twenty specific provisions mandated by the statute, fully fifteen are related to Social Studies. None relate to Reading, Math, or Writing. Only fleeting reference is made to Science.
Yet despite the intent, our citizens are woefully lacking in basic civics knowledge. National surveys have revealed that 22% of Americans think the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat and Independent, and that over one third of Americans cannot identify even one of the branches of government. A December 2005 survey conducted by the Florida Bar reflected similar findings. A September 2006 national survey found that only a little more than half of Americans believe the President of the United States must follow the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.[1] (The three branches of government are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The President is not above the law; he/she must following the rulings of the Supreme Court.)
Florida does nothing to determine how well our schools prepare students for the only job they will all have in life – that of citizen. Civics educators have been asking both the Commissioner of Education and the legislature to enact a statewide accountability system for Social Studies since the early 1980s. Among ten southern states, only Florida and North Carolina lack such a program. At the national level, Civics and United States History – unlike Reading, Writing, Math and Science – lack state comparative analysis on student performance. Since no state – or in the case of Florida, no county – has ever been held accountable for its civic and historical educational mission, both subjects have lost tremendous instructional time and emphasis. For example, a survey of over 1600 Florida elementary teachers conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship in the fall of 2008 revealed that almost nine of ten instructors reported teaching social studies for less than two hours per week!
During the 2006 legislative session, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause successfully inserted a requirement for a semester of Civics Education into the middle school curriculum. But efforts to mandate student performance standards in Civics Education failed in the 2007 session as, unfortunately, the bill also included the establishment of a Civics Education institute that demanded funds in tight budget years.[2] Similarly, efforts introduced in 2008 to enhance Civics Education were unsuccessful, and while legislation has again been introduced, the outlook for 2009 is equally bleak.
The League of Women Voters of Collier County invites the public to learn more about the state of Civics Education in today’s curriculum, and to consider what it should be. On March 16, our speaker will be Jack Bovee, Social Studies Coordinator for the Collier County Public Schools, who is an advocate for teaching more Civics in the classroom and a contributor to this commentary. Our program will be held twice for the convenience of the community: at 1 PM at the Collier Athletic Club and at 7 PM at the Olde Cypress Clubhouse. The program is offered free of charge, although tax-deductible contributions to help defray expenses will be appreciated. For reservations or more information, please call the League at 263-4656 or email lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org.
[1] http://www.flrea.org/reports/FLREAPowerpoint.ppt
[2] Study and Action 2007 – 2009: A Guide to Public Policy Positions, the League of Women Voters of Florida, p. 30.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Tips for Communicating with Elected Officials
Tips On Telephoning Your Elected Representatives
To find your U.S. senators' and representative's phone numbers, you may use our searchable online congressional directory or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.
To find your Florida senators and representatives, you should go to Online Sunshine then click on the appropriate chamber then go to "Member's" Pages.
Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
After identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message, such as: "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)."
You will also want to state reasons for your support or opposition to the bill. Ask for your senators' or representative's position on the bill. ________________________________________
Tips On Writing Legislators
The letter is the most popular choice of communication with legislators. If you decide to write a letter, this list of helpful suggestions will improve the effectiveness of the letter:
1. Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H. R. ____, Senate bill: S.____.
2. Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.
3. Address only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep the letter to one page.
Addressing Correspondence to Congress:
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
Note: When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as:
Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairwoman:
or Dear Mr. Speaker:
________________________________________
Tips On E-mailing Florida Legislators
Generally, the same guidelines apply as with writing letters to Congress. You may find and e-mail your senators and representative directly from the Online Sunshine site.
To find your U.S. senators' and representative's phone numbers, you may use our searchable online congressional directory or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.
To find your Florida senators and representatives, you should go to Online Sunshine then click on the appropriate chamber then go to "Member's" Pages.
Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
After identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message, such as: "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)."
You will also want to state reasons for your support or opposition to the bill. Ask for your senators' or representative's position on the bill. ________________________________________
Tips On Writing Legislators
The letter is the most popular choice of communication with legislators. If you decide to write a letter, this list of helpful suggestions will improve the effectiveness of the letter:
1. Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H. R. ____, Senate bill: S.____.
2. Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.
3. Address only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep the letter to one page.
Addressing Correspondence to Congress:
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
Note: When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as:
Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairwoman:
or Dear Mr. Speaker:
________________________________________
Tips On E-mailing Florida Legislators
Generally, the same guidelines apply as with writing letters to Congress. You may find and e-mail your senators and representative directly from the Online Sunshine site.
Policymakers Fail Test on Civics: Jason Caros
February 04, 2007
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
By JASON CAROS FLORIDA VOICE
One of the highest and most valuable objects to which the influence of a school can be made conducive consists in training our children in self-government.
-- Horace Mann
For a number of years now educators across America have been engaged in a concentrated effort to improve student reading proficiency, and rightly so. Reading is a gateway to the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of student success. Educators and policymakers must continue to focus their efforts in this area; however, they must simultaneously work in earnest to bolster another type of student literacy -- civic literacy.
Civics refers to the preparation students receive in order to understand and appreciate the important rights and responsibilities they have as citizens of the United States. Civic instruction has been, since the beginning of our history, an educational priority as recorded by George Washington in his final State of the Union address in 1796: "A primary object . . . should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing . . . than communicating it to those who are guardians of the liberties of the country?"
Is civics a priority today? Civic preparation should be fostered throughout a student's education and in a variety of classes but the predominant place for this instruction is in the area of social studies where students learn history, civics and government, geography and economics.
In a recent survey report produced by The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and prepared by Dr. Patrick Coggins of Stetson University, approximately 1,800 elementary teachers from around the state were polled about Social Studies instruction and it was found that 68 percent teach social studies for two hours or less per week and only 2.5 percent teach social studies five hours per week (compare this to 7.5 hours of weekly required reading instruction). What does this mean for the "experiment in democracy" we call The United States?
De-emphasizing civics and history at the elementary level has important ramifications. Civics instruction in the elementary grades involves essential foundational learning. In order for students to acquire the civic skills and dispositions commensurate with a responsible citizenry they must first absorb essential civic knowledge. If neglected in the elementary grades, civic education begins at the secondary level in a remedial manner, often times preventing students from completing the step-by-step process that should culminate in high school with students engaging in more advanced civic discourse and activity.
This lack of instruction and learning contributes to the general civic ignorance and apathy prevalent in our culture today. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes that many Americans have no clue about the most fundamental historical knowledge or principles our nation was founded on. Connected to this is the fact that civic participation is strikingly low. For example, in the results of the most recent national assessment of U.S. students on history and civics, via a test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, it was found that 73 percent of fourth-graders could not identify the Constitution from among four choices as "the document that contains the basic rules used to run the United States government." Ninety-four percent of students in eighth grade could not give two reasons why it can be useful for a country to have a constitution; and 91 percent of students in grade 12 were unable to explain two ways that democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.
In a 2005 University of Central Florida survey of more than 1,600 central Floridians, two-thirds of respondents could not name our state's two U.S. senators, both of whom reside in Central Florida, and Florida's voter turnout for the 2006 general election was a disappointing 46.8 percent, about 20 percent less than the average between 1954 and 2004.
When looking at statistics of youth participation in voting at the national level, one will find that voting among 18- to 24-year-olds has decreased 12 percentage points since the 1970s, and in comparison to the rest of the industrialized and democratic world, the United States has the lowest voter turnout of all nations.
It should go without saying that civic education is at the heart of democratic instructional endeavors. The reality is, though, that civics needs resuscitation at the elementary level and therapy at the secondary level. We have many wonderful teachers at all levels fighting the good fight, but there are too many gaps in our current system.
In a bipartisan effort to help improve civic education in Florida, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey recently presented Gov. Charlie Crist, state legislators, members of the Department of Education and educational organizations with a report entitled, "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens." It is my sincere hope that this report will lead to constructive dialogue and action that will strengthen civic education in our state. Florida's future depends on it.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
"Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a joint report from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida, offers recommendation, listed below, for making civic education a priority . Tell us what you think. Write to Ideas/Civics, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL., 32120-2831; fax 386-258-1577, or e-mail letters@news-jrnl.com (place "civics" in the subject line):
· Make civic education an integral part of our public school curriculum: Florida's current learning standards treat civics as an afterthought. We must utilize the scheduled 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards in Social Studies to update and strengthen those guidelines so that schools give students all of the skills they need to be effective citizens.
· Test civics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: Florida currently examines students on reading, writing, mathematics, and science --in short, every core academic subject but civics and social studies. Without assessment and accountability, civics will remain under-emphasized. We must add civics knowledge and skills to the subjects tested on the FCAT.
· Encourage and support teaching of civics in Florida's K-12 schools: Students will not be transformed into active citizens without teachers who are properly trained and empowered. We must make civics instruction an essential part of teacher education at Florida's colleges and universities and help teachers already in the classroom enhance their civics teaching skills and methods.
· Lead the nation in textbook improvement: Because of its strength in the textbook market, Florida has both an opportunity and a responsibility to improve instructional materials in civics as well as other core subjects. Educational policymakers must make use of Florida's unique influence to update academic standards, build instructional coalitions with other states, and review our own textbook selection process so that students in the state and across the country have the right learning tools.
· Establish a strategic center for Florida citizenship: Civics education is currently championed by a diffuse and independent array of students, parents, educators, elected officials, public policy centers and advocacy organizations. We must establish and fund a center to support and help coordinate these efforts, monitor Florida's civic health, and keep us on track to produce educated and effective citizens.
Caros is president of the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (www.fasss.org) and K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Volusia County Schools. He contributed to the development of "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a report led by Bob Graham and Lou Frey.
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
By JASON CAROS FLORIDA VOICE
One of the highest and most valuable objects to which the influence of a school can be made conducive consists in training our children in self-government.
-- Horace Mann
For a number of years now educators across America have been engaged in a concentrated effort to improve student reading proficiency, and rightly so. Reading is a gateway to the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of student success. Educators and policymakers must continue to focus their efforts in this area; however, they must simultaneously work in earnest to bolster another type of student literacy -- civic literacy.
Civics refers to the preparation students receive in order to understand and appreciate the important rights and responsibilities they have as citizens of the United States. Civic instruction has been, since the beginning of our history, an educational priority as recorded by George Washington in his final State of the Union address in 1796: "A primary object . . . should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing . . . than communicating it to those who are guardians of the liberties of the country?"
Is civics a priority today? Civic preparation should be fostered throughout a student's education and in a variety of classes but the predominant place for this instruction is in the area of social studies where students learn history, civics and government, geography and economics.
In a recent survey report produced by The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and prepared by Dr. Patrick Coggins of Stetson University, approximately 1,800 elementary teachers from around the state were polled about Social Studies instruction and it was found that 68 percent teach social studies for two hours or less per week and only 2.5 percent teach social studies five hours per week (compare this to 7.5 hours of weekly required reading instruction). What does this mean for the "experiment in democracy" we call The United States?
De-emphasizing civics and history at the elementary level has important ramifications. Civics instruction in the elementary grades involves essential foundational learning. In order for students to acquire the civic skills and dispositions commensurate with a responsible citizenry they must first absorb essential civic knowledge. If neglected in the elementary grades, civic education begins at the secondary level in a remedial manner, often times preventing students from completing the step-by-step process that should culminate in high school with students engaging in more advanced civic discourse and activity.
This lack of instruction and learning contributes to the general civic ignorance and apathy prevalent in our culture today. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes that many Americans have no clue about the most fundamental historical knowledge or principles our nation was founded on. Connected to this is the fact that civic participation is strikingly low. For example, in the results of the most recent national assessment of U.S. students on history and civics, via a test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, it was found that 73 percent of fourth-graders could not identify the Constitution from among four choices as "the document that contains the basic rules used to run the United States government." Ninety-four percent of students in eighth grade could not give two reasons why it can be useful for a country to have a constitution; and 91 percent of students in grade 12 were unable to explain two ways that democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.
In a 2005 University of Central Florida survey of more than 1,600 central Floridians, two-thirds of respondents could not name our state's two U.S. senators, both of whom reside in Central Florida, and Florida's voter turnout for the 2006 general election was a disappointing 46.8 percent, about 20 percent less than the average between 1954 and 2004.
When looking at statistics of youth participation in voting at the national level, one will find that voting among 18- to 24-year-olds has decreased 12 percentage points since the 1970s, and in comparison to the rest of the industrialized and democratic world, the United States has the lowest voter turnout of all nations.
It should go without saying that civic education is at the heart of democratic instructional endeavors. The reality is, though, that civics needs resuscitation at the elementary level and therapy at the secondary level. We have many wonderful teachers at all levels fighting the good fight, but there are too many gaps in our current system.
In a bipartisan effort to help improve civic education in Florida, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey recently presented Gov. Charlie Crist, state legislators, members of the Department of Education and educational organizations with a report entitled, "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens." It is my sincere hope that this report will lead to constructive dialogue and action that will strengthen civic education in our state. Florida's future depends on it.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
"Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a joint report from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida, offers recommendation, listed below, for making civic education a priority . Tell us what you think. Write to Ideas/Civics, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL., 32120-2831; fax 386-258-1577, or e-mail letters@news-jrnl.com (place "civics" in the subject line):
· Make civic education an integral part of our public school curriculum: Florida's current learning standards treat civics as an afterthought. We must utilize the scheduled 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards in Social Studies to update and strengthen those guidelines so that schools give students all of the skills they need to be effective citizens.
· Test civics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: Florida currently examines students on reading, writing, mathematics, and science --in short, every core academic subject but civics and social studies. Without assessment and accountability, civics will remain under-emphasized. We must add civics knowledge and skills to the subjects tested on the FCAT.
· Encourage and support teaching of civics in Florida's K-12 schools: Students will not be transformed into active citizens without teachers who are properly trained and empowered. We must make civics instruction an essential part of teacher education at Florida's colleges and universities and help teachers already in the classroom enhance their civics teaching skills and methods.
· Lead the nation in textbook improvement: Because of its strength in the textbook market, Florida has both an opportunity and a responsibility to improve instructional materials in civics as well as other core subjects. Educational policymakers must make use of Florida's unique influence to update academic standards, build instructional coalitions with other states, and review our own textbook selection process so that students in the state and across the country have the right learning tools.
· Establish a strategic center for Florida citizenship: Civics education is currently championed by a diffuse and independent array of students, parents, educators, elected officials, public policy centers and advocacy organizations. We must establish and fund a center to support and help coordinate these efforts, monitor Florida's civic health, and keep us on track to produce educated and effective citizens.
Caros is president of the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (www.fasss.org) and K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Volusia County Schools. He contributed to the development of "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a report led by Bob Graham and Lou Frey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
