FASSS-FCSS Legislative News

More Florida High Schools Earn A's While FCATs Fade

2012-01-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

By: KENRIC WARD
Sunshine State News January 14, 2012

More Florida high schools are earning A's and B's while only 39 percent of 10th-graders are reading at or above proficiency levels on the state's FCAT exam, Department of Education records show. Some 78 percent of high schools scored either an A or B grade in 2011, up from 71 percent last year. A-rated schools receive financial awards from the state of up to $150,000 per campus.

Yet high school students' academic competence is flat or falling. The 39 percent of students reading at or above Level 3 "proficiency" was the same as it was in 2010. Though math scores were better -- 71 percent of 10th-graders were "proficient" -- that was down 2 points from 2010.

The 2011 high school grades were boosted by a new formula that factors in more than scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Graduation rates, as well as participation and performance in advanced-placement courses, now count toward a school's grade.

The FCAT writing battery, where 90 percent of students score at or above the "proficient" level, helps pad the scores.

"Reading and math scores may not improve. In fact, they can decline, but a school can still improve its score by achieving growth in the other benchmarks," said Jason Caros, president of the Florida Council of the Social Studies.

Amid indications of campus grade inflation, the state Board of Education last month voted to raise the "cut scores" that determine which pupils are passing and which are failing. It was the first time in a decade that the state approved tougher standards.

The state expects that many more students will be required to take remedial lessons as a result of the higher score requirement, which first applies to the class of 2014. The new system will kick in with exams taken this coming spring.

Amber Winkler, a senior researcher for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said, "Florida should be lauded for raising its cut scores. Too many states are content to rest on their laurels, but Florida keeps raising the bar.

"Raising expectations now becomes even more important since Florida plans to implement new Common Core standards in 2015 -- which will require even more of students. There has to be continued pressure on the system to improve," Winkler said.

Meantime, the state Board of Education took another step to thin the herd of A-rated schools. Currently, a school must earn 525 points or more (on an 800-point scale) to earn an A grade. A final level hasn't been determined yet, but beginning in 2012-2013, if, for example, 75 percent of Florida’s high schools earn an A, an "automatic trigger" would raise the minimum threshold to 560 points the next year.

Jaryn Emhof, spokeswoman at Jeb Bush's education-reform think tank, Foundation for Florida's Future, hailed the state's moves. "The foundation has said standards need to be raised across the board," Emhof said.

Caros, an educator in Volusia County, says poor reading skills at middle schools and high schools are "a byproduct of the failure to teach core knowledge" in early grades. "Much of the reading elementary students engage in at school is fiction. While fiction is certainly important, a 2006 Stanford University study found that Florida’s failure to emphasize 'the acquisition of appropriate knowledge at each grade level' made comprehension of nonfiction texts very difficult for middle and high school students," Caros writes in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of the James Madison Institute.

Citing one example, Caros asks: "Why would it be bad for someone to meet their Waterloo?" Without broad background knowledge, readers will find it difficult to make sense of the many historical and literary allusions that appear in readings," Caros says in his article, "Why Johnny Can't Understand What He Reads."

Still, many teachers and administrators bridle at the tougher, upcoming cut scores. Maintaining that academic deficiencies begin at the lower grade levels, high schools are particularly concerned.

Orange County School District Superintendent Ron Blocker told the Orlando Sentinel, "There will be blood on the table."

"Adding more focus to an already flawed assessment process will not result in real learning gains in reading," Caros predicted in an article written for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

But DOE Commissioner Gerard Robinson says the new standards will put high school students "on a pathway for colleges and careers in a far better way than we've ever seen before."

State officials say the whole testing system is being reformed as Florida replaces FCAT math, reading and writing exams with new “common core” exams in 2015.

Developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a consortium of states that won federal Race to the Top funds, the new exams will likely include two tests per subject.

It is not yet known how the "PARCC" tests will stack up against FCAT, but education observers point out that continual changes in test regimens thwart any longitudinal, apples-to-apples comparisons. Skeptics say that's exactly the intent and objective.

Whatever assessment devices and scoring systems Florida uses, Bill Mattox, resident fellow at James Madison Institute, says, "We ought to be raising the bar, not lowering it. Hold everyone -- students, teachers, parents -- to higher standards."

Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/more-florida-high-schools-earn-a-while-fcats-fade

Ruling on ethnic students program splits Arizona community

2012-01-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ruling on ethnic students program splits Arizona community
By Casey Stegall January 14, 2012

Years ago, many urban school districts around the country created ethnic studies programs in an effort to help minority students succeed in the classroom and learn about their heritage. The Tucson Unified School District in Arizona was no exception, considering about 61 percent of
the student population there is Hispanic.

The courses first started being offered a little more than ten years ago but top education officials in the state say the program has spiraled out of control in recent years because of failed oversight.

Now the issue has a community divided. John Huppenthal, Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, says somehow the district's "Mexican-American Studies Program" went rogue because the curriculum, lesson plans and textbooks stopped being approved by the school board at some point.

The state's top school chief says that makes it in violation of state law because all materials being taught in Arizona classrooms must get the local board's seal of approval. In fact, his office launched an investigation that found that erroneous facts were being taught to the students and the classes promoted "racial resentment."

"We have no problem with a history class talking about historical injustices. It becomes problematic though when you take every historic event and you interpret it in racial terms, in a radical context and you use that to inflame a low income Hispanic minority against a white Caucasian majority. Then you're not talking about injustice. You're not talking about how each of us has individual rights and responsibilities for a better future. Now you're talking about getting even," Huppenthol told Fox News.

An administrative law judge in Arizona, Lewis Kowal, agreed with the investigation findings. The judge says teachers were presenting material in a biased, political and emotionally charged manner.

Kowal's 37 page ruling went on to say the course was "designed for Latinos as a group that promoted racial resentment against 'Whites' and advocates ethnic solidarity of Latinos." After
these statements were made, state education officials threatened to suspend millions of dollars in funding to the district unless the problem was fixed.

Supporters of the program have maintained the state's findings are bogus. They argue the classes are vital in teaching children about Chicano history, literature and social and justice. Teachers say they're insulted by the mere suggestion that they're promoting racism and students tell Fox the classes actually help them excel in their other mandated courses.

"We have the right to culture, history, affinity, language and education. We want an educational system where all cultures fit. Unidos we stand, divided we fall," one student says of the program.
The issue came to a head this week when the Tucson Unified School Board voted 4-1 to halt the ethnic studies classes for the time being. TUSD's Superintendent, John Pedicone, says ethnic studies teachers are already reverting to core curriculum. The courses are gone but the epartment still remains as the district works on creating new classes that will combine core curriculum and some ethnic studies lessons, all in compliance with Arizona law.

Hundreds of students, parents and teachers are outraged over the school board's decision and there were some tense moments at the meeting. "You're an autonomous board. You can
appeal this decision… this racist decision… this ignorant decision that was made by the state. Do the right thing! Stand up for something they way I was taught. That if I go and stand for something I'm going to fall for anything.

That's what you should have to do! That's what you need to do!" one teacher yelled.

More than 100 students also staged a march this week, walking from their charter school to TUSD headquarters in protest. A legal fight is already underway because of a federal lawsuit that was filed prior to this vote. Richard Martinez is a Tucson attorney representing the plaintiffs who says the state law could very well be a violation of the teachers' First Amendment rights. The American Civil Liberties Union has also expressed interest in helping appeal the school board’s decision. Supporters of Tucson's ethnic studies program say they're not going down without a fight and the issue certainly isn’t going away anytime soon.

To be continued . . . .

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/14/ruling-on-ethnic-students-program-splits-arizona-community/#ixzz1jUHEdkvO

2011-11-15T17:45:00.001-08:00

The following information is presented here as an information service to our members only. We neither endorse nor oppose the views of this particular group, but seek merely to inform social studies teachers of the current controversy concerning many of our most popular texts. Act for America is the not-for-profit organization managed by Brigitte Gabriel. (the Editors)

Textbook Analysis Project Coming Soon!
click here to download article for better viewing.

We have received a lot of emails asking when our textbook analysis project will be completed. If you’re not aware of this, 18 months ago we launched an in-depth analysis of thirty-eight 6^th through 12^th grade textbooks, to see how they treated the subject of Islam.
The research has been completed, and what we have found will shock you. The historical falsehoods, bias and other misrepresentations of Islam in these textbooks are egregious and persistent.

We are currently completing the writing and final edits to the report, which will document over 245 errors in these various textbooks.

Here’s a small sample of what we found.

	“In Medina, Muhammad displayed impressive leadership skills. He fashioned an agreement that joined his own people with the Arabs and Jews of Medina as a single community. These groups accepted Muhammad as a political leader. As a religious leader, he drew many more converts, who found his message appealing.”
		McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, World History - Patterns of Interaction, 2007, p.265.

This is patently false. The Jews of Medina rejected Muhammad as a prophet, and as a result he drove two of the Jewish tribes out of Medina and exterminated the third one.

	“Shari’a law requires Muslim leaders to extend religious tolerance to Christians and Jews.”
		McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, World History - Patterns of Interaction, 2007, p.268

This is so preposterous, so lacking historical justification or support within sharia law, one wonders how it ever got into a textbook.

	“The Eastward Expansion of Islam:
		In the early eighth century, Islam became popular in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. …” Glencoe/McGraw Hill, New York World History, 2008, pp.285-286

“Became popular” sounds more like a description of a new dance than what happened to the Hindus of India. Tens of millions of Hindus were slaughtered during the many jihad campaigns launched against it.

Rather than release this report as we enter the holiday season, we have decided to hold off until early next year. At that time we will mail an Executive Summary to every state and local school board member in America—over 70,000 people.

We will then post the Executive Summary and the full report online for downloading, and we will send out national emails with talking points on how to approach your local school board about the findings in this report.

Stay tuned!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ACT! for America Education
P.O. Box 12765
Pensacola, FL 32591
member@americancongressfortruth.org
http://www.actforamericaeducation.com/

2011-10-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

A Third of High School Seniors Lack Basic Grasp of Civics, US Government
Amanda Paulson, Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 2011

America’s students have little knowledge about how the democratic process works—including those on the cusp of voting themselves, according to the most recent results from the Nation’s Report Card.

The civics scores released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) had a few bright spots—particularly for fourth-graders and for Hispanic students. But overall they indicated relatively poor civics knowledge by students at all levels, and particularly among 12th-graders.

Just 24 percent of high school seniors scored at a proficient level or above, a slight drop from the last civics test in 2006, largely driven by declining scores for 12th-grade girls. Just 4 percent of seniors scored at an advanced level, and 36 percent didn’t even reach the most basic level. {snip}

Scores for Hispanic students also increased compared with 1998 for all three grades (fourth, eighth, and 12th), and the white-Hispanic achievement gap narrowed. In eighth grade, the percentage of Hispanic students scoring at proficient has climbed over time from 44 percent in 1998 to 50 percent in 2006 and 56 percent in 2010.

But the gap is still wide for most minority groups. While 37 percent of white fourth-graders performed at or above proficient, for instance, just 12 percent of black students and 10 percent of Hispanic students scored at that level. At the lower end of achievement, the differences are just as stark: 13 percent of white fourth-graders scored below basic, compared with 38 percent of black students and 42 percent of Hispanic students. {snip}

“Studies have shown that African-American and Hispanic students and those not planning to go to college receive fewer effective civics opportunities,” Quigley says. “This is ironic in the fact of abundant evidence that when these students do receive these opportunities, they perform as well as anybody else.”
Original article (Posted on May 5, 2011)

2011-10-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

AMERICAN YOUTH LOSING INTEREST IN HISTORY, CIVICS AND PATRIOTISM.
America Was Great Because We Were Good. Why Is American Greatness Now Fading?
“Failing Liberty 101”
By Walter E. Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University July 13, 2011

A recent Superman comic book has the hero saying, "I am renouncing my U.S. citizenship" because "truth, justice, and the American way -- it's not enough anymore." Though not addressing Superman's statement, Stanford University professor and Hoover Institution senior fellow William Damon explains how such a vision could emerge today but not yesteryear. The explanation is found in his article "American Amnesia," in Defining Ideas (7/1/2011), based upon his most recent book, "Failing Liberty 101: How We Are Leaving Young Americans Unprepared for Citizenship in a Free Society."

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that only 1 in 4 high-school seniors scored at least "proficient" in knowledge of U.S. citizenship. Civics and history were American students' worst subjects. Professor Damon said that for the past 10 years, his Stanford University research team has interviewed broad cross sections of American youths about U.S. citizenship. Here are some typical responses: "We just had (American citizenship) the other day in history. I forget what it was." Another said, "Being American is not really special. ... I don't find being an American citizen very important." Another said, "I don't want to belong to any country. It just feels like you are obligated to this country. I don't like the whole thing of citizen. ... It's like, citizen, no citizen; it doesn't make sense to me. It's, like, to be a good citizen -- I don't know, I don't want to be a citizen. ... It's stupid to me."

A law professor, whom Damon leaves unnamed, shares this vision in a recent book: "Longstanding notions of democratic citizenship are becoming obsolete. ... American identity is unsustainable in the face of globalization." Instead of commitment to a nation-state, "loyalties ... are moving to transnational communities defined by many different ways: by race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, and sexual orientation." This law professor's vision is shared by many educators who look to "global citizenship" as the proper aim of civics instruction, de-emphasizing attachment to any particular country, such as the United States, pointing out that our primary obligation should be to the universal ideals of human rights and justice. To be patriotic to one's own country is seen as suspect because it may turn into a militant chauvinism or a dangerous "my country, right or wrong" vision.

The ignorance about our country is staggering. According to one survey, only 28 percent of students could identify the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Only 26 percent of students knew that the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. Fewer than one-quarter of students knew that George Washington was the first president of the United States. . . .

Discouraging young Americans from identifying with their country and celebrating our traditional American quest for liberty and equal rights removes the most powerful motivation to learn civics and U.S. history. After all, Damon asks, "why would a student exert any effort to master the rules of a system that the student has no respect for and no interest in being part of? To acquire civic knowledge as well as civic virtue, students need to care about their country."
[Dr. Williams then editorialized as to the current state of American politics which was heavily partisan. These comments are not reprinted here.]

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.
From: http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2011/07/13/failing_liberty_101

Radical Mexican La Raza Studies Protest in Tuscon

2011-05-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

For many years FASSS has lobbied Congress on the need for state accountability on how well public schools fulfill their responsibility to instill in our youth essential civic values and historical understanding. The proposal would cost the federal budget as little as $8 million, yet it has languished in the last three Congresses because national historical and social studies groups have not been vocal about the need to pass the legislation. The N.A.E.P. assessment is the most cost-effective way to ensure that these vital subjects are treated equitably because it could be accomplished by simply sampling a larger number of students during the periodic U.S. History and Civics N.A.E.P. assessments. The absence of such accountability permits Mexico to assess how well immigrant students understand Mexican history in the Los Angeles public school system, while the U.S. Dept. of Education has absolutely no understanding what these same students know about American history. Why don't we simply let the Chinese assess how well our students comprehend the benefits of Marxist ideology?

An earthquake took place recently when the Arizona legislature simply tried to make the popular 'La Raza history course' elective, rather than continuing to allow it to serve as a substitute for the more traditional American History course content that would assessed on N.A.E.P. Depriving Mexican students of what some critics have called ‘racist’ history content resulted in many Tucson high school students recently seizing the School Board Meeting Room and calling for the Board to submit to a series of student demands concerning the teaching of ethnic history. As of this writing, it's uncertain which side will win this curriculum battle.

As our nation continues to “Balkanize” in the future, teachers of traditional social studies courses must come to grips on whether or not some state accountability of traditional historical content is desired. Without such a mechanism, it is obvious certain states within our nation will continue to require “ethnic studies” and biased “multi-cultural understandings" in place of mainstream American History content. Florida social studies educators will remember some years ago that then House Education Committee chairwoman Bev Kilmer adamantly opposed a state-wide test for American History or civics using the argument that the courses are taught 'differently' depending upon location. Should current trends continue, the collapse of our nation and culture may certainly be predicted.

Jack Bovee is a retired social studies educator and former chair of the FASSS-FCSS Legislative Committee.

Tuscon District in Turmoil Over State Ban on Ethnic Studies Lourdes Medrano, Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 2011

{snip} Hundreds of people converged Tuesday on the Tucson Unified School District headquarters to hear the governing board discuss possible changes to the district’s Mexican-American history and culture program.

Following a raucous four-hour meeting punctuated by the removal of several people from the boardroom and loud protests from the crowd, the board postponed taking action until after it convenes a public forum on the matter.

The law in question, which took effect Jan. 1 and is known as HB 2281, bans ethnic studies that promote the overthrow of the United States government and resentment toward a race or class of people. Also outlawed are classes designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group and those that advocate ethnic solidarity rather than the treatment of students as individuals.

Tom Horne drafted the law when he was superintendent of Arizona schools. Just before he stepped down from that post to become the state’s attorney general, he found the Tucson district’s classes out of compliance with the law. The district could lose millions of dollars in funding.

The new Arizona schools superintendent, John Huppenthal, is expected to rule on whether the Tucson district’s Mexican American Studies program is in compliance with HB 2281.

In the meantime, the Tucson district has proposed changing the program. Currently, Mexican-American courses can help satisfy the social-studies requirement for graduation (although students don’t have to take the courses to fulfill the requirement). Under the proposal, the Mexican-American classes would not count toward the social-studies requirement and would instead be electives. Six-and-a-half elective credits are needed for graduation. {snip}

At the meeting Tuesday, Sean Arce, director of Mexican American Studies, told board members that making the courses elective would essentially kill the program. The move would eliminate student incentive to enroll in the classes, he said {snip}
Dozens of police, some in riot gear, surrounded the building where the meeting (which included an overflow crowd) took place. A police helicopter even hovered above. Before the start of another meeting last week, when the matter was originally supposed to be taken up, youths had chained themselves to board members’ chairs. That session was canceled.

{snip} Original article (Posted on May 5, 2011)
View the student takeover of the School Board at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXPkzMsKacc (3m54s)

More information follows:

Angry ‘Raza Studies’ Mob Shuts Down Tucson School Board Meeting (W/Video)
Dave Gibson, Examiner, April 28, 2011

A mob of both students and adults angry over the impending vote by the Tucson school board to make Raza studies or Mexican-American studies an elective, rather than forcing children to take the race-based curriculum rushed into the meeting room, chaining themselves to chairs.

Police simply stood by and watched as the loud mob took-over the room and refused to leave. {snip}

One of the textbooks they use is titled “Occupied America,” which was written by Rodolfo Acuña and includes a speech given by activist and university professor Jose Angel Gutierrez in which he says: “We have got to eliminate the gringo, and what I mean by that is if the worst comes to the worst, we have got to kill him,” (pg. 323).
The book also talks about the need for Mexico to re-take seven states in the Southwestern United States.

The following rather shocking quotes are taken directly from Occupied America (pg. 167):
“Supporters would execute all white males over age 16,” (also known as the Plan of San Diego).
“The Southwest would become a Chicano nation.” {snip}
See video of the protest at: YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXPkzMsKacc (3m54s)

José Ángel Gutiérrez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The neutrality of this article's title, subject matter, and/or the title's implications, is disputed.

This is a dispute over the neutrality of viewpoints or other implications of the title, or the subject matter within its scope, rather than the actual facts stated. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (May 2010)

José Angel Gutiérrez, is an attorney and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the United States. He was a founding member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in San Antonio in 1967, and a founding member and past president of the Raza Unida Party, a Mexican-American third party movement that supported candidates for elective office in Texas, California, and other areas of the Southwestern and Midwestern United States.

Education
Gutiérrez is a 1962 graduate of Crystal City High School in Crystal City, Texas and served in the U.S. Army. He has also earned degrees from Texas A&M University–Kingsville (B.A. 1966), St. Mary's University in San Antonio), the University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D. 1976) and the University of Houston Law Center (J.D. 1988). He has done postdoctoral work at Stanford University, Colegio de México, University of Washington, and Centro de Estudios Económicos y Sociales del Tercer Mundo in Mexico City, Mexico.

Academic career
After the fall of La Raza Unida Party, Gutierrez moved to Oregon in 1980 where he taught at Colegio Cesar Chavez in Mt. Angel for a year and then at Western Oregon University in Monmouth from 1981–1985, where he also served as Director of Minority Student Services. In 1984 he unsuccessfully ran for Oregon State Representative. He was also very active in social service projects serving as Director of the Hispanic Services Project for the United Way of the Columbia, Willamette, Portland area and Executive Director of the Commission on Economic Development Subcommittee of the National Catholic Conference's Campaign for Human Development. In 1986, he left Oregon and returned to Texas to attend law school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas before transferring to the University of Houston.

He founded the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1994 and served as its Director until December 1996, at which time he became the Special Advisor to the President of the university until December 1998.

Controversial Statements
In an interview with In Search of Aztlán on August 8, 1999, Gutierrez stated, in response to claims that the concept of Aztlán supports the Reconquista of the American Southwest, that:
"We’re the only ethnic group in America that has been dismembered. We didn't migrate here or immigrate here voluntarily. The United States came to us in succeeding waves of invasions. We are a captive people, in a sense, a hostage people. It is our political destiny and our right to self-determination to want to have our homeland [back]. Whether they like it or not is immaterial. If they call us radicals or subversives or separatists, that’s they're problem. This is our home, and this is our homeland, and we are entitled to it. We are the host. Everyone else is a guest."[1]

He further stated that:
"It is not our fault that whites don’t make babies, and blacks are not growing in sufficient numbers, and there’s no other groups with such a goal to put their homeland back together again. We do. Those numbers will make it possible. I believe that in the next few years, we will see an irredentists movement, beyond assimilation, beyond integration, beyond separatism, to putting Mexico back together as one. That's irridentism. One Mexico, one nation."[1]

In an interview with the Star-Telegram in October 2000, Gutierrez stated that many recent Mexican immigrants "want to recreate all of Mexico and join all of Mexico into one...even if it's just demographically... They are going to have political sovereignty over the Southwest and many parts of the Midwest." [2]

In a videotape made by the Immigration Watchdog Web site (as cited in the Washington Post), Gutierrez is quoted as saying:
"We are millions. We just have to survive. We have an aging white America. They are not making babies. They are dying. It's a matter of time. The explosion is in our population."[3]

In a subsequent interview, Gutierrez said there was "no viable" reconquista movement and blamed interest in the issue on closed-border groups and "right-wing blogs."[3]

Public service
He has been elected and appointed to public office since 1970. He has served as an elected Trustee and President of the Crystal City Independent School District (1970–1973), Urban Renewal Commissioner for Crystal City, Texas (1970–1972), County Judge for Zavala County, Texas (1974–1978, re-elected 1978-1981), Commissioner for the Oregon Commission on International Trade (1983–1985), Administrative Law Judge for the City of Dallas, Texas, and member of the Dallas Ethics Commission (1999–2000).

Publications
His book publications include El Político: The Mexican American Elected Official (El Paso: Mictla Publications, 1972); A Gringo Manual on How to Handle Mexicans (Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico: Imprenta Velasco Burkhardt, 1974); A War of Words (co-authored) (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1985); The Making of a Chicano Militant: Lessons from Cristal (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998); and translator of Reies López Tijerina, They Called Me "King Tiger": My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2000); a revised and expanded edition of A Gringo Manual on How to Handle Mexicans (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2001); Chicano Manual on How to Handle Gringos (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2003); We Won't Back Down: Severita Lara's Rise from Student Leader to Mayor (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2005); and Making of a Civil Rights Leader (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2005).

He also has written several articles and chapters over the years, the most recent being "Chicano Music: The Politics and Evolution to 1950", for an anthology edited by Lawrence Clayton for Texas A & M University Press, forthcoming; "Binacionalismo en el siglo XXI: Chicanos y mexicanos en los Estados Unidos", Fondo Editorial Huaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico, forthcoming; "Experiences of Chicana County Judges in Texas Politics: In Their Own Words", Frontiers: A Journal of Women's Studies, 20:1, Spring 1999; and, "Los dos Mexicos", Extensiones: Revista Interdisciplinaria de la Universidad Intercontinental, Mexico D.F., Mexico 4:1 y 2. 1997. Gutierrez organized and conducted most of the interviews for the oral history project Tejano Voices at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Honors
Gutiérrez has received many honors including being named as one of the "100 Outstanding Latino Texans of the 20th Century" by Latino Monthly, January 2000, and "Distinguished Texas Hispanic by Texas Hispanic Magazine, October 1996. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education in June 1995, and the National Council of La Raza's Chicano Hero Award in 1994.

A Third off High School Seniors Lack Basic Grasp off Civics, US Government

2011-05-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Amanda Paulson, Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 2011

America’s students have little knowledge about how the democratic process works—including those on the cusp of voting themselves, according to the most recent results from the Nation’s Report Card.

The civics scores released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) had a few bright spots—particularly for fourth-graders and for Hispanic students. But overall they indicated relatively poor civics knowledge by students at all levels, and particularly among 12th-graders.

Just 24 percent of high school seniors scored at a proficient level or above, a slight drop from the last civics test in 2006, largely driven by declining scores for 12th-grade girls. Just 4 percent of seniors scored at an advanced level, and 36 percent didn’t even reach the most basic level. {snip}

Scores for Hispanic students also increased compared with 1998 for all three grades (fourth, eighth, and 12th), and the white-Hispanic achievement gap narrowed. In eighth grade, the percentage of Hispanic students scoring at proficient has climbed over time from 44 percent in 1998 to 50 percent in 2006 and 56 percent in 2010.
But the gap is still wide for most minority groups. While 37 percent of white fourth-graders performed at or above proficient, for instance, just 12 percent of black students and 10 percent of Hispanic students scored at that level. At the lower end of achievement, the differences are just as stark: 13 percent of white fourth-graders scored below basic, compared with 38 percent of black students and 42 percent of Hispanic students. {snip}

“Studies have shown that African-American and Hispanic students and those not planning to go to college receive fewer effective civics opportunities,” Quigley says. “This is ironic in the fact of abundant evidence that when these students do receive these opportunities, they perform as well as anybody else.”

Original article (Posted on May 5, 2011)

Governor Signs Civics Bill

2010-05-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

URGENT APPEAL FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION

2010-04-28T09:29:00.001-07:00

Forwarded by Elizabeth Smith, Manatee County

As you know, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently released his plan for revising the Elementary & Secondary Education Act, called A Blueprint for Reform. Unfortunately, the Blueprint failed to list geography as an enumerated discipline in its public definition of a “well-rounded” education. This omission is troubling—especially since No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”) set an important precedent by recognizing geography as a “core academic subject.” TGIF aims to correct the oversight that leaves geography as the only one of the nine core subjects under NCLB not to have received designated federal funding since NCLB went into effect in 2002.

We here at National Geographic view the omission of geography from the Blueprint as an oversight, particularly because geography was included in President Obama’s FY11 budget, and the Administration has expressed a commitment to environmental sustainability and global citizenship. However, we simply cannot trust that geography will have a strong future without our vocal support. Now is the time to take two key steps to highlight the importance of geographic literacy. Both steps depend on you acting this week (April 19-23).

(1) Write to Secretary Duncan

Please modify the attached letter and email it directly to Secretary Duncan. As the authors of the Blueprint, he and Assistant Secretary for Policy Carmel Martin need to hear from the constituency for geographic literacy. We need you to send your email this week (April 19-23).

(2) Get Your Steering Committee and “Go-To” TCs to Write Congress

Please also contact all the members of your Steering Committee—and identify 10-20 additional key TCs—and direct them to modify and send the attached language via email to their respective congressional delegations by next week (April 26-30) or earlier.

This tightly-timed two-week push will coincide with the period that key leaders will be debating what to include in education reform. During this time, it is critical that Members of Congress hear from the Alliance Network that geography must be “put back on the map.”

Your Liaisons will be in touch this week to answer any questions you may have and I am always available. Please make this a priority—I will be visiting the Hill personally over the next week to ensure TGIF’s champions that we are doing all we can to push the bill and they will need to cite your Alliance’s emails as proof of a groundswell of support as they, in turn, speak to their colleagues and to key education committee members.

Thanks again for all you are doing!

Sincerely,

Chris Shearer

* * * *

Sample email to Arne Duncan
From Alliance Coordinators

During the week of April 19-23, please modify the email below to reflect your name, Alliance affiliation, and passion for geography education, and email it to: arne.duncan@ed.gov with a “CC” to carmel.martin@ed.gov

Dear Secretary Duncan:

As a geography educator from [State], I was very concerned to learn that your recent “Blueprint for Reform” of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act did not include geography as an enumerated discipline in the public definition of a “well-rounded” curriculum.

For years now, geography has been recognized by “No Child Left Behind,” and its predecessors, as a core academic subject essential for preparing students for careers, college, and citizenship. Unfortunately, an oversight has left geography as the only core subject not to receive dedicated federal funding for teacher training and educational improvement. Fortunately, the “Teaching Geography is Fundamental” Act (TGIF, S. 749, H.R. 1240), as introduced in the 111th Congress, would authorize the first-ever federal support of geographic literacy.

I know that you will be hearing from many influential institutions and national leaders about priorities for reforming “No Child Left Behind.” Please know that our nation must have better geography education. The Obama Administration has been strongly committed to global citizenship and environmental sustainability. Geography uniquely addresses these issues—from cultural studies and natural systems to economic interdependence and human-environmental interaction. Our students will need such knowledge and skills to succeed in life, to secure employment in a global marketplace, and to analyze important federal initiatives as citizens of the United States and the world.

Here in [State], I am part of a volunteer network of university professors and K-12 teachers, called the [State Geographic Alliance]. Together, we connect educators to training, materials, and networking to help them pursue high-quality standards and to excel in the classroom. Our time and energy has been supported over the years by local universities, the state legislature, local foundations and corporations, and the National Geographic Society, which provides annual core funding for the Alliance. The only potential partner not “on the map” is the federal government.

As you develop your vision for ESEA reauthorization, please ensure that geography is again included in the definition of a “well-rounded” curriculum, and please include funding for geography education as proposed in TGIF.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Alliance and across the state, and our students, thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Name
Address
Title
* * * *

Sample email to Your Members of Congress
from TCs and Steering Committee Members

Please modify the email below to reflect your name, Alliance affiliation, and passion for geography education, and email it to your House Representative and both your Senators (instructions for finding their emails are attached).

Dear [Senator, Representative]:

As your constituent and a member of the [State Geographic Alliance], I am writing to urge you to support the “Teaching Geography Is Fundamental” Act (TGIF, S. 749, H.R. 1240).

TGIF enjoys bipartisan co-sponsorship from nearly a quarter of both the House and Senate. Passing TGIF would be an important step in correcting the oversight that has left geography as the only one of nine core subjects under “No Child Left Behind” not to have received designated federal funding for education improvement and teacher training.

As a teacher who volunteers time to the [State Geographic Alliance] to help train other educators on world-class materials and standards, I know that passing TGIF is a necessity. Without it, our state will not be able to keep up with attrition in the educational workforce, much less develop additional high-quality teachers in this vital subject.

A solid geography education is critical for all students of [State] to comprehend the world around them, understand their place in the world and succeed in the global economy. Further, a strong geography education is necessary to prepare our children to fill and attain the over 70,000 new skilled jobs in geospatial technologies that are coming available each year nationally.

It is my hope that you will sign on as a co-sponsor of TGIF and help enact this important legislation this year.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Name
Address
Title
Phone Number

* * * *
How to Send an Email to Your Elected House Representative
and Both Your Senators

House of Representatives

Modify the suggested geography education advocacy letter in Word and then open up your Web browser (Firefox, Explorer, Safari, etc).

Go to the House of Representative’s main homepage at: http://www.house.gov/

Toward the top-left of the homepage click the link to “Write Your Representative” (it has an easy-to-spot graphic of a hand holding a pen).

Follow the easy-to-use instructions to connect to your Representative’s Website.

Once you reach the email page for your representative, fill in your contact information and cut-and-paste your message from Word into the online message form and “send” it.

Thanks!

Senate

Modify the suggested geography education advocacy letter in Word and then open up your Web browser (Firefox, Explorer, Safari, etc).

Go to the Senate’s homepage at: http://www.senate.gov/

Scroll to the very, very bottom of the homepage and click on the bottom-left link for “Contact”.

Follow the instructions for Contacting Senators by Email using the link to the “Senators from Your State”.

Once you reach the email pages for each of your Senators, fill in your contact information and cut-and-paste your message from Word into the online message form and “send” it.

Thanks!

Making War Over History

2010-04-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 23, 2010

by Suzanne Fields

Texas is big. Everybody knows that. Texans, who boast about their diversity and productivity, are usually big, too. Texas produces more beef and cotton than any other state. Texas has a lot of snakes and flowers, and producers of nearly everything everywhere are determined to make a market in Texas.

When the product bears on what children in the other 49 states learn at school, what Texas produces becomes our business. Textbook publishers long ago learned that publishing textbooks for Texas was an opportunity to hit a gusher, like Jett Rink's gusher of oil in the movie "Giant." With more than 4.7 million students and a school board that adopts textbooks for the whole state, Texas attracts publishers from all over to make pilgrimages to Texas to get drafts of their books approved according to Texas standards. It follows that this one-size-fits-all cuts the cost of textbooks for schools in the rest of the nation.

This year, the Texas Board of Education landed itself in the middle of the culture wars when it rewrote the social studies curriculum, inviting a debate that mirrors the values conflict between traditionalists and multiculturalists. With partisans on the right and on the left, it's the 21st century's "battle of the books." The argument is tilted a bit to the right, with 10 Republicans and five Democrats deciding on changes in the books.

"We are adding balance," Dr. Don McLeroy, the conservative leader on the board, told The New York Times. "History has already been skewed. Academia is skewed too far to the left. "

Counters Mary Beth Berlanga, a longtime Texas board member and Hispanic activist, "They are rewriting history." She complains that conservatives ignore Hispanics and want to portray a white America. She and her liberal friends accuse the board of "racist ideology" and spreading "capitalism propaganda."

Calmer observers suggest the changes are a necessary correction of liberal bias. Gilbert T. Sewall, director of the New York-based American Textbook Council, an independent research organization that reviews history and social studies textbooks used in the nation's schools, argues that "for two decades, multiculturalists have tried to supplant the older view of Americans as religious dissenters, pioneers and immigrants intent on making a freer and better life, a force for good in the world, a nation that regulated reform and advanced civil rights to all."

He describes American parents as shocked and dismayed to discover their children are reading history as "a setting for power struggles between groups, or as an unjust and patriarchal society whose rapacity -- from Jamestown to Vietnam -- needs exposure and explication." Columbus isn't a discoverer and explorer, he's an invader and exploiter. Harriet Tubman is a saint. Thomas Jefferson is a sinner.

Although the more than 100 changes recently adopted by the selection board tilt rightward, they are mostly only mildly corrective. The American experience of moving westward is to be described as "expansionism," not "imperialism." The "free enterprise system" replaces the negative connotations that have come to adhere to the word "capitalism" (as in "capitalist pig"). The goals of the Great Society will be broadened to include discussions of its "unintended consequences."

Students will actually learn about "the conservative resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s," including the way Phyllis Schlafly led the successful fight against the Equal Rights Amendment and Newt Gingrich succeeded with the Contract With America and the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in 1994.

These textbook controversies may soon become moot, as more schools rely on electronic books. Students would do a lot better to read different works of actual historians than the rehashed, reinterpreted history often written by hacks. Herodotus and Thucydides such hacks are not.

History, as the cliche goes, is always written by the victors, but a strange thing has happened to American education since the 1960s. Our triumphs have been trivialized and twisted, demonizing America with no celebration of what America stands for in the hearts and minds of the millions across the world.

Instead of emphasizing the abolition of slavery, the educationists encourage our children to wallow in the horrors of that "moral, social and political evil" before Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves, along with an enormous expenditure of blood in the Civil War. Instead of focusing on the courage of our ancestors, educationists obsess on what went wrong. They indulge the mindset that sneers at the tea parties as "rabble and racist," ignoring the growing aspiration to return to the smaller government as envisioned by the Founding Fathers.

Lord Byron scoffed that history was the "devil's Scripture." Arnold Toynbee defined history as "a vision of God's creation on the move." The textbook wars will continue, because they're too big even for Texas.

Suzanne Fields is a columnist with The Washington Times.

Florida's Civics Bill Makes National Headlines

2010-04-22T00:57:00.000-07:00

From: ncss-legis-bounces@lists.ncss.org [mailto:ncss-legis-bounces@lists.ncss.org] On Behalf Of Kristen Pekarek
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 3:49 PM
To: ncss-legis legis; NCSS Affiliates
Subject: [Ncss-legis] Bill would require civics in Florida Schools

Dear Leaders,

I wanted to pass along some good news that was just sent from Florida concerning a Bill that would require civics in Florida Schools. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments at legis@ncss.org

The Associated Press
Published: April 21, 2010

A bill requiring middle school students to take a civics class and pass an end-of-course test is on its way to Gov. Charlie Crist.

The Senate voted unanimously for the (HB 105) today. It previously passed in the House.

Students would have to pass the final exam to go on to high school.

Lawmakers said the requirement is needed because many citizens don't know the difference between a state legislator and member of Congress or even who is president.

The bill is called the Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Civics Education Act after the retired U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and ex-U.S. Rep. Lou Frey joined forces four years ago to push for such a requirement.

http://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=42220

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/apr/21/bill-would-require-civics-florida-schools/

Thanks,

Kristen
--
Kristen Pekarek
Program Assistant, External Relations
& Council Communications

National Council for the Social Studies
8555 Sixteenth St., Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-1800 ext. 107
(fax) 301-588-2049
www.socialstudies.org

Colleges Get Failing Grades In Civics

2010-04-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

by Dr. Richard Brake

(April 8) -- On this day 97 years ago, the 17th Amendment was ratified, changing the way we elect senators. Not that many college students would know anything about it, either when they get to college or when they graduate.

For the past five years, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute has tried to measure how well colleges and universities do in giving their students a basic understanding of America's core history, key texts, and enduring political and economic institutions.

The results aren't pretty.

Half of the 14,000 incoming freshmen tested failed the 60-question multiple-choice test, getting just half the questions right. Worse, they barely know any more when they graduate, with seniors scoring 54 percent correct. No school, not even Harvard or Yale, got above a 69 percent average among seniors. Worse still, in some schools, students did worse coming out than going in.
At right is a sampling of the questions. (You can take a more complete version of the test on our Web site.) Some of the most missed questions by students dealt with such fundamental American concepts as judicial review, George Washington's warning against "foreign entanglements," the Monroe Doctrine, "The Federalist Papers" and basic details of the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

Colleges like to pride themselves on preparing their young citizens to become the future leaders of the Republic, but how can you be an effective leader if you don't know the story of how our nation's past leaders grappled with the perennial challenges of governing a free people?

Here's the list of the top 10 schools that improved their students' knowledge of civics (the figures show the percentage point increase in scores between freshmen and seniors):
Rhodes College (Tenn) +11.6
Colorado State (CO) +10.9
E. Conn. State Univ. + 9.66
Calvin College (MI) + 9.5
Marian College (WI) + 9.44
Murray State U. (KY) + 9.12
Grove City College PA) + 9.0
Concordia U. (Neb) + 9.0
U. of Colorado + 8.9
St. Cloud State U (MN) + 8.59
Source: Intercollegiate Studies Institute

And here are the bottom 10 schools -- which saw their students lose the most ground (the figures show the percentage point decrease in scores between freshmen and seniors):
John Hopkins (MD) -7.3
Cornell (NY) -4.96
Yale (CN) -3.09
Brown (RI) -2.7
Duke (NC) -2.25
St. John's (NY) -1.87
Princeton (NJ) -1.7
Georgetown (D.C.) -1.2
University of VA -1.1
Rutgers (NJ) -0.93
Source: Intercollegiate Studies Institute

So, what should we make of this?

First, there's clearly room for vast improvement on the part of all colleges and universities when it comes to effectively teaching America's history and institutions. No school did terribly well.

Second, prestige doesn't necessarily guarantee quality and excellence. In fact, most of the schools on the losing side were in the elite category. And while schools like Johns Hopkins do a better job attracting smarter students, when it comes to actually doing the job that colleges are paid to do -- promoting learning -- little schools like Rhodes College and Murray State leave them in the dust. Clearly, exorbitant tuitions don't guarantee a curricula that ensures that students learn the basics about American history and government.

Finally, parents and taxpayers who pay the bills of American higher education need to start holding colleges accountable for the actual outputs of their academic programming and, if necessary, start demanding more transparency in terms of what is taught on their campuses.

From: http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-colleges-get-failing-grades-on-civics/19430737

Dr. Richard Brake is co-chair of Intercollegiate Studies Institute's National Civic Literacy Board. For more details regarding ISI's past and current civic literacy studies, and to take the test online, please go to www.americancivicliteracy.org.

National CORE Standards - for Social Studies?

2010-03-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

New ISI Study Reveals College Weaknesses

2010-03-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

Collier County Dept. Chairs Lobby Senator Wise on Civics Bill

2010-02-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

FCSS Lobbies for "Sane" Civics Bill

2010-02-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Interview with Commissioner Smith

2009-12-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

December 05, 2009
A weekend interview with Florida education commissioner Eric J. Smith
Florida's education system faces dilemmas as it tries to cope with funding declines, meet new federal requirements and reform some of its practices amid demands and expectations from all sides. Education commissioner Eric J. Smith talked with reporter Jeff Solochek about the current state of affairs.

The first thing I want to ask you about is funding. We've heard there might be more cuts coming even this year. I've heard something like $32 per student. Do you know what is happening?

What you're referring to is a possible impact of proration. The budget is built on an anticipated projected student enrollment. If it comes in above what funding level has been established, there are adjustments made. We don't have firm numbers yet, but it looks like because we originally had projections for a reduction in enrollment but it turns out we're going to be up about 1,000 or 2,000 kids for the entire state. That would equate to an estimate of $80 million statewide. That would be equal to about a $30, $35 per FTE adjustment that would have to be made. It's early in the process still. But those are some things we are looking at.

I know funding in general is a huge problem right now. I am curious what you see districts having as options. They have this proration, and property values going down, and federal funding is supplementing lost state funding. What can districts actually be doing right now?

It is a difficult time. If there is any way that we can provide relief on the proration it will be a wonderful thing. I can't say that will happen. Because the whole state is like the whole country, and the economy is what it is. Budgets and funding is a challenge. Any kind of relief we can offer to our districts is welcome relief. But saying that, certainly the State Board of Education adopted a budget that I tell everybody was an extraordinarily large budget - an unrealistically large budget - and also an extraordinarily conservative budget. You have both of those in the same proposal. It was there.

But it is lean in terms of consumer price index increase of 2.7 percent, really just maintaining what we have with adjustments for two major elements. One is class size. We plugged in a figure ... in the neighborhood of $350 million to bring us to the next step in class size. And the other big piece, and a major challenge for the districts, is about $470 million allocation that would deal with lost local revenue. Those are the two big drivers. We had a total education request that was up $1.4 billion. But $700 million or $800 million of that was because of constitutional requirements or lost local revenue.

That sounds like the wish list. How do districts deal with the reality when it comes down and there's just not enough money there? Are there things that have to go? I know you've been talking about science and technology. Is there the ability to do that? Or the end-of-course exams. I know that Race to the Top has taken end-of-course-exams out of the picture. How do you pay for those types of things?

Well, kind of the backdrop to all this right now is, with the stabilization funds we received last year from the federal government, there are some fairly significant strings attached to that. The Legislature very wisely divided that money into basically half for this year, half for next year. ... The federal government has as a requirement to access the second half ... certain kinds of compliance. Part of that is to keep the percent of state funding to education constant. ... That certainly is good news for our districts, that the percent of funding for education needs to be constant or the state would not be eligible or might have to pay back what it had already received. So huge incentive to keep that percent of money at the level where it is. But saying that, we certainly are facing rough times.

My best recommendation to superintendents and boards is to be very conservative in their district budgets, avoid building in increases in expenditures in the out years through purchases or whatever might be, and try to really keep close tabs and make sure you have some reserve. The other issues, the Race tothe Top and another piece of money that the federal government has, $350 million for assessment development, have the potential of being very important to us. Race to the Top gives us in a time where there is no new money an opportunity to do some very creative and very bold action in education and an opportunity to move the efforts of the state of Florida forward. ... I've been in the business for 38 years and I've never been afforded this kind of latitude in trying to really improve the quality of education in this country.

Do you have any more details about what Florida is looking for in Race to the Top?

It's still a bit early on that, but it's not too early. A lot of the stuff is still in flux, but we did get some clarification. There was a rumor last week, that there were a lot of requests to extend the deadline for application. ... There's not going to be any extension of the deadline. ... I stress it this way about Race to the Top. The application to be successful ... really needs to be something that this state believes in and wants to pursue. The federal government is really looking for two things. First and foremost, states that make a proposal that is really bold in its approach and tries to dramatically move the nation forward in its ability to educate all chidlren with highly skilled teachers ... and not have any tolerance for schools that are failing. ...

The second thing that is very important ... is they are looking for states that have the capacity to act on that boldness. In large part the way they measure that capacity is ... quite often we spend time arguing the adult issues among ourselves, the adult needs of education and unfortunately don't spend time arguing about the needs of our children. This really requires the adults to come together around the needs of our children. ...

What are districts' role in all of this? Do they apply for pieces of it? Do they have to do the whole thing? Is it a mandate from on high?

A little bit of all of the above. They play a critical role in all of this because that's where all the work takes place. To finish out this part about capacity of the state, we need to issue an MOU to districts about their willingness to participate in the Race to the TOp program. Which would mean for a district if there are contractual issues that they need to go back and renegotiate, they would agree that they're going to sit at the table and negotiate. ...

What if they say no?

What we're going to be asking for is, by the time we submit we would like to have a significant number of our districts have the MOU signed by the superintendent, the chairman of the board and the president of the district's union. And if they say no, then if we're successful in getting our grant, half the money that would come in, it's a $700 million grant, half of that would go out to the districts in the Title I formula. If a district that would be eligible didn't want to participate, their share would be allocated to other districts.

Doesn't that undermine the idea of Race to the Top? Because a district that could be one of the lowest performing districts might say they don't want to participate and then they don't get the money and then they don't improve.

Which might point to part of the problem. Because there is the opportunity to work on the solution. I hope we don't see that in Florida. ... The same holds true with states. The states that have the greatest need might not apply. .... There is a lot of money at stake. There is a lot of opportunity at stake.

Let's talk a little bit about class size. It's obviously coming upon us very quickly. Can we do it?

(Laughs) I get into different conversations with people about the class size requirement under the constitution. My first view of it is, I think the districts and the Legislature and the taxpayers have done an incredible job of moving forward on this. It's been a huge financial investment by the state of Florida and the taxpayers to this point. And we are doing very well with class size. The horror stories that might have been discussed ten years ago just, you don't see those today. At least you don't see them very frequently. I think it's going to be a challenge. We have $350 million in our recommended budget to deal with that. Getting that money is going to be a challenge.

But I think more than the money, it's going to be technically a challenge to implement, just as an educator, an administrator. There are going to be many stories in Florida about the student who wanted to take an AP course in a school that wanted the child to take an AP course to help with high school accountability, but was told no because it would have put them over the limit on class size and would have led to a financial penalty for the district and a constitutional violation. As a result the student would have been denied services.

Who says when you have to count? I've never seen that. Where does it say you have to count every day?

Right. Well we have a process where we do count in the fall. But again all those elements are subject to the implementation of the constitutional amendment.

Isn't that up to you?

A combination of the department and the Legislature to make those decisions and interpretation of the true intent of the constitution, what the voters voted on. I think at the end of the day I have a legal and ethical obligation to fulfill the state constitution and will do that, not work to circumvent it along the way. I think the biggest hardship is going to be in the actual application of it, just because it's so hard to do. Small rural districts that don't have other options for service to groups of students and they can't bus them to other locations or divide the classes. These things become a reality. I think that will be difficult. As an educator I am very comfortable where we are. But it doesn't meet the requirements of the state constitution.

Can you do different things for a little district and a big one?

Not according to the constitution. It's one size fits all.

I know there's a lot of talk about performance pay. It ties into a lot of these things. And there is some resistance from teachers. And then there's other teacher groups that say, Let's go in and do this. How can you balance the idea of performance pay, differential pay with the issue of fairness that the teachers are talking about and the idea that, I don't have those kids all the time. How can you hold me responsible when I can't even get them to come to class?

I think Florida has been working hard to find these answers, and they're difficult answers to come to. I think with Race to the Top we're focused on the business of connecting the work of teachers and school leaders to the success of the children, and that a dominant portion of how we get evaluated in terms of our performance needs to be based on our ability to be successful with those that we are entrusted with, our children. That's a big piece of where we are headed. And I think it's a big piece of where the nation is headed. We are looking at how well our teachers are prepared in teacher education programs, and evaluating that based on how well these graduates do in working with children. We are certainly examining the actual evaluations of teachers to see how well that matches up with the achievement of our kids. The time has come for educators not to argue the point, should we be evaluated based on how well we succeed with our kids, but how do we do that successfully so it really brings honor to the profession and respect to those teachers that are successful and brings the credibility to those teachers, both financial and career opportunities and promotions and so on.

You've been commissioner now for a little bit.

Two years. I'm a veteran.

I'm wondering how you've seen things progress here in Florida and what your goals are for things progressing while you're still here.

I couldn't be prouder of this state. I start with those out there on the front line, the teachers and school administrators, district leadership. They have aggressively taken on the challenges that have been asked of them, the goals that have been placed before them, and have taken them seriously and have dealt with them professionally. I think Florida is in a wonderful place. We have a uge hardship with our funding right now and that's a larger issue with our economy that the federal government and state government have to wrestle with. But where we are in terms of our commitment to children and our commitment to continue to transform this educational program to meet the kids' needs not for just now when they're in the classroom, but for when they graduate and go on, I've never seen it stronger in any state I've ever worked for.

From: http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/12/a-weekend-interview-with-florida-education-commissioner-eric-j-smith.html#more

Legislative Report #3

2009-11-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

From Emergent Design and Development, Inc.
Legislative Update #3
November 17, 2009

We have completed two of the eight Committee weeks which are scheduled prior to the opening of the regular session on March 2, 2010. The only clear direction that has been signaled by Legislative Leaders is the agreement on the major shortfall of revenue that will face the Appropriations Committees. The Recession continues in Florida and it will take much longer than anticipated to recover and return to the “good old days” when revenue increased each year.

1. THE FLORIDA FINANCIAL PICTURE LEADS TO BUDGET DEFICITS
A. Next year’s revenue projection is less than the current year’s actual revenue. Recent reports indicate that Florida is among 10 states facing budget disasters.
- Appraised value of property …down
- Home prices …down
- Sales Tax collections…down
- Doc. Stamps, fee collections, etc….less than expected
- School Taxable Values…down by 11%
- Unemployment…up

B. Impact on the Budget
- Two years ago the State Budget was $72.2 billion
- Current State Budget is $66 billion
- The next State Budget could be $ 62.6 billion or less
- This year we used Stimulus money and Reserves to balance the Budget (reserves gone)

C. Impact upon Education?
- Possibly a reduction in the Base Student Allocation
- Special projects will not be funded
- PECO (construction) funds will be much less
- District costs will rise (unemployment insurance, salaries, and benefits)

2. The National Recession is ending ( the longest recession since the Great Depression)
A. The nation is in the 23rd month of an expected 28 month recession

B. The recovery will probably be delayed in Florida as much as 1 year due to:
- Reliance upon Tourism
- Reliance upon Home Sales and new Construction
- Reliance on sales tax

C. Florida’s economy will improve only after people in other states have expendable income

Page 2 of 7
3. “Race to the Top” Impact upon Florida
A. The “Pillars” of the Program:
1. Improving standards and assessments
2. Increasing the effectiveness of teachers and leaders
3. Building and using data systems to inform educator’s decisions
4. Turning around the countries lowest performing schools

B. Expect teacher evaluation to be tied to student achievement
C. Expect Salaries to be tied to evaluations
D. Relocation of “Excellent Teachers” to low performing schools?
E. Florida is in category 1 for potential funding ($350‐700 Million)

4. New High School Grading System Required by SB 1908
A. Current system 100% FCAT, new system 50% FCAT
B. Points for participation in accelerated coursework, e.g., AP, Dual Enrollment, IB, AICE.
C. Points for performance in accelerated coursework
D. Points for postsecondary readiness
E. Points for the graduation rate of at‐risk students
F. RECALCULATION OF THE GRADUATION RATE AS FOLLOWS:

In 2009‐10 and 2010‐11 non‐graduates are dropouts, recipients of certification of completion, GED recipients, and non‐on‐time graduates. In 2011‐12 and onward, non‐graduates include the above , plus Special diplomas and transfers to adult education or Division of Juvenile Justice who are not standard diploma recipients

G. The system has rewards for growth and penalties for decline, in components

5. Proposed for 2010 Session ‐ HB 61 (a similar bill failed to pass last year)
A. Requires that students must be advised of the AP, IACE, Career Academy coursework that leads to National Industry certification, and dual enrollment courses as well as courses offered by the Florida Virtual School.

B. Phases in the higher level Mathematics requirements from the current Alg. I requirement to include Geometry for 9th graders entering in 2011‐12 and to additionally include Alg. II for 9th grade students entering in 2013‐14.

C. Phases in the higher level Science requirements from the current Biology I requirement, to include one credit of Physical Science for 9th graders entering in 2011‐12 and to additionally include one credit in Chemistry or Physics for 9th graders entering in 1013‐14.

D. These new requirements have caused several interesting discussions centering on:
1. Will this increase the dropout rate?
2. Will it lead to a shortage of teachers (Certified and Qualified for higher level courses)?
3. Will it lead to discussions regarding differentiated diplomas?
4. Will it lead to the increased use of Virtual Education?

Page 3 of 7
6. Interim Committee Meeting Schedule for 2010‐11
December December 7‐11
January January 11‐15
January 19‐22
February February 1‐5
February 8‐12 (appropriations only)
February 15‐19

Special Session, if called would be held during one of the above scheduled weeks. The call for a Special Session has not been given. If issued ,it would only address the high speed rail system proposal for Central Florida. Oil drilling and the Seminole gaming contract will probably be addressed in the regular session.

7. Common Standards and Common Assessments
The Obama administration has proposed giving states that adopt common standards an advantage in seeking “Race to the Top funds”. Governors and chief state school officers in 51 states and territories have agreed to work on common standards. The U.S. Department of Education is now looking at assessments to match the development of common standards. The
USDOE has $350 million in economic stimulus money to aid consortia of states in developing common assessments in reading and mathematics. A display of the standards development process is available at:
http://www.corestandards.org/Files/CCSSIProcess.pdf

FCSS Commends Ed Commissioner on Social Studies Testing Program

2009-10-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

FCSS Urges CCSSO to Implement Social Studies Standards

2009-10-10T03:25:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2009

Gene Wilhoit
Executive Director
Council of Chief State School Officers
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20001-1431

Dear Mr. Wilhoit,

The Florida Council for the Social Studies is a leading voice for curriculum development and assessment within the state of Florida. For several decades our members have been immersed in discussions with both state and national leaders regarding the vital need to promote high quality curriculum performance standards and assessment instruments related to our vital academic discipline. We firmly believe the primary reason of a public school system is development of responsible citizens who possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions to sustain our nation’s ability to meet future challenges. It is with this in mind that we strongly urge the CCSSO to consider the inclusion of social studies in your deliberations regarding the proposed establishment of common core standards for the nation’s public schools. Most state constitutions reference the basic purpose of public education as one to equip students with the requisite skills, knowledge and dispositions for effective citizenship. Unfortunately, numerous studies reveal the sad truth that – to the ultimate future detriment of our nation – current American educational leaders are not sustaining that civic mission.

At no time in the history of NAEP periodic assessments have any states ever been held accountable for how well they fulfill the civil and historical mission of their schools. Repeated attempts by FCSS in the last three Congresses to pass such reform legislation have failed. Moreover, continued research reveals the reduction in instructional time devoted to social studies – particularly at the elementary level. Unless we change course, leading economic forecasters, political pundits and even our former enemies are predicting the imminent collapse of our nation. Leading civic educators and historians have long argued that it is the commitment of our citizens to the cherished beliefs and core democratic values of our forefathers which serves as the adhesive glue which binds our nation together. Quite frankly, without needed changes in national priorities, it is possible these ominous predictions will bear fruit.

The lack of state accountability in the area of social studies has already led one Florida governor to temporarily eliminate American History and American Government as graduation requirements for all Florida high school students. Although this measure has since been overturned, it gives additional evidence to the charge that social studies education has been less than a priority in state and national educational initiatives.

The NCSS Common Core Standards for Social Studies may well serve as the frame for which national standards for social studies may be discussed and hopefully approved. These standards include critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills in the context of civic and historical literacy, economic/financial literacy, and global awareness. Students well versed in this content should have the requisite skills and dispositions to be effective citizens and productive members of the domestic and global workforce.

The future of America and our democratic institutions depend on effective social studies teachers who provide each new generation with knowledge of our history and government, skills to make informed decisions about complex public issues, attitudes that support democratic practices, and commitment to engage in civic life. With the development and adoption of Common Core Standards in Social Studies, our nation can achieve this goal.

Respectfully,

Kristine Scola
President, Florida Council for the Social Studies

California Council for Social Studies Calls for National Standards

2009-10-09T05:04:00.000-07:00

Calif. Council for Social Studies calls for National Standards - pg 2

2009-10-09T05:03:00.001-07:00

Reading Is Not a Skill--And Why This Is a Problem for the Draft National Standards

2009-10-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today's guest is Psychology Professor Daniel Willingham of the University of Virginia, who researches learning and the brain.

A draft of the voluntary national standards for reading was just released, and at first glance the 18 standards sound quite sensible: students should be able to determine what a text says, make inferences from it, discern the most important ideas, and so forth.

Many of the standards boil down to this notion: "The student will be able to comprehend the text.” For the others, comprehension is a prerequisite. The problem is that teachers and administrators are likely to read those 18 standards and to try to teach to them. But reading comprehension is not a “skill” that can be taught directly.

We tend to teach comprehension as a series of “reading strategies” that can be practiced and mastered. Unfortunately it really doesn’t work that way. The mainspring of comprehension is prior knowledge—the stuff readers already know that enables them to create understanding as they read.

Prior knowledge is vital to comprehension because writers omit information. For example, suppose you read “He just got a new puppy. His landlord is angry.” You easily understand the logical connection between those sentences because you know things about puppies (they aren’t housebroken), carpets (urine stains them) and landlords (they are protective of their property.)

The writer could have included all that information. The writer gambled that the reader would know about puppies, carpets and landlords. A writer who doesn’t assume some prior knowledge on the part of her readers will write very boring prose. What happens if the reader doesn’t have the prior knowledge the writer assumed she had? The reader will be confused and comprehension breaks down.

This is exactly what happens for millions of poor readers. They can “read” (they can sound out the words on the page) but they can’t consistently comprehend. They read it, but they don’t “get it.”

Remarkably, if you take kids who score poorly on a reading test and ask them to read on a topic they know something about (baseball, say, or dinosaurs) all of a sudden their comprehension is terrific—better than kids who score well on reading tests but who don’t know a lot about baseball or dinosaurs.

In other words, kids who score well on reading tests are not really kids with good “reading skills.”

The kids who score well on reading tests are ones who know a lot about the world—they have a lot of prior knowledge about a wide range of things--and so that whatever they are asked to read about on the test, they likely know something about it. (This is only true once kids have cracked the code of letters and sounds and can apply that translation fluently-- say, 5th grade and after.)

Can’t you teach kids how to reason about texts, and thereby wring the meaning out of it even if they don’t have the right prior knowledge?

To some extent, but it doesn’t seem to help as much as you might expect. For one thing, this sort of reasoning is difficult mental work. For another, it’s slow, and so it breaks up the flow of the story you’re reading, and the fun of the story is lost. Hoping that students without relevant prior knowledge will reason their way through a story is a recipe for creating a student who doesn’t like reading.

Oftentimes, knowledge gaps can’t be filled by a strategy. For example, suppose you read this: “The Obama administration will announce a new policy Wednesday making it much more difficult for the government to claim that it is protecting state secrets when it hides details of sensitive national security strategies such as rendition and warrantless eavesdropping, according to two senior Justice Department officials.”

In this instance, the writer assumed that the reader knew the definitions of “rendition,” “warrantless wiretaps,” what a state secret might be, and the significance of the announcement coming from the executive branch of the government, at the least.

If you know those things, comprehension is effortless. What strategy is going to lead you to correct guesses?

I didn’t pick that sentence randomly. It was the first sentence of the lead story of The Washington Post on the day I’m writing this post. If we want students to be able to read a serious newspaper, they need prior knowledge.

How do students get prior knowledge? It accumulates through years of exposure to newspapers, serious magazines, books, conversations with knowledgeable people. It should also come from a content-rich curriculum in school.

Oddly enough, the new national standards actually say that. The standards documents lists “have a strong content base” as one of the things that college-ready readers tend to have.

But the standards themselves don’t recommend that we ensure that students “have a strong content base” as a way to ensure that they are good readers! (A few months ago, I created a video called “Teaching Content Is Teaching Reading” that explains this. You can see it here on YouTube.

Instead, the standards document lists things that students ought to be able to do (summarize, find the main idea, etc.) that invite states, districts, and teachers to design curricula emphasizing practice in those skills.

The mistaken idea that reading is a skill—learn to crack the code, practice comprehension strategies and you can read anything—may be the single biggest factor holding back reading achievement in the country.

Students will not meet standards that way. The knowledge base problem must be solved.

By Valerie Strauss | September 28, 2009; 7:30 AM ET
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/daniel-willingham/willingham-reading-is-not-a-sk.html

FCSS - FASSS Legislative Goals

2009-10-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

(For the most part, all goals continue to be 'secondary' to the implementation of a state-wide assessment program in social studies. These goals from the previous year reflect an update which took place at the Sept. 2009 FASSS-FCSS Board meetings.)

FCSS / FASSS
Position Paper on 2008-09 Legislative Issues

Level One Priorities are those immediately pressing needs that the organization is aggressively seeking to secure legislative support for in the coming session. Level Two Priorities represent longer range goals. These allow FCSS / FASSS to take positions supporting other issues when addressing the main priority of the organization.

RECOMMENDATION ONE: Florida Statute 1008.22 should be amended so as to add social studies as an area for statewide assessment. This law should go into effect no later than 2009.
Current status: The case for this is well known. We would be open to a strictly electronic assessment format to reduce fiscal impact, a sufficient percentage sampling of students in each district as opposed to census testing, and other reasonable compromises. Since the Legislature and Commissioner of Education have both called for rigorous end-of-course assessments similar to those for the N.Y. State Regent’s Diploma, we have lobbied key legislative leaders and D.O.E. officials for the purpose of making the American History high school course the next schedule assessment for high school students in Florida. (Since this time, the Commissioner has moved forward in the development of an End-of-Course high school exam for American History. The state still lacks accountability for social studies in grades K-8.)

Priority Level: One

THE FCSS BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTED TO IMPLEMENT A SINGLE FOCUS FOR THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVOCACY COMMITTEE – PASSAGE OF A STATE-WIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL STUDIES. As a result, the goals which follow are presented here as secondary issues which teachers may also wish to support.

RECOMMENDATION TWO: FCSS should work with other civic-minded organizations to conduct a statewide campaign to incorporate social studies as part of the FCAT.

Current Status: As a result of efforts by former Governor Bob Graham, Congressman Lou Frey, Chief Justice Lewis and numerous others bills were introduced in the legislature by House and Senate leaders calling for social studies to become part of FCAT.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION THREE: FCSS should work with other civic-minded organizations to conduct a statewide survey of student civic and historical knowledge at the elementary and secondary levels, the results of which should be released to the public and the Commissioner of Education.

Current Status: No such survey or assessment has ever been done with large numbers of students in Florida. Sample questions should be based upon N.A.E.P. assessment items and other previously known surveys so that some comparison might be made. Consideration should be given to institutionalizing such a survey for the purpose of annually bringing civic literacy to the state’s attention each September. When possible, the data should be disaggregated by region, gender, grade level, and race/ethnicity. Results should be shared with the Florida’s legislators, various media outlets and the Florida Association of Educational Writers.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION FOUR: The state should establish the Florida Commission on Civic Education for the purpose of (1) educating students on the importance of citizen involvement in a representative democracy, and for (2) promoting communication and collaboration among organizations in the state that conduct civic education programs.

Current Status: There are now several organizations with state-wide reach that promote civic understanding – The Florida Law Related Education Association and the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship – which make this priority less critical than in the past.

Priority Level: Deleted in Sept. 2009

RECOMMENDATION FIVE: FCSS should continue to take the appropriate steps to communicate with NCSS and other national organizations as well as individual members of Congress on the urgent need for state comparative data regarding this year’s NAEP Civics and US History assessments.

Current Status: Senator Lamar Alexander has for the third time filed legislation (S860, S2721, & S1414) to provide for a pilot assessment of up to ten states to be compared to the national profile which will be obtained from periodic NAEP History and Civics assessments. NCSS during the 110th Congress was able to have Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduce an identical measure (H6525) in the House of Representatives for which she is securing co-sponsors. As no action was taken on these measures during both sessions of the last Congress, they will have to be reintroduced for a FOURTH time in the 111th Congress when it convenes in 2009. (Since this time, S659 has been filed for the FOURTH time to underwhelming national fanfare.)
Priorit Level: One

RECOMMENDATION SIX: We recommend inclusion of “social studies” in the state Student Progression Law (F.S. 1008.25).

Current Status:
- Current law requires educators to review a student’s performance in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science when being promoted from one grade level to the next. Moreover, should a student be found to be deficient in his/her performance in of these core subject areas, parents must be notified and an opportunity for remediation of that content needs to be made available to the student.
- To permit the current law to state that students’ performance in elementary social studies need not even be considered for promotion purposes – when reading, writing, math and science must be – is an intolerable and ominous development for the future civic health of our state and nation. Students must complete three years of successful Social Studies instruction in the Middle Grades and must be remediated before being promoted to the next grade.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION SEVEN: The Legislature should require that the Florida Department of Education complete a comprehensive survey on the Status of Social Studies Education in Florida.

Current Status: Due to the lack of data pertaining to student performance in the area of Social Studies and with regard to how districts implement the many legislative mandates under Florida Statute: 1003.42 (Required instruction.), it is imperative that the Florida legislature require the Department of Education to undertake a district analysis of the status of social studies. Two years ago the legislature pass a measure to complete a study on Physical Education throughout the state.

Priority Level: Tabled in Sept. 2009

RECOMMENDATION EIGHT: The length of time for which an ESOL student’s F.C.A.T. score should be used for accountability purposes should be extended from two to three years.
Current Status: (TABLED by FCSS in the past although supported by FASSS ) Research states that it takes six or seven years for a student whose native language is different from English to be proficient in reading and writing in our language. Federal guidelines for No Child Left Behind use a three year period of time before such scores are factored into accountability measurements. Florida’s accountability provisions should not be more punitive than federal standards.
Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION NINE: We urge the repeal of the Special Teachers Are Recognized Program.
Current Status: By another statute, Districts must provide differentiated salaries to instructional personal. The S.T.A.R. program was hastily devised and there are not enough reliable or valid measures of student performance to implement it. Through its enactment the legislature has added to the burdens of districts.
Priority Level: Deleted in Sept. 2009

Other:

Possibly Recommend the Establishment of a Veteran’s Curriculum Taskforce to consolidate, develop and promote instructional resources related to Florida Statute 1003,42.

(Since this time, FASSS and FCSS Boards have approved the concept of expressing our official concern with the Florida Department of Education on the Middle School Integrated Certification requirements.)

Constitution and Citizenship Day Act of 2009

2009-09-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

See below for another new measure in Congress to allow local districts to apply for federal funds for the teaching of civics each September. As commendable as this measure may be, one wonders if the money could better be used to hold the states accountable for how well they are actually doing this. For the want of a mere $8 million when the government is spending trillions, Congress has failed to enact such legislation for the last three Congresses! The NAEP assessment scheduled for this coming January will represent yet another failed opportunity to give 'equity' to our important discipline with respect to comparing states to one another in student achievement in Civics and United States History. Without state accountability Governors will likely continue to ignore the crisis the nation currently faces with regard to all the disciplines in the social studies area. Helping individual school districts through grants such as that being proposed below -- while ignoring the states as a whole -- is NOT the solution. (Editorial comment, JB)

* * *

Constitution and Citizenship Day Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)
HR 3591 IH
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3591

To establish a grant program to enhance existing secondary education programs for the purpose of teaching high school students about the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the individual States.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 17, 2009

Mr. CUMMINGS (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. WATSON, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Ms. WATERS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, and Mr. WATT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a grant program to enhance existing secondary education programs for the purpose of teaching high school students about the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the individual States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Constitution and Citizenship Day Act of 2009'.
SEC. 2. CONSTITUTION DAY AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM FOR STUDENTS.
Part C of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new subpart:
`Subpart 6--Teaching of the Constitution

`SEC. 2371. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF CONSTITUTION DAY GRANT PROGRAM.
`(a) Grant Program Authorized- The Secretary shall establish and implement a grant program, to be known as the `Constitution Day Grant Program', under which the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive basis to local educational agencies and charter schools for the purposes of enhancing educational programs to teach students about the United States Constitution and the constitution of the State in which the grant recipient is located.
`(b) Grantee Eligibility Requirements- Grants under this section may only be awarded to a local educational agency or charter school with established secondary educational programs to teach students about the United States Constitution and the constitution of the State in which the grant recipient is located.
`(c) Operation of Educational Programs- An educational program funded by a grant under this section shall--
`(1) occur on Constitution Day, September 17, of each calender year (or on the Monday immediately following Constitution Day, if Constitution Day falls on a Saturday or a Sunday);
`(2) include assemblies, discussions, presentations, or events commemorating the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State in which the grant recipient is located;
`(3) include efforts to reinforce existing Constitutional curricula conducted by the grant recipient; and
`(4) make available to eligible students participating in such program the ability to register to vote.
`(d) Voter Registration Laws- A grant recipient under this section shall abide by all applicable State and Federal voter registration laws.

`SEC. 2372. GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS.
`(a) Secretary Created Process- The Secretary shall develop an application process for the grant program under this subpart, consistent with the requirements of this section.
`(b) Grant Application Requirements- An application for a grant under this subpart shall--
`(1) describe the educational activities to be funded by the grant; and
`(2) provide assurances that the requirements of section 2371(c) will be met, and any additional assurances that the Secretary determines to be necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of this subpart.

`SEC. 2373. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
`There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this subpart.'.

________________________________________
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LAWMAKER PUSHING FOR MANDATORY CIVICS CLASS

2009-09-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Immediate, Continual Updates at
www.newsserviceflorida.com

By KATHLEEN HAUGHNEY
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, Sept. 16, 2009

A Jacksonville Republican is renewing his push to require all Florida students to take civics.

Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, has filed legislation that has failed for the past two years that would require middle school students to take a civics class and be tested on their knowledge. A testing system would be phased in, so that eventually, students would have to pass a civics assessment exam to be promoted to the next grade.

"We have a real crisis in our institutions when more than 40 percent of Floridians can't correctly identify the three branches of American government," McBurney said. "Or they can't define the concept of checks and balances."

McBurney's bill was not given a hearing in the House's education budget committee this past spring, but he was able to amend it onto three bills that were passed by the entire House. The amendments did not survive the Senate; however, McBurney says he feels more confident about the bill's chances for the upcoming year than ever before.

"I think to do this is just vitally important," McBurney said.

The legislation did get some buzz toward the end of the 2009 legislative session, largely because former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor spoke to a joint session of the Legislature promoting civics education. Former U.S. Senator and Florida Gov. Bob Graham has also been promoting a new book he wrote about civics and touting the benefits of improved civics education.

But it wasn't enough to get McBurney's bill approved by the entire Legislature. In the Senate, a fight ensued over the bill's requirement of an end-of-the-year civics exam and how much it would cost and ultimately affect schools. Given that the bill has gotten a little more attention each year he has proposed it, McBurney said he feels the chances of its passage are getting pretty good.

"Unless children of our state...understand the basics of our democracy, we may not be able to preserve that," McBurney said.

The bill would ultimately phase in the testing component of the bill. At first, the exam grade would simply be part of the final grade, but eventually would become a requirement to move on to the next grade in 2015.

According to the legislation, in the 2012-2013 school year, students entering sixth grade would be required to take a minimum of one semester of civics education that includes "the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments; the structures and functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government; and the meaning and significance of historic documents, such as the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States."
The bill is HB 105.

-END- 9/16/09

Independent and Indispensable
http://www.newsserviceflorida.com

Is America Coming Apart?

2009-09-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

by Patrick J. Buchanan
09/11/2009 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33517#c1

Flying home from London, where the subject of formal debate on the 70th anniversary of World War II had been whether Winston Churchill was a liability or asset to the Free World, one arrives in the middle of a far more acrimonious national debate right here in the United States.

At issue: Should Barack Obama be allowed to address tens of millions of American children, inside their classrooms, during school hours?

Conservative talk-show hosts saw a White House scheme to turn public schools into indoctrination centers where the socialist ideology of Obama would be spoon-fed to captive audiences of children forced to listen to Big Brother -- and then do assignments on his sermon.

Yet Byron York of The Washington Examiner dug back to 1991 to discover that, when George H.W. Bush went to Alice Deal Junior High to speak to America's school kids, the left lost it. "The White House turned a Northwest Washington junior high classroom into a television studio and its students into props," railed The Washington Post. Education Secretary Lamar Alexander was called before a House committee. The National Education Association denounced Bush. And Congress ordered the General Accounting Office to investigate.

Obama's actual speech proved about as controversial as a Nancy Reagan appeal to eighth-graders to "Just say no!" to drugs. Yet, the episode reveals the poisoned character of our politics.

We saw it earlier on display in August, when the crowds that came out for town hall meetings to oppose Obama's health care plans were called "thugs," "fascists," "racists" and "evil-mongers" by national Democrats. We see it as Rep. Joe Wilson shouts, "You lie!" at the president during his address to a joint session of Congress.

We seem not only to disagree with each other more than ever, but to have come almost to detest one another. Politically, culturally, racially, we seem ever ready to go for each others' throats.

One half of America sees abortion as the annual slaughter of a million unborn. The other half regards the right-to-life movement as tyrannical and sexist.

Proponents of gay marriage see its adversaries as homophobic bigots. Opponents see its champions as seeking to elevate unnatural and immoral relationships to the sacred state of traditional marriage.

The question invites itself. In what sense are we one nation and one people anymore? For what is a nation if not a people of a common ancestry, faith, culture and language, who worship the same God, revere the same heroes, cherish the same history, celebrate the same holidays, and share the same music, poetry, art and literature?

Yet, today, Mexican-Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a skirmish in a French-Mexican war about which most Americans know nothing, which took place the same year as two of the bloodiest battles of our own Civil War: Antietam and Fredericksburg.

Christmas and Easter, the great holidays of Christendom, once united Americans in joy. Now we fight over whether they should even be mentioned, let alone celebrated, in our public schools.

Where we used to have classical, pop, country & Western and jazz music, now we have varieties tailored to specific generations, races and ethnic groups. Even our music seems designed to subdivide us.

One part of America loves her history, another reviles it as racist, imperialist and genocidal. Old heroes like Columbus, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee are replaced by Dr. King and Cesar Chavez.
But the old holidays, heroes and icons endure, as the new have yet to put down roots in a recalcitrant Middle America.

We are not only more divided than ever on politics, faith and morality, but along the lines of class and ethnicity. Those who opposed Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court and stood by Sgt. Crowley in the face-off with Harvard's Henry Louis Gates were called racists. But this time they did not back down. They threw the same vile word right back in the face of their accusers, and Barack Obama.

Consider but a few issues on which Americans have lately been bitterly divided: school prayer, the Ten Commandments, evolution, the death penalty, abortion, homosexuality, assisted suicide, affirmative action, busing, the Confederate battle flag, the Duke rape case, Terri Schiavo, Iraq, amnesty, torture.

Now it is death panels, global warming, "birthers" and socialism. If a married couple disagreed as broadly and deeply as Americans do on such basic issues, they would have divorced and gone their separate ways long ago. What is it that still holds us together?

The European-Christian core of the country that once defined us is shrinking, as Christianity fades, the birth rate falls and Third World immigration surges. Globalism dissolves the economic bonds, while the cacophony of multiculturalism displaces the old American culture.

"E pluribus unum" -- out of many, one -- was the national motto the men of '76 settled upon. One sees the pluribus. But where is the unum? One sees the diversity. But where is the unity?

Is America, too, breaking up?

________________________________________
Mr. Buchanan is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World, "The Death of the West,", "The Great Betrayal," "A Republic, Not an Empire" and "Where the Right Went Wrong."

Va. Ponders Eliminating Third-Grade History Exam

2009-06-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

(FASSS members are currently analyzing state testing programs around the country and are unfortunately discovering many proposals to scale back social studies assessments. The reason most often cited for these cutbacks is the need to bring needed resources to Reading, Mathematics, Science and Writing. Despite this trend, Florida appears ready to move forward with proposals for end of course testing in all areas required for high school graduation except Economics.

Thanks to Jason for the article below, which once again serves as a reminder for the importance of passing the NAEP reform legislation currently filed for the FOURTH Congress. These proposals, quickly endorsed by FASSS and FCSS would begin to hold at least a 'few' states accountable for the civic mission of their schools. The lack of strong support for these measures over the last few years ought to be an embarassment to NCCE, NCSS, AHA, etc. Should anyone have documented position papers from these national groups in favor of these proposals, we would welcome receiving a copy.

Ed. comment -- JB)

By Michael Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, May 28, 2009

In the seven years since enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind law, students have spent ever more time filling in bubbles on high-stakes tests. But Virginia could soon join a movement to roll back testing programs, as it considers abandoning an exam that spans such matters as bartering, the ancient empire of Mali and pie charts.

Florida and Georgia have cut testing budgets, citing financial pressures. North Carolina might soon follow. And today, the Virginia Board of Education will take up eliminating the third-grade history test, a move state officials say would open up time for core subjects such as math and reading. But critics say they worry that ditching the test would hurt history education in the primary grades.

For 11 years, Virginia has given third-graders a Standards of Learning history test. Forty multiple-choice questions cover material from kindergarten through third grade, which state officials say puts an unfair burden on the memories of young children.

Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright predicted that teachers and administrators would welcome the change.

"It's not just about money, and it's certainly not about diminishing social studies," she said. "This is about freeing up elementary teachers' time to be more creative. . . . I am the last person that will go out on a limb and start unraveling our accountability system."

But some educators say that without test pressure forcing history standards to be taught, class time devoted to the subject could dwindle.

"I view this as a frontal assault on the value of social science education at the early grades," said Ken Bassett, president of the Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators and director of social studies education in Prince William County schools. "What we've seen from all across the country is that in places where they don't have these tests, the amount of time devoted to social studies instruction diminishes significantly."

Wright said the $380,000 a year saved through elimination of the exam could be used to construct new kinds of questions for math tests, put fifth- and eighth-grade writing tests online and bolster elementary reading exams.

Last year, 93 percent of Virginia's third-graders passed the history exam, and 84 percent passed reading, which Wright said pointed to a need for more lesson time on that skill. She said that reading classes could incorporate history lessons and noted that the state would still test students in history four times before they reached high school. Wright also said the underlying teaching standards wouldn't be changed.

Under the 2002 federal law, states are required to test students in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school. The law also calls for more science testing. Virginia is one of a few states with a history testing program, and education groups praise its curriculum routinely. In a 2006 study of world history standards in the 50 states and the District, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a District-based education think tank, ranked Virginia second in the country, tied with Massachusetts and behind California. The District ranked 27th and Maryland 29th. But neither the District nor Maryland tests history.

Many Virginia history education proponents confess to a love-hate relationship with the tests. They often complain that the multiple-choice format emphasizes rote memorization over analytical skills. But they say they would rather have something than nothing. "In an environment where some subjects are tested and some are not, guess which lose out," said Bill Brazier, social science supervisor for Loudoun County schools.

Third-grade teacher Christina Hepner of Ball's Bluff Elementary School in Leesburg questioned whether it was fair to hold students accountable for material learned in kindergarten. She said that she teaches history with skits, writing exercises and games, and that her kids would not learn as much if the subject was taught with an emphasis on reading skills.

"Students can't just read it and connect to it," Hepner said. "A good lesson has to have more than one leg to stand on."

The state Board of Education could vote on the matter as early as today. Wright said a decision must be made within the next month or two if the exam is to be eliminated for the next school year.

Gerald Celente Predicts Revolution, Food Riots, Tax Rellions by 2012

2009-05-24T06:34:00.001-07:00

A favorite reading of world history is the story of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. If history has seen fit to condemn Nero, what might it eventually say of our elected officials today?

Another dire prediction of the collapse of the U.S. bodes ill will for the future of the Republic. Without a common culture or sense of our past, experts continue to predict the U.S. will cease to be a unified national state in the very near future. To what extent does the lack of holding any state responsible for how well they imbue their students with civic and historical knowledge play a role in accelerating these predictions? FCSS has sponsored a bill in Congress for the last FOUR sessions—where it has languished without much national support—which would address the above possible national catastrophe. Clink here for more information on S659 and here , here or here for other predictions of our nation’s supposedly imminent collapse.

Former key legislators once before killed plans to have Florida students held accountable for understanding a common, unifying history of America's past by noting it is general practice to teach American history differently in various communities around the state. Rather than see a common state assessment as a means to provide a shared understanding of our national heritage, these adherents apparently believe it is more important to allow individual schools to celebrate unique views of America’s past. This is indeed a recipe for national disaster. Florida remains virtually the only southern state that refuses to hold its students accountable for historical and civic understanding. Noted historian David McCullough once commented that he more feared the consequence of the lack of understanding about America's past more than he feared Al Qaeda.

Is it any wonder that noted experts around the world are predicting our demise?
___________________________
By 2012 Trend forecaster, renowned for being accurate in the past, says that America will cease to be a developed nation within 4 years, crisis will be "worse than the great depression"

The man who predicted the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union is now forecasting revolution in America, food riots and tax rebellions - all within four years, while cautioning that putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying Christmas gifts by 2012.

Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week. Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.
"We're going to see the end of the retail Christmas....we're going to see a fundamental shift take place....putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree," said Celente, adding that the situation would be "worse than the great depression".

"America's going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for," said Celente, noting that people's refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.
Celente, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as "The Panic of 2008," adding that "giants (would) tumble to their deaths," which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.

The consequence of what we have seen unfold this year would lead to a lowering in living standards, Celente predicted a year ago, which is also being borne out by plummeting retail sales figures. The prospect of revolution was a concept echoed by a British Ministry of Defence report last year, which predicted that within 30 years, the growing gap between the super rich and the middle class, along with an urban underclass threatening social order would mean, "The world's middle classes might unite, using access to knowledge, resources and skills to shape transnational processes in their own class interest," and that, "The middle classes could become a revolutionary class."

In a separate recent interview, Celente went further on the subject of revolution in America.
"There will be a revolution in this country," he said. "It’s not going to come yet, but it’s going to come down the line and we’re going to see a third party and this was the catalyst for it: the takeover of Washington, D. C., in broad daylight by Wall Street in this bloodless coup. And it will happen as conditions continue to worsen."

"The first thing to do is organize with tax revolts. That’s going to be the big one because people can’t afford to pay more school tax, property tax, any kind of tax. You’re going to start seeing those kinds of protests start to develop." "It’s going to be very bleak. Very sad. And there is going to be a lot of homeless, the likes of which we have never seen before. Tent cities are already sprouting up around the country and we’re going to see many more."

"We’re going to start seeing huge areas of vacant real estate and squatters living in them as well. It’s going to be a picture the likes of which Americans are not going to be used to. It’s going to come as a shock and with it, there’s going to be a lot of crime. And the crime is going to be a lot worse than it was before because in the last 1929 Depression, people’s minds weren’t wrecked on all these modern drugs – over-the-counter drugs, or crystal meth or whatever it might be. So, you have a huge underclass of very desperate people with their minds chemically blown beyond anybody’s comprehension."

The George Washington blog has compiled a list of quotes attesting to Celente's accuracy as a trend forecaster.

"When CNN wants to know about the Top Trends, we ask Gerald Celente."— CNN Headline News

"A network of 25 experts whose range of specialties would rival many university faculties."— The Economist

"Gerald Celente has a knack for getting the zeitgeist right." — USA Today

"There’s not a better trend forecaster than Gerald Celente. The man knows what he’s talking about."- CNBC

"Those who take their predictions seriously ... consider the Trends Research Institute."— The Wall Street Journal

"Gerald Celente is always ahead of the curve on trends and uncannily on the mark ... he's one of the most accurate forecasters around." — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Mr. Celente tracks the world’s social, economic and business trends for corporate clients."— The New York Times

"Mr. Celente is a very intelligent guy. We are able to learn about trends from an authority."— 48 Hours, CBS News

"Gerald Celente has a solid track record. He has predicted everything from the 1987 stock market crash and the demise of the Soviet Union to green marketing and corporate downsizing."— The Detroit News

"Gerald Celente forecast the 1987 stock market crash, ‘green marketing,’ and the boom in gourmet coffees."— Chicago Tribune

"The Trends Research Institute is the Standard and Poors of Popular Culture." — The Los Angeles Times

"If Nostradamus were alive today, he'd have a hard time keeping up with Gerald Celente."— New York Post

So there you have it - hardly a nutjob conspiracy theorist blowhard now is he? The price of not heeding his warnings will be far greater than the cost of preparing for the future now. Storable food and gold are two good places to make a start.

DOE Proposed Schedule for End-Of-Course Exams

2009-05-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

This American Tradition Endangered!

2009-05-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Legislative Update #19 - End of Session

2009-05-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Emergent Design and Development
Legislative Update - May 17th 2009

The Legislative Session finally ended at approximately 2:45 pm on May 8, 2009. The budget passed, with education protected more than any other agency. The final budget approaches $66.5 Billion and was made possible through a combination of new fees and a heavy influx of Federal stimulus dollars. The budget also accounts for a decrease of 10,000 students in the 2009-2010 school year.

Of the 308 bills that we were tracking, only 29 bills, the budget, the implementing bill, and the conforming bill managed to pass both houses. These bills are now sent to the Governor for his action.

BUDGET ITEM COMPARISON ( last year’s Session, special session reductions and 2009 session)

NOTE: Instructional Materials, Transportation, the Stabilization money, and Teacher Lead are rolled from categoricals into the Base Student Allocation. Also, Bright Futures does not pay for the increase in tuition.

BUDGET INTEREST FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS
Science Materials allocation was $3,254,969
Science Fair allocation was $43,676
Specific Appropriation 100 has $30,319,115 for technology for grants related to STEM.
The language for Supplemental Academic Instruction, now sets intensive math instruction for students in grades 3-10, who scored at level one as first priority (along with reading.)

PROGRAM COST FACTORS (compared to this year)
PROGRAM (08-09) (09-10)
Basic K-3 1.066 1.074
Basic 4-8 1.000 1.000
Basic 9-12 1.052 1.033
ESOL 1.119 1.124
ESE level 4 3.570 3.520
ESE level 5 4.970 4.854
Career Ed. 1.077 1.050

BILLS THAT FAILED BUT PROBABLY WILL RETURN NEXT YEAR

The large curriculum bills SB 2654 and HB 1293, failed to pass. Both of these bills would have increased the rigor of subjects needed by High School students, in order to receive a diploma. (Higher levels of Math and science) The bill to replace science on the high school FCAT with an end-of-the-year biology test failed. HB 543

The bill which would have required a specific semester course in civics for the middle school failed. The bill was to be named for Chief Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. HB 0013

There were also pieces of bills that failed that included; the % of funds that must be spent on the classroom, reduction to the program weights for A.P., A.I.C.E., and I.B. and the reduction in the teaching bonus for A.P., A.I.C.E., and I.B.
NEW SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE
Nikolai Vitti, Chief of the Bureau of School Improvement has released to districts, a new template which will fulfill all Federal and State School Improvement Plan requirements. Districts are receiving instruction on completing the template. All schools are required to complete a school improvement plan.
The new template should reduce duplication and assist schools in defining strategies to improve student achievement.
Nickolai.vitti.@fldoe.org or (850) 245-0426

Another Argument in Favor of Teaching Content!

2009-05-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

Our thanks to Jason Caros for bringing to our attention the work of Professor Daniel Willingham, author of Why Don't Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom . FASSS has been strongly arguing for years that the work of cognitive psychology is reaffirming the contention of educational theorists like E.D. Hirsch and Robert Marzano that 'content knowledge' is vital to reading comprehension. Supervisors will remember our sharing the "Background Knowledge" powerpoints [see the training links area of this website] with former D.O.E. Chanellor Cheri Yecki and Deputy Bureau Chief Todd Clark about this very issue a few years ago. When Jason and Jack made it a point to bring out the reading titles and topics in the D.O.E. approved "Third Grade Reading Portfolio" and compared these with titles and topics from the typical third grade CORE KNOWLEDGE curriculum, Dr. Yecki could only profess that she could only 'wish for a magic wand to be able to immediately change the booklet into something more meaningful.' Urged to make the revision of the third grade portfolio a priority by including many more non-fiction readings for children, FASSS is aware that minor changes have been made, but for the most part these were superficial and the document remains an embarassement to the Department.

The influence of cognitive psychologists have indeed made considerable headway with the legislature in recent years. Florida's assessment statute was heavily amended two years ago with repeated references to the need for FCAT to assess not only 'skills' but 'content knowledge'. It appears that FASSS members who have been showcasing to other educators in their districts the arguments of Marzano and Hirsch are indeed making a difference. Add to these educational theorists the new work of Dr. Daniel T. Willingham from the U. of Virginia. His colleague, E.D. Hirsch, writes of the above work, "This readable, practical book by a distinguished cognitivescientist explains the universal roots of effective teaching and learning. With great wit and authority it practices the principles it preaches. It is the best teachers' guide I know of—a classic that belongs in the book bag of every teacher from preschool to grad school."
—E. D. Hirsch, Jr., university professor emeritus, University of Virginia

Educators now have the benefit of a powerful video that clearly illustrates the points these pundits have been making for years. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc .

All Social Studies educators should be familiar with their work and should share it with the school administrators in their district.

Letter to Jeb Bush's 'Foundation for Florida's Future'

2009-05-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2009 DRAFT LETTER

Kristy Cambell
Communications DirectorFoundation for Florida’s Future
kristy@afloridapromise.org

http://www.foundationforfloridasfuture.org/who_we_are.php?sub_page_id=25

Dear Ms. Cambell,

In what way, if any, does the Foundation for Florida’s Future have a role for ensuring that students in Florida’s public schools will be given the requisite skills for historical knowledge and citizenship that will enable them to lead productive lives as participants in the democratic process? Civics, History, Social Studies (whatever we wish to call it) represents a majority of what is commonly referred to as Florida’s Required Instruction Act (FS1003.42), but by statute it is not even required to be taken into consideration when a student is being promoted from one grade to the next at the elementary grades. (A former Florida Chancellor of Public Schools supported adding social studies to the state’s Student Progression Law and despite unanimous approval one year by the Florida House of Representatives and the entire Senate Education Committee, this bill also somehow ‘died’.)
For over 22 years social studies educators have REQUESTED accountability from the state for the efforts they make in classrooms each day. Repeated attempts to introduce legislation to address this need seem to be stalled almost every year.
Over two-thirds of approximately 1700 elementary teachers across Florida admit they teach civics and history less than 2 hours per week. They must wonder why teach it at all, of it’s not even needing to be considered for grade promotion. Florida is only one of two southern states not assessing social studies in any way at some grade level. We have been told by former key legislators that because subjects like American History are taught in a widely different manner in many different areas of the state depending upon local needs and demographics that it would be very difficult to assess Social Studies in Florida. I personally believe that if the legislature as a whole believed this, it would be a recipe for state and national disaster. Already our former adversaries are almost gleefully predicting the dismemberment of the United States in 2010.
Numerous reports abound about the lack of knowledge our students have about their own nation’s history and its governmental and economic system. I need not list them all here. Our state has been criticized in the by national leaders in the Congressional House and Senate for its shortsightedness. Having lobbied for over one generation for the state to live up to its civic responsibility, I would be very interested in what how Foundation is planning to address this crisis. I would be most delighted to see some literature from the Foundation or your plan for how our state may reverse this dangerous course.

Sincerely,

Jack Bovee
Legislative Chair, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and the Florida Council for the Social Studies

Florida Statutes Pertaining to Social Studies

2009-05-01T04:39:00.000-07:00

FS 1003.4156 Middle School Promotion. This statute now requires “Three middle school or higher courses in social studies, one semester of which must include the study of state and federal government and civics education.”

FS 1003.42 Commonly called the “required instruction statute” this is a time-honored list of content knowledge with all school districts and schools must teach to children in enrolled in public school. This statute pertains primarily to Social Studies. You will search in vain for any mention of Reading, Science or Math content knowledge.

FS 1003.421 Commonly called the “Celebrate Freedom Week Law” this law establishes the last full week of September of each year as a time where all students must recite daily several key sentence from the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, each school district must ensure teachers must provide “at least 3 hours of appropriate instruction in each social studies class, as determined by each school district, which instruction shall include an in-depth study of the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence.

FS 1003.43 General Requirements for Graduation. Specifies the number of social studies credits and what specific courses students must successfully complete to earn a diploma.

FS 1003.44 Patriotic Programs, Rules Allows school districts to adopt rules which require teachers and students to participate in programs of a patriotic nature, specifying how the Pledge to Allegiance is to be conducted and how documents of a religious nature may be used with students. It also describes an exemption process.
FS 1003.45 Permitting the Study of the Bible and religion; permitting brief meditation period

FS 1003.45 Permitting the Study of the Bible and religion; permitting brief meditation period

FS 1008.22 Florida’s Assessment Statute

FS 1008.25 Public school student progression; remedial instruction; reporting requirements. This law s repeatedly specifies that student performance in reading, writing, mathematics and science must be taken into consideration when a student is being considered for promotion from one grade level to the next.

Sport Rules

2009-04-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

The New Media Journal.us [IL]
All-Athletics

by Will Fitzhugh, The Concord Review
April 29, 2009

The Boston Globe has been publishing for 137 years, and the news that it may have to fold has distressed its many readers. Each Fall, Winter and Spring the paper publishes a special section, of 14 pages or so, on notable local public high school athletes and their coaches. There is a mention of athletes and coaches at local prep schools as well.

The latest Boston Globe's Winter "ALL-SCHOLASTICS" section arrived, with the "ten moments that stood out among the countless athletic stories in Massachusetts." There are reports on the best HS athletes and coaches in Skiing, Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Boys' Hockey, Girls' Hockey, Boys' Track, Girls' Track, Boys' Swimming, Girls' Swimming, Preps, Wrestling, and Gymnastics. The Preps and Gymnastics parts consolidate boys' and girls' accomplishments, perhaps to save space (and cost).

Each full-page section also features photographs of 9-16 athletes, with perhaps a twitter-sized paragraph on their achievements. In addition, there are 30 photos and tweets about some coaches, spread among the various sports. There are 26 "Prep" athletes mentioned, from various sports, but I didn't see any "Prep" coaches profiled. For each high school sport there are two "athletes of the year" identified, and all the coaches are "coaches of the year" in their sport.

There may be, at this time, some high school "students of the year" in English, math, Chinese, physics, Latin, chemistry, European history, U.S. history, biology, and the like. There may also be high school "teachers of the year" in these and other academic subjects, but their names and descriptions are not to be found in The Boston Globe, perhaps the best-known paper in the "Athens of America" (Boston).

It may be the case, indeed it probably is the case, that some of the athletes featured in the Winter "All-Scholastics" section today are also high school students of math, history, English, science, and languages, but you would not know that from the coverage of The Boston Globe. The coaches of the year may in many, if not all, cases, also be teachers of academic subjects in the Massachusetts public and private schools, but that remains only a guess as well.

When the British architect Christopher Wren was buried in 1723, part of his epitaph, written by his eldest son, Christopher Wren, Jr., read: "Lector, si monumentum requiris, Circumspice." If you wanted to judge his interest, efforts and accomplishments, all you had to do was look around you. His work was there for all to see.

The work of Massachusetts high school athletes and coaches is all around us in The Boston Globe on a regular basis, but the work of our high school scholars and teachers is nowhere to be seen in that public record.

If one seeks a monument to anti-academic and anti-intellectual views and practices in Boston today, one need look no further than The Boston Globe. I read it every day, and I will be sorry to see it fold, if it does, but I will not miss its attention to and recognition of the academic efforts and accomplish-ments of Massachusetts secondary students and their teachers, because there is none now, and never has been any, no matter how many reports on education reform and academic standards it may have published over the years. If you ask how much The Boston Globe editors (and I am sure The Globe is not alone in this) care about the good academic work now actually being done by high school teachers and their students in Massachusetts, the answer is, from the evidence, that they do not.

===================

"Teach by Example"
Will Fitzhugh [founder]
Consortium for Varsity Academics® [2007]
The Concord Review [1987]
Ralph Waldo Emerson Prizes [1995]
National Writing Board [1998]
TCR Institute [2002]
730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24
Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776 USA
978-443-0022; 800-331-5007
fitzhugh@tcr.org; www.tcr.org
Varsity Academics®

The Sandra Day O'Connor Civics Education Act: A Summary

2009-04-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

FCSS Ex Dir Trimble on Textbook Changes!

2009-04-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

April 8, 2009

Dear Senator Wise,

As a long time Social Studies Teacher and Supervisor and a former participant or chair of three state social studies adoption committees, I would like to express my concern regarding current plans to extend the adoption cycle from 6 to 8 years. My concerns focus on four issues:
(1) Content of the material - new discoveries and developments, changes in curricular focus and events make science and social studies materials very time sensitive. Although technology has been of assistance in providing current information, its accessibility, format, and readability for students make it less valuable than current information in a basic textbook.
(2) Pedagogy - ways of organizing and presenting material in texts are constantly evolving. Students today are exposed to a greater range of media than students in the past and need the most interesting and stimulating instructional materials possible. Format alone changes drastically in an 8 year period.
(3) Physical practicality - 8 years us a long time for a book to last, with 8 to 16 users, depending on its use in an 18 or 36 week course. As textbook conditions deteriorate, so does the care students utilize, further impacting durability. From a fiscal standpoint, districts will often have to spend money at the six year point to replace unusable books, which will then have a shelf life of only 2 years before needing to be replaced in the new cycle.
(4) Fiscal practicality - the possibility of maintaining the same price for an 8 year period is unlikely. Although on rare occasions, costs go down, more commonly they increase, resulting in the state paying more money for a product that is as much as 8 years behind the current best methodology in textbook production.

Your assistance in opposing the effort to change the adoption cycle would be appreciated. A short term budgetary downturn should not translate into an 8 year impact on Florida's students. In spite of efforts to change classroom environment and improve
tools available to teachers, the textbook still remains the basic tool of teachers.

Theron L. Trimble,
Executive Director, Florida Council for the Social Studies
Chair, Fund for the Advancement of Social Studies Education, National Council for the Social Studies

O’CONNOR: BOOST CIVIC EDUCATION

2009-04-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

By KATHLEEN HAUGHNEY, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA, THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, April 7, 2009....

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor brought her campaign for civics education to Tallahassee Tuesday, addressing the Florida Legislature about the importance of teaching social studies in American schools. “It's about teaching students that one person can ignite political fires on the ground and those fires almost always begin with a very small spark,” she said in her address to the joint session of the Florida Legislature.

O'Connor, who was the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court in 1981, retired in 2006. Since her retirement, she has focused on pushing civics education, saying she became increasingly aware of the lack of knowledge many people had about government, particularly the courts.

In connection with Georgetown University and Arizona State University, she has launched http://www.ourcourts.org/, a site designed to promote interactive civics curriculum to students and teachers. She even touted the site on The Daily Show. O'Connor said she believes using an interactive site was a “powerful tool” that could educate students.

Her visit comes just as the House's PreK-12 appropriations committee is looking at a bill requiring an end-of-course civics assessment for all Florida students. The bill was previously scheduled for a committee vote, but pulled off the calendar so that a few tweaks could be made, said committee chair Anitere Flores, R-Miami. Flores said she cannot guarantee the measure will come to a vote because she is unsure if her committee will meet again before the end of the legislative session. However, she said she is hopeful that the committee will be able to take up the measure before the end of session. “It's very sad that we know that more people know about American Idol than about the President of the United States,” Flores said. “We need to have a concerted effort to curb that.”--END--04/07/09

Keeping Our American Identity

2009-04-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

January 9, 2009 by Phyllis Schlafly

Can you name the three branches of American government, legislative, executive, and judicial? If so, you are among the one-half of Americans who know this very basic fact about the U.S. government and Constitution.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), which earlier has conducted in-depth studies of what American college students know, and don't know, about civics, now reports equally depressing facts about grown-ups. It appears that adults, too, lack the civic knowledge they need to be informed citizens and intelligent voters. ISI administered a very basic test on American history, government and economics to 2,500 Americans age 25 and older. The multiple-choice test asked citizens to identify terms that everybody should know, such as the New Deal, the Electoral College, Sputnik, I Have a Dream, and progressive tax.

The 2,500 adults scored an average of 49 percent; that means they get a pitiful F. Those who had received a bachelor's degree averaged 57 percent on the test, compared to 44 percent for those with only a high school diploma and, worse still, 164 adults who had held elected office also scored an average of 44 percent.

Almost 40 percent of respondents said they thought the president (rather than Congress) has the power to declare war. Only 50 percent knew that Congress shares authority with the president over U.S. foreign policy, and almost one in four thought Congress shares authority over U.S. foreign policy with the United Nations. Americans who lack knowledge of our country's history, Constitution, and institutions really have no frame of reference to judge current politics and policies. Federal law requires public schools to teach about the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day, September 17, but it looks like American adults need those lessons, too.

The 2006 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Civics Test revealed that the majority of eighth graders could not explain the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. No wonder young voters are not shocked at those who talk about "interdependence," globalism, and becoming "citizens of the world."

It's not just that American citizens lack knowledge of historical and constitutional facts about our country, but they also show a declining appreciation of who we are. A survey by Harris Interactive reported that 84 percent of respondents believe we have a unique American identity, but 64 percent believe this identity is weakening, and 24 percent believe we are already so divided that a common national identity is impossible.

Political Correctness in colleges and public schools over the last decade has gone a long way toward replacing patriotism with the trendy dicta of multiculturalism, diversity and global citizenship. Are we losing our identity as Americans?

To address this question, the Bradley Foundation has started a national conversation on America's National Identity called "E Pluribus Unum." The question is, Is America still "from many, one" ("indivisible," as our Pledge of Allegiance affirms), or are we fast becoming "from one, many"?

A review of history textbooks used in public schools today reveals a big source of the problem. Textbooks now emphasize America's faults and mistakes rather than our incredible achievements. History textbooks should tell the exciting story that the United States has produced nearly all the world's greatest inventions, and that these inventions have produced living standards that are the envy of the world. This exciting narrative is not based on Americans being smarter than other nationalities, or our having more natural resources than other countries, but on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers who gave us the superior political and economic system enshrined in our Constitution.

We should celebrate and honor our nation's heroes starting with George Washington. Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) clearly specifies that the name of the "legal public holiday" on the third Monday in February is "Washington's Birthday." Americans should refuse to buy the calendars that wrongly label this February holiday as "President's Day." This calendar mischief is very offensive because there are quite a few Presidents who are not worthy of a special "Day."

Maintaining our national identity depends on keeping our Constitution safe from the supremacist judges who want to change it to comport with what they call "emerging standards." Our national identity depends on keeping English as our official, national language so we don't suffer the conflicts endured by nations with competing languages.

America was founded by men who shared a common inheritance in the British rule of law developed over centuries (beginning with the Magna Carta), the Christian religion, and the English language. They also shared the belief later expressed by Alexis de Toqueville that America is "quite exceptional" and by Ronald Reagan that America is "the shining city on the hill."

Sample Letter Using Our Blog-Links for 'Evidence' - text version with hyperlinks working

2009-04-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

One advantage of this website is that it enables powerfully written letters to embed hyperlinks to important documents to provide instant 'evidence' to the points we wish to make to legislators, news editors, leaders of civic groups or even colleagues. Here is one 'informal' email that was quickly thrown together to demonstrate to a community leader across the state the position of FASSS/FCSS during the 2009 legislative session. For this reason, legislative committee members should be very familiar with the resources on the webpage!

___________________________________________

Hello Rich ---

I’ve heard plenty about the book, but haven’t a copy and thus can’t comment. I put it up with Mark Levine’s “Men in Black” (which I have read) and some others on the Constitution. It’s on my list to ‘read’ this summer.

Civics is vital, but so are the other strands of the ‘social studies’ --- American History, World History, Economics, and Geography. We’re not opposing the current CIVICS campaign, indeed some of my best friends are leading that charge, but many of us feel ALL of the social studies strands need taught and assessed. The new version of HB0013 (Rep. McBurney) in Tallahassee has been amended to no longer assess these other strands of Social Studies. It would ONLY assess civics and ONLY at the seventh grade. There are some other problems with the bill – down the road, if a student failed the state’s end of course civics exam by a single point, for example – that student would be denied credit in the course, one day’s poor work thus negating the other 179 days in the course! NO educator I know embraces such a thought and Florida doesn’t do this for FCAT. Maintaining this logic will mean the civics exam must be a ‘minimum test’ – something else we would oppose. For more information you may want to add to your ‘favorites’ our legislative website at http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/ . The letter of ‘concern’ on the Civics Bill may be found on page http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ilNELmDuwt8/SdKiTn0-6xI/AAAAAAAAAYk/91nq-ISRmnU/s1600-h/FCSS+Position+on+CS+H0013.bmp of that site. (Hoover your ‘mouse’ over the document, then ‘click’ to bring it to full size for reading/Printing.)

There are already several bills in existence that requires civics be taught – one that has been on the books for many, many years is called “Florida’s Required Instruction Statute”. You may find many references to ‘requiring’ the teaching of the “Constitution” and “Bill of Rights” and “Declaration of Independence” as well as the content of specific history, economic education and patriotism in this kaw. You may find a copy of that law on our website at http://collier.k12.fl.us/CandI/ss/Docs/legnews/RequiredInstructionStatute.pdf If you want other examples of other bills requiring civics be taught let me know.

The MAIN PROBLEM rests in the assessment of this content. As I mentioned to your group in my visit, this has NEVER been done in Florida and to assess ONLY the civics strand now is only 25% of the battle in my own personal view. It would be tantamount to assessing only “biology” and not the rest of the sciences, or only ‘geometry’ in all the fields of mathematics. (Ask Bernadette Bennett in your county for her thoughts on this, too, for another opinion though.)

At the VERY LEAST, we ‘supervisors of social studies’ endorse the assessment of Civics AND History at the state level. You can’t have one without the other. And assessing ONLY civics would leave out much in our history, let alone a great deal of world geography and economics. And by the way, when you talk to legislators be sure to point out that Florida is only one of TWO southern states that do not assess social studies in any manner. (See evidence on our website go to: http://collier.k12.fl.us/CandI/ss/Docs/Assessments%20by%20State.pdf ) Mind, you we ALWAYS preface our comment with the need to assess ALL of our curriculum strands.

At the national level, there is a bill that would correct much of our problem -- by holding the states accountable by comparing their students’ performance in the areas of civics and history on a periodic basis-- and despite what some might refer to as the “pork” that is in it, I’m convinced it’s the only thing that will help! At the very end of this bill are a few words and a few dollars to actually begin to hold up to ten states accountable for teaching civic and historical literacy!! The rest of the bill includes hundreds of millions of dollars for other projects, thus it may or may not ‘pass’ Congress.

Information about this NATIONAL measure (sponsored by Kennedy, Byrd, and Alexander) may be found on our site at these links: (1) http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/2009/03/fasss-urges-congress-to-pass-naep.html
(2) http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/2009/03/florida-pushes-to-reform-naep-expand.html
(3) http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/2009/04/nche-endorses-s659-pg-1.html (page one) and
(4) http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/2009/04/nche-endorses-s659.html (page two)

In conclusion, social studies professionals have been fighting since 1988 (SINCE 1988!!) to get Florida to hold our districts and schools accountable for all the content described in the states’ ‘required instruction statute’ cited above. (By the way, did you notice any (ANY!!) mention of reading, mathematics or even science in that bill? Evidence of our battle in 1988 may be found at: http://collier.k12.fl.us/CandI/ss/Docs/legnews/1988FASSSLetter.pdf ) And again, we’d like to see ALL of the social studies assessed, not just ‘one’ strand of our curriculum.

Many groups have endorsed the idea of testing all of the social studies over the years. Here’s an impressive one dating back to 2001 at http://collier.k12.fl.us/CandI/ss/Docs/legnews/LWV%20Letter%20to%20Sec.%20Horne.pdf . If you and your organization would like to ‘go on record’ calling for the same, it would be a great stimulus to doing things ‘the right way’. I would be delighted to add your group to a growing list of organizations calling for this necessary step. But I urge we do it ‘right’. Getting ‘one-fourth a loaf’ may be an excuse to never give us the rest! And given the sorry state of legislative history on this matter, this is no idle ‘worry’. For an example of how bad things got over one simple bill which the ENTIRE House of Representatives once voted for and ALL MEMBERS of the Senate Education Committee see “An Example of How an Eminently Worthy Measure Repeatedly Fails to Become Law” at http://www.collier.k12.fl.us/ss/Docs/legnews/History%20of%20Progression%20law.pdf

Thanks again for being a great supporter of our cause. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Jack Bovee
Legislative Chair, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and Florida Council for the Social Studies

FASSS Position on CS H0013 (DRAFT letter)

2009-04-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

NCHE Endorses S659! (pg. 1)

2009-04-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

NCHE Endorses S659! (pg. 2)

2009-04-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Committee Chairs

2009-04-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

2009 Florida Legislative Committees
Go to www.OnlineSunshine to obtain information related to phone, fax, email address, legislative aides, awards and other personal data.

Senate Education Pre K – 12
• Chair: Senator Nancy C. Detert (R)
• Vice Chair: Senator Frederica S. Wilson (D)
• Senator Larcenia J. Bullard (D)
• Senator Lee Constantine (R)
• Senator Don Gaetz (R)
• Senator Eleanor Sobel (D)
• Senator Ronda Storms (R)
• Senator Stephen R. Wise (R)
Senate Education Appropriations
• Chair: Senator Stephen R. Wise (R)
• Vice Chair: Senator Gary Siplin (D)
• Senator Larcenia J. Bullard (D)
• Senator Nancy C. Detert (R)
• Senator Rudy Garcia (R)
• Senator Garrett S. Richter (R)
•
Education Policy Council
Representatives:
Culp, Faye B. (R)Chair
Coley, Marti (R)Vice Chair
Heller, Bill (D)Democratic Ranking Member
Chestnut IV, Charles S. (D)

Flores, Anitere (R)
Kiar, Martin David (D)
Legg, John (R)
McKeel, Seth (R)
Precourt, Stephen L. (R)
Proctor, William L. (R)
Reed, Betty (D)

PreK-12 Policy Committee Representatives:
Legg, John (R)Chair
Flores, Anitere (R)Vice Chair
Kiar, Martin David (D) Democratic Ranking Member
Bullard, Dwight M. (D)
Burgin, Rachel V. (R)
Ford, Clay (R)
Fresen, Erik (R)
Jones, Mia L. (D)
Kriseman, Rick (D)
McBurney, Charles (R)
Plakon, Scott (R)
Stargel, Kelli (R)
Workman, Ritch (R)

PreK – 12 Appropriations Committee Representatives:
Flores, Anitere (R)Chair
Legg, John (R) Vice Chair
Kiar, Martin David (D) Democratic Ranking Member
Bogdanoff, Ellyn Setnor (R)
Bullard, Dwight M. (D)
Clarke-Reed, Gwyndolen (D)
Fresen, Erik (R)
Stargel, Kelli (R)

Florida League of Cities In Favor of Civics Bill

2009-04-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Source: Sharon Berrian

During the League's Legislative Action Day, President Priore testified before the House Pre-K Policy Committee in favor of Rep. Charles McBurney's bill on Civics Education in the Classroom.

When Carmine Priore became president of the Florida League of Cities he pledged that he would spend his tenure implementing a statewide campaign to increase knowledge of civics and promote greater public participation in our political process. Since then, he has traveled around the state speaking to students, civic organizations and other elected officials about the importance of civics.

President Priore believes that " City officials must be teachers in classrooms, in city halls and in our communities. We will all benefit if more citizens understand what services cities provide, how we pay for those services, and how residents can impact their city's quality of life through active participation in their government."

(ed. Note: Representative McBurney’s bil, H0013, has recently been amended to assess only Civics in grades six – eight in Florida in order to lessen the overall fiscal impact of assessing all of social studies.) From: http://www.floridaleagueofcities.com/News.aspx?CNID=657

President Priore's Civics Education Initiative
There’s no better time than now for city officials to help take civics education to the next level.
Why?Because civics education builds stronger cities and a brighter future for Florida. And because there is a great need for civics knowledge as recent polls, surveys and voter turnout have confirmed.

What about the cost?The Florida League of Cities has many ideas for no-cost and low-cost civics education programs and partnerships – and many are very easy to implement.

What do you have to lose?More than you think. The passage of several constitutional amendments and various legislative initiatives that were damaging to city governance show the need to educate Floridians about the services provided by their municipal governments and how those services are funded. With a better understanding of city issues, would these proposals even have an audience?

Every city can do something – don’t miss the opportunity to make a difference.

Florida League of Cities President Carmine Priore has launched the “Building Citizenship in the Community: Back to Basics” campaign to help increase civic awareness and participation. He encourages each Florida municipality to support this initiative.

The Florida League of Cities encourages each city to adopt the “Back to Basics” resolution supporting President Carmine Priore in his efforts to improve civic education in the State of Florida.

Sample Resolution
“Educating our citizens on the fundamentals of city services and what it takes to effectively run a city is going to be essential as we continue to be forced to ‘tighten our municipal belts,’ do more with less, and still maintain the level of service demanded by our citizenry,” Priore says.

Current ProgramsThe Florida League of Cities has several resources ready to help. They were developed to increase Floridians’ understanding of city government and the services they provide. These materials will help with civics outreach efforts for people of all ages.

Related Articles:
· Back to Basics Resolution Request Source: Casey Cook
· Civic Education Best Practices Source: Casey Cook
· Civic Education
· A Guide for Creating a City Youth Council Source: Casey Cook
· A Guide for Creating a Citizens' Academy Source: Beth Mulrennan
· Florida Municipal Officials' Manual Source: Gail Dennard
· 2008 Municipal Brain Bowl Source: Estella Gray
· FLC Donates $25,000 to Florida Joint Center for Citizenship Source: Sharon Berrian
· ABCs of City Government Source: Beth Mulrennan
· "Getting to Know Your Florida Cities" DVD Source: Sharon Berrian

SENATOR LAMAR ALEXANDER'S FLOOR REMARKS on S.659

2009-03-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

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.

FASSS Urges Congress to Pass NAEP Reform Bill

2009-03-31T16:58:00.000-07:00

FLORIDA PUSHES TO REFORM NAEP, EXPAND HISTORY AND CIVICS LEGISLATION

2009-03-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

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

FCSS Lobbies Sen. Kennedy on S659, Urges Congress to Pass NAEP Reform Bill!

2009-03-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

FCSS Lobbies Sen. Byrd on S659, Urges Congress to Pass NAEP Reform Bill!

2009-03-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

FCSS Lobbies Sen. Alexander on S659, Urges Congress to Pass NAEP Reform Bill!

2009-03-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

FCSS Position on CS H0013 - March 27, 2009

2009-03-25T16:46:00.002-07:00

End of the United States?

2009-03-25T16:46:00.001-07:00

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

NATIONAL HISTORY DAY - CALL TO ACTION

2009-03-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

CALL TO ACTION
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

NCSS Loses another Opportunity to Lobby for NAEP

2009-03-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

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?)

Legislative Committee Meets with Key Legislators

2009-03-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

Legilstive Report #10

2009-03-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

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

Legislative Report #9

2009-03-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

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

Let’s Restore the Civic Mission of Florida’s Public Schools

2009-03-02T03:57:00.001-08:00

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.

Tips for Communicating with Elected Officials

2009-03-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Policymakers Fail Test on Civics: Jason Caros

2009-03-01T05:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Legislative Report #8

2009-02-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Legislative Update # 8
January 12, 2009
TO: All Interested Persons
FR: Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair, FCSS
RE: Latest Legislative News

For additional information on Florida legislators or issues go to ONLINE SUNSHINE - http://www.leg.state.fl.us/

Greetings everyone,

The FASSS-FCSS Legislative Committee is working on an update to our Advocacy Toolkit for the coming session. As stated at this weekend's board meeting, many reports, editorials and other information may be found at the FASSS-FCSS Advocacy webpage at http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/ . If others are interested in joining the committee or serving as part of our 'grassroots' team, please contact me at your leisure.

One way to be effective is to begin collecting related articles and to regularly write to the local media about the importance of social studies and about our need to pass both a national bill to reform NAEP in time for the 2010 assessment and the need to have a social studies assessment plan for Florida.

Here is still yet another columnist sounding in on the dire crisis this nation faces with regard to ‘saving our national heritage.’ Although numerous reports are included here, including the NAEP assessment of 2006, aside from a couple of suggestions -- none of which would hold the states or public schools accountable for their civic mission -- little is offered. It's not surprising that Phyllis Schlafly, due to her conservative roots, would not advocate state accountability for the upcoming History and Civics NAEP in 2010. What, however, can possibly explain the silence of our national organizations on this topic? Until we have equity on NAEP or some other form of national assessment we'll continue to have foreign nations (Mexico) more concerned about discovering what their emigrants to the U.S. know about foreign cultures than our own government seems to want to know about its own youth.

If ANYONE can produce ANY letter from ANY national social studies leader on reintroducing for the FOURTH time in Congress an attempt to reform NAEP by giving us equity in holding states accountable for their civic mission, please do so! I don't want to slam the 'innocent' when I submit my diatribe on what's wrong with the 'state of social studies' to leading educational periodicals across the nation in the near future.

A better copy of the Schafly editorial is attached below. Also, the recent report by a Russian professor and former KGB intelligence officer about the imminent breakup of the U.S. is below. Many other reports about the dire crisis our nation faces are posted to the FCSS Advocacy webpage. One has to wonder when our former enemies are confidently predicting our nation's collapse – in part due to our crisis in national identify -- why our legislative bodies can't pass simple bills designed to assess our students on commonly agreed upon knowledge and understandings about our government, economic system and past history. Once again, it may be worth reporting that the US Department of Education requires each state to assess students on the equivalent of the 197 question Florida Youth Survey. In that survey each county is compared to every other on a wide variety of questions involving drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other social mores.

As a first step in "Advocacy" for the coming session, I urge all board members to contact their local representatives on H0013 on the importance of social studies and the need to pass that assessment measure. Moreover, as we remain unsure as to whether NCSS will have a list of questions to the members of the U.S. SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE who will shortly be confirming Secretary Arne Duncan in that position, I urge all local councils and interested persons to write, phone or minimally email these Senators on the need to pass the equivalent of S1414 (the NAEP bill). This bill, like two others before it (Senate 870 and S2721) died in the last two year Congress and will have to be reintroduced once again in the new Congress.

In either case, you might want to include the Wall Street Journal article about how the President’s Press Secretary and the room full of press corps members couldn't help but laugh at the Russian professor's claim about the collapse of our nation next year. Given the lack of any attempt to provide equity to subjects such as American History, Civics, Economics or Geography on national or state assessments, I’m not sure such reports are so funny, nor so implausible anymore.

Jack B.

Legislative Report #7

2009-02-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

FASSS-FCSS Legislative Report #7

Emergent Design and Development, Inc.
Legislative Update
January 5, 2009

Happy New Year and we wish each of you a prosperous, healthy, and rewarding 2009. Things are going to be interesting in the Legislature, as always. Less money, more needs, special interests, along with the normal party politics will make for an exciting year. We will update you regularly regarding the Educational issues.

SPECIAL SESSION
The Special Session begins today (Jan 5, 2009). The purpose is to bring the Budget in line with the expected income. Currently the prediction is a shortfall of $2.3 billion.
The House will take public testimony from 1-5pm today. The overall calendar is expected to result in a budget passing each house by Friday. Conference Committees would work on the weekend (January 10 and 11). The budget would be printed by Tuesday the 13th, wait the required 72 hours, and have a final vote by Jan. 16.
During these two weeks, both Houses expect to have time to meet in their regular committees to work on legislation for the 2009 Session. Agreement seems to have been reached on some general guidelines:
No higher taxes on cigarette products or on alcohol
Possible adjustments to unnamed uses fees
Higher fines and fees related to traffic enforcement
Higher criminal and civil court fees
Transfer of trust funds
Reduction of appropriations in current budget

BRIGHT FUTURES CONCERNS
The current budget crisis appears to put pressure upon the Legislature to examine the costs related to the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

Among changes to lower the cost of the program are:
Raise academic requirements for the program
Include family income as one criterion
Raise college grade point requirement for renewal
Raise credit hour requirement for renewal
Establish and freeze a flat rate for the scholarship
Lower the percentage of tuition and fees covered by the program

POWERBALL AND THE LOTTERY
Multistate Powerball in Florida starts this week with ticket sales beginning on Jan.4 and the first drawing on Jan. 7. Florida will be the 30th state to join along with the Virgin Islands and D.C.
Base jackpots will begin at $220 million and the average winning jackpot expected to come in at $141 million. (The odds of winning are 1 in 198 million vs. the current Florida lottery odds of 1 in 122 million)
Sales of the current lottery program have reduced by 7.5% since July. According to lottery officials, 40% of Powerball sales in Florida will go to the education system, 5% will be paid to retailers, and the rest will go to winners in the multistate program.

FCAT FIX
Last year, Legislators decided to ease the pressure of the FCAT on the grades given to Florida High Schools. It now seems that the fix has raised some concerns, especially among Florida Superintendents.
In a pilot program, State DOE officials have recalculated the grades given to High Schools last year, using the new system. One hundred twenty nine (129) High Schools would have dropped one letter grade. Twenty-four (24) would have improved. The number of schools identified as failing would have doubled.
We would expect to hear further reaction from the Legislature concerning this issue.
Bills of interest filed in the Florida Legislature are attached in a PDF

Legislative Report #6

2008-12-16T05:58:00.000-08:00

Our thanks to Bob and Mary Bedford and Jon Conley for the following update. This represents Legislative Report #6

Emergent Design and Development, Inc.
Legislative Update
December 15, 2008

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Full Appropriations Council on Education & Economic Development
David Rivera, Chair
Marti Coley, Vice Chair
Ron Saunders; Democratic Ranking Member
Faye Culp
Greg Evers
Anitere Flores
Richard Glorioso
Eduardo Gonzalez
Adam Hasner
John Legg
Seth McKeel
Dave Murzin
Stephen Precourt
William Proctor
Ron Reagan
Will Weatherford
Ronald Brise
Joseph Gibbons
Bill Heller
Evan Jenne
Martin Kiar
Geraldine Thompson

PreK-12 Appropriations Committee
Anitere Flores, Chair
John Legg, Vice Chair
Martine Kiar, Democratic Ranking Member
Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff
Erik Fresen
Kelli Stargel
Gwyndolen Clarke-Ree

Education Policy Council
Faye Culp, Chair
Marti Coley, Vice Chair
Bill Heller, Democratic Ranking Member
Anitere Flores
John Legg
Seth McKeel
Stephen Precourt
William Proctor
Will Weatherford
Charles Chestnut IV
Martin Kiar
Betty Reed

PreK-12 Policy Committee
John Legg, Chair
Anitere Flores, Vice Chair
Martin Kiar, Democratic Ranking Member
Rachel Burgin
Clay Ford
Erik Fresen
Charles McBurney
Scott Plakon
Kelli Stargel
Ritch Workman
Dwight Bullard
Mia Jones
Rick Kriseman

SENATE

Education PreK-12 Appropriations Committee
Stephen Wise, Chair
Gary Siplin, vice Chair
Larcenia Bullard
Nancy Detert
Rudy Garcia
Garrett Richter

Education PreK-12 Committee
Nancy Detert, Chair
Frederica Wilson, Vice Chair
Larcenia Bullard
Lee Constantine
Don Gaetz
Eleanor Sobel
Rhonda Storms
Stephen Wise

Select Committee on Florida’s Economy
Don Gaetz, Chair
Jeremy Ring, Vice Chair
JD Alexander
Mike Bennett
Dan Gelber
Mike Haridopolos
Tony Hill
Jim King
Ken Pruitt
Garrett Richter
Eleanor Sobel

Interim Committee Meetings – Week of December 15

The House and Senate will meet the week of December 15 to for budget hearings. The Senate was not scheduled to meet, but decided to meet on Wednesday and Thursday to begin discussing budget reductions for this current fiscal year. A special legislative session on the budget is expected in January.

Senate Special Meeting

The Full Senate met for a briefing on the budget and revenue projections. Here’s the bad news.

• Unemployment rates are climbing – ranking (by county) from a low of 4.5% to a high of 13.0%
• Population growth is slowing – growth hovered between 2.0% and 2.6% from the mid 1990’s to 2006, continuing to slow only reaching 0.7% in 2008.
• U.S. economy simultaneously buffeted by three major shocks: home prices have fallen across the nation for first time since the Great Depression (down 17% so far); financial markets are experiencing worst credit crunch since the late 1980s at best – maybe since the Great Depression; and U.S. recession is spreading globally, causing additional feedback loops.
• Florida has been particularly hit hard by two housing-related shocks: home prices and credit tightening.
• National inventory of homes is above 11 months.
• In Florida, excess supply of homes is likely greater than 300,000.
• Using most recent sales experience, Florida needs significant time to work off current excess of homes – January to March, 2010 is optimistic, and July to September 2010 is pessimistic forecast.
• Florida has 2nd highest number of foreclosure filings (54,324 in October) and 3rd highest foreclosure rate (1 in every 157 housing units).
• Recession is now reality and is longer than last two recessions – projected to last two more quarters.
• Florida will recover but revenue concerns are more persistent relative to some past events and economic strength will be slow to return; credit markets remain frozen; global recessionary conditions affect international migration, tourism and spending decisions, as well as exports; U.S. Consumers will be responding to massive wealth destruction and tighter credit conditions; and recovery in Florida housing market not anticipated until April 2010, at least.
• Five areas of concern: slower population growth; loss of wealth effect on declining home prices and portfolio/investment losses; growing home inventory; spreading credit crunch; and reality of national and global recession.

For the current fiscal year (2008-09), the current projected deficit is $2.3 billion. Assuming the 4% holdback is enacted by the Legislature which accounts for approximately $1 billion, an additional $1.2 billion remains. This must be addressed now in order to balance the budget.

For the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year, the projected deficit is $3.8 billion (this deficit is beyond any cuts that have been made this year).

Legislative Report #5

2008-12-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

Our thanks to Bob and Mary Bedford and Jon Conley for the following update. This represents Report #5.

EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT, INC.
Legislative Update
December 3, 2008

1. SPECIAL SESSION
The feeling in Tallahassee is that a special session is not likely. Usually, before a Special Session is called, there is some agreement on the proposed outcome. While everyone agrees that there will be a significant shortfall for this year, there is not yet agreement on the possible next steps to balance the budget.

2. REVENUE ESTIMATING
The Revenue Estimating Conference has met and shared bleak news with Florida leaders. Chief Legislative Economist, Amy Baker indicated that the state is $2.1billion short of expected and budgeted revenue for the current year. She also indicated that the economy may not turn around for 2 years. Education leaders have suggested that districts may receive less money in the Base Student Allocation than they received in the 20065-06 school year. We would expect that discussions will include both cutting the budget as well as seeking new sources of revenue.

3. SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEES
Committee structure and membership are currently being released. We are pleased that Senator Steve Wise will Chair the Senate K-12 Education Appropriations Committee. He will also be a member of the Senate K-12 Education Committee. (Senate Education K-12 will have their first meeting on December 10, 2008, from 9:00-11:00am in Senate Room 301.) We will send out a complete Education Committee for both the House and the Senate as soon as they are released.

4. COMMITTEE WEEKS

Proposed Senate Interim Committee Schedule
December 8-12
January 5-9
January 12-16
February 2-6
February 9-13
February 16-20

Proposed House Interim Committee Schedule
December 15-18
January 5-8
January 12-15
February 2-5
February 9-12
February 16-20

The first day of the 2009 Regular Session is March 3, 2009

5. Education Bills filed as of December 1

HB 0003 Relates to athletic coaches
HB 0011 Cigarette uses fees
HB 0013 Social Studies in the FCAT
HB 0017 Student non-traditional options for graduation
HB 0019 Deletes abstinence as part of instruction in human sexuality
HB 0012 Childhood vaccinations

6. SENATE SELECT PANEL

Today, Senate President Jeff Atwater named a select panel to analyze the Florida Budget and Economy and make recommendations for legislation and Constitutional amendments to jump start the economy. Named were; Senators Gaetz (Chair), Ring, Alexander, Haridopolis, King, Pruitt, Bennett, Gelber, Sobel, and Hill.

Rep. Bev Kilmer's Letter Why Social Studies Can't Be Tested

2008-11-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

Legislative Report #2

2008-11-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Legislative Update # _____
September 26, 2008

EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
September 26, 2008

Things are relatively quiet in Tallahassee, as the national elections are the main news stories of the day. There are still many Florida Legislators facing election or re-election and this uncertainty results in a slowdown of Tallahassee action. The biggest news continues to be the Supreme Court’s removal of the three proposed Constitutional amendments from the ballot and the continued decline in the Florida economy.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
As of September 24th, 28 relief bills have been filed in the Florida Senate. These are bills by which individual citizens can appeal to the Legislature seeking monetary relief (usually for actions of a governmental agency, which are held harmless past a certain monetary amount).
There are not any regular bills filed in either the House or Senate at this time. This is not unusual in an election year. We still expect many bills to be filed dealing with education for the 2009 Session.
We will continue to monitor and report to you as soon as filing begins. We are also waiting for the appointments of committee chairs and members.
ENROLLMENT
The 10 day enrollment figures for Florida School Districts reported 36,574 less students than anticipated. (1.37%)
The decline was fairly evenly distributed across the state. Duval County reported the largest loss in anticipated enrollment with a loss of 4,148 students. Reported losses among the large school districts were as follows; Miami-Dade (-1,684), Broward (-2,439), Hillsborough (-2,249), Orange (-1,933), Palm Beach (-1,493), and Pinellas (-2,076).
Three counties reported an enrollment growth of more than 200 students. Pasco County lead the gainers with a 1,598 student increase, followed by Flagler county (+262) and Sumter County (+239). Other counties reporting small increases were; Baker, Calhoun, Franklin, Glades, Lafayette, Martin, Okeechobee, Suwannee, and Union.
Many districts are expected to show student enrollment increases by the 30 day count. We will report the new numbers as soon as they are received.

BUDGETARY CONCERNS
I want to share some information concerning the current Education Budget and the projections for the future. This will help us establish the scene surrounding the 2009-2010 budget. There are no quick and easy solutions to the declining budget especially when expenses are escalating and revenue is declining. These are random facts, not to be taken as all inclusive or to add up to a specific total. They are more to help explain a very huge problem, the funding of our Education budget.
1. The 2008-09 fiscal year overall State budget has already been cut by $1.8 billion. (This has resulted in revenues for 08-09 being less than revenues in 07-08.)
2. General revenue for the current year has been projected to reflect a deficit of $1.5 billion. By law, this shortfall must be resolved prior to the end of this fiscal year – June 30, 2009. (We have been told that this shortfall will be covered by using non-recurring funds.) If so, while that is good news for this year, it will mean that these dollars won’t be available for future needs – i.e., these funds will not be available to cover shortfalls in the 2009-10 budget.
3. Lottery dollars are declining, with a deficit in projected revenue of $48 million. Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund dollars are not expected to grow. Additional dollars from these funds will not be available, if needed for next year’s budget.
4. Slot machine dollars have not lived up to expectations and the projected revenue from this source is down by $750 million over the next three years.
5. Almost $300 million is needed over the next two years to meet the class size Constitutional requirements. This is an updated figure which accounts for districts that have already met the requirement. There is some early discussion of revisiting the class size issue by the Senate. I don’t believe that there is any Legislative solution available to overrule a Constitutional Amendment.
6. In Education, the normal increase costs associated with workload and enrollment are projected to require an additional $232 million over the next two years. Major expense items such as gasoline, electricity, and textbooks, coupled with expected inflation, could add expenses of up to $600 million a year.
7. If millage rates remain unchanged, ad valorum revenues for Education could increase by $725 million by 2011-12.
8. The bottom line is that budget prognosticators expect that the maximum available General Revenue for the State in 2009-10 will be $24.7 billion. The State will require $28.2 billion to operate. This leaves a potential shortfall of $3.5 billion.

9. Article 9, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution states, “It is the paramount duty of the State to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.”
10. The Constitution also requires that the Legislature must balance the budget before it can be approved. Either reductions must be made or new sources of revenue must be found in order to balance this potential shortfall.
11. If an increased revenue scenario is chosen, the questions become:
• Do you chose to increase taxes? (An additional one cent sales tax would generate $3.78 million) or
• What items do you tax that are currently exempt? The list of tax exemptions is huge and appears untouchable. I don’t think anyone will propose an income tax and if proposed, it wouldn’t pass.
I’m sure that we will receive a great deal of conflicting information involving revenue and costs, between now and May. However, we can be assured that this Legislative Session will be both challenging and very interesting.

Legislative Update # 3 Oct. 27. 2008

2008-11-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

FASSS/FCSS Update#3 October 27, 2008

Greetings ---
At the far left is a weekly update from the NCSS Legislative Advocacy group Washington Partners that discusses news about Achieve, Inc. -- the consortium of 34 states that Florida D.O.E. has partnered with and with whom our Chancellor was just in Washington with signing the Algebra II contract with! It also contains some valuable information about the recently convened Forum for Education and Democracy. The report is worth a quick read. (The other files pertaining to Achieve, Inc. were distributed at Friday's FASSS meeting and in an earlier email.)

Achieve, Inc. seems destined to be an increasingly important group on national educational issues. Unfortunately for us in Social Studies, without some intense lobbying to Achieve, this group seems very likely to replicate the SCANS initiative from an earlier generation. (SCANS = Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills which 'left out' the social sciences at that time and which initiated our long decline as a basic core academic subject.) Achieve, Inc. is composed of Governors and CEOs (similar to the SCANS Commission) and seeks improvement in ‘employability skills and increased problem-solving skills to compete in a global economy.’ There is little or no reference to social studies on its national website. The group is often consulted with on the development of rigorous curriculum standards and their review of the new social studies standards for New Jersey represented about the only reference to our curriculum area that I could locate. Another area the group is very interested in is assessment. It assists in the development of rigorous, high quality end of course exams for many states. According to my meager sources, Achieve Inc. has no social studies assessment on the horizon. Without the Governors of some states lobbying for the need of this, such assessments probably won't happen in the near future. (Remember that no governor need worry about how his/her schools compare to any national profile with regard to civic, geographic or historical understanding -- thus I doubt they'll be asking for this without some pressure.)

Section four in the left most PDF file is an update on the Forum for Education and Democracy initiative. This last forum was sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Representative John Yarmuth (D-KY) and it appears clear that in all the testimony given here that there is absolutely nothing wrong with not holding any state accountable for its civic mission. The group seems to wish to denigrate current ‘knowledge tests’ such as NAEP and promote activities that ensure ‘team building’, ‘problem solving’ and ‘communication skills’. Interestingly, although NAEP is cited as a test of knowledge, there are performance based items on the social studies tests within NAEP that call for students to do all of these things. Moreover, the clear connection between the lack of state accountability in social studies and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's signing into law a measure ELIMINATING American History and American Government as high school graduation requirements seems to have been lost on this group. How do we ensure the survival of “democracy” in this nation with such acts?

Again, the absence of noting this inequity of holding states accountable in our area by folks at the national level almost seems to be 'conspiratorial.' The trend from this week's NCSS news doesn't bode well for us. It appears that without more aggressive lobbying on our part we'll continue to have more "contentless-writing" assessments -- as Will Fitzhugh likes to call the SAT -- where students can just get "A's" for their skill of writing and yet demonstrate total ignorance of history or of world events. They can lie, cheat and ‘steal’ their way to a good grade on such ‘writing’ performance assessments. We appear to be going through still another round of re-engineering our math, reading, language arts, writing and science assessments and totally ignoring social studies. With the current state of ignorance about our nation and the world among youth today, this is not only dangerous but suicidal. Unfortunately it appears no voices to counter these recent developments seem evident.

Note: The position of FCSS and FASSS has always been that the best assessments remain those that BALANCE knowledge and skill (such as AP Exams, the NY State Regent's test, etc. Such sentiments and testimony and almost any discussion of the civic mission or our schools seem absent from this week's update.) Let’s hope some folks at the national level will raise their voices to counter this dangerous trend.

NCSS Loses an Opportunity to Lobby for National Equity on NAEP

2008-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

The National Council for the Social Studies sent letters to both Presidential candidates shortly before the November election. Although the letters clearly addressed the desire for continued support of many Congressional appropriations related to Social Studies, the letters neglected to mention the long standing attempt over the last four Congresses to give our curriculum equity on the National Assessment for Educational Progress tests which hold the states accountable for how well they compare to one another and to a national standard. NCSS has refused, despite repeated urging by FCSS, to make public to its members a request for support for these measures for many years. This letter to Senator McCain was identical to that sent to Senator Obama and represents still yet another lost opportunity to address the inequity of our curriculum at the national level on NAEP.

_________________________
October 8, 2008

Senator John McCain
John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215

Dear Senator McCain:

As you and Senator Obama compete for the highest office in the land and share your views and plans for US policies home and abroad over the next four years, the importance of a strong and accountable public education system cannot be understated. As you know, training and retaining a quality teaching workforce, addressing the dropout crisis that plagues public high schools, giving young people crucial 21st Century Skills that facilitate success in the workplace and college, addressing the persistent achievement gap and a maintaining a strong higher education system are crucial to an effective citizenry and healthy economy.

On behalf of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and its more than 25,000 members, we would like to share our views and priorities on a number of issues that will be considered by the next Administration. As you and your prospective Secretary of Education work with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to consider policies that affect K-12 schools and classrooms, we ask you to consider these views.

NCSS defines social studies as "the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence." The mission of the Council is to provide leadership, service and support for all social studies educators. During this presidential election year, we are reminded how important it is that citizens know their civic responsibilities. It is important that federal investments validate the role of social studies in exposing young people to civic engagement, economics and financial literacy, global awareness, historical reasoning and other subjects that yield increasingly crucial 21st Century skills.

As you know, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a law that has had an enormous impact on public education throughout the nation and has brought vital focus to the need to define school wide academic success as success for every child. NCSS wholeheartedly endorses this goal, but believes the law can be both strengthened and improved. NCSS is concerned that social studies is getting short shrift in the classroom as teachers and administrators focus almost exclusively on achievement test results in math and reading. If American students are to succeed in the global market place of the 21st Century, it is the teaching of social studies, science and other core disciplines that will serve as the means to stimulate interest in academics and prepare students for their roles as citizens.

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released a report in 2007 that asserts that since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, 44% of districts surveyed have reduced time for social studies. That percentage leapt to 51% in districts with “failing schools.” Denying students the opportunity to build social studies vocabulary and background knowledge lowers reading comprehension and ironically increases the achievement gap. This is clearly an unintended consequence of NCLB and one that deserves the attention of policy makers.

Powerful social studies teaching begins with a clear understanding of the subject’s unique purposes and goals. Social studies is a discipline that facilitates the teaching of a number of subjects and arms young people with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective and responsible citizens. An emphasis on reading knowledge alone ignores the value of important content and analysis. Rigorous and relevant social studies curriculum can—and does—teach reading skills while imparting important knowledge and skills. The same is true in mathematics. Economics, financial literacy, geography and other disciplines have mathematics lessons and content imbedded in their teaching. NCSS firmly believes that by incorporating a social studies curriculum into the school day, the reading and math skills of the students will actually be enhanced.

Finally, as social studies educators strive to give young people the skills and knowledge they need to become effective citizens, it is crucial they have access to quality professional development to meet the demands of the ever-changing classroom. There are a number of federal programs that assist districts, administrators and principals in their efforts to support their classroom teachers. We ask you to adequately fund these initiatives, including the Teaching American History grant program, National History Day, Civic Education, Excellence in Economic Education, Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants and NCLB Improving Teacher Quality State Grants. Adequate federal funding for existing programs and innovative new ideas can and do help tens of thousands of students and teachers to gain important skills and experiences, ultimately producing responsible citizens.

No matter who takes up residence in the White House in January, he and his staff will face challenges, and we look forward to working with the team as it faces appropriations battles, considers the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and addresses important issues that affect classrooms, teachers, administrators, parents and students.

Thank you for your attention to these views. As the campaign continues, if we can provide you with any additional information, please contact NCSS Executive Director Susan Griffin at 301.581.1800 or sgriffin@ncss.org.

Sincerely,

Susan Griffin Michael Yell
Executive Director President

Legislative Committee Submits Letters of Concern to Chancellor Haithcock and FL Education Commissioner Dr. Eric Smith

2008-10-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

On October 3, 2008, a delegation of Florida Social Studies educators and FCSS/FASSS Lobbyist Bob Bedford met with both the Commissioner and Chancellor of Florida public schools. Letters of concern with supporting documentation were left with both officials. Although both officials expressed some dismay that the organizations were not entirely happy with the newly revised state social studies Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, they were very supportive of other requests contained within the letter. Later that day, FASSS president Jason Caros, emailed a thank you letter to both persons. (See other postings for this and his report of the meeting.) Promises of support for the announced goals contained within this letter were made, especially with regard to implementation of an accountability program for social studies within the state of Florida.
____________________________________

Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Florida Council for the Social Studies

October 3, 2008

Dr. Frances Haithcock
Chancellor, Florida D.O.E.
Turlington Building, Suite 514 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Dear Dr. Haithcock,

Florida educators are anticipating the curriculum changes that will soon result from the State Board of Education adoption of the Next Generation Standards for Social Studies. Since at least 1986 social studies teachers have gone on record with the Department to urge state accountability for our discipline area. Knowing the success of any such accountability program depends upon the quality of the state’s curriculum standards, we have also long urged the revision of Florida’s social studies curriculum standards. We applaud the Department for undertaking this initiative. Draft standards have been produced with the input of representative stakeholders and experts in the field. The standards apparently will soon be approved by the State Board of Education and then be permanently released to educators and the public.

We would be remiss, however, if we did not inform you at this that we have concerns both as the developmental process and the current status of these draft standards. We are unanimous in our belief that in order to have produced exemplary standards, the revision process should have been given the time that it deserved. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

There were problems from the onset of the curriculum revision process. Too few classroom teachers with elementary experience were part of the initial meetings. There were many months of inactivity for members of the committee as leadership changes and funding issues delayed its work. The draft standards were released at the worst possible time – literally at the end of last school year – when teachers had little time to review them and offer constructive comments. Finally – based upon the limited time that was available to writers this past summer – the writing teams were unable to correct some of the gaps and weaknesses which still remain. As a result, although the standards are exemplary in many respects and in some ways superior to the previous standards, we feel additional time and resources should be devoted to this initiative.

Page two October 3, 2008

Perhaps not surprisingly, we found our colleagues in the area of science and language arts voicing similar concerns over the same process when they developed their curriculum standards. We therefore urge that the process of developing and refining the Next Generation social studies standards be continued and that additional resources be provided for their development.

We additionally urge that the Department take steps to move forward with plans to develop end of course high school assessments that will include social studies. We recommend in particular that the Commissioner commit to the development of an exemplary assessment in American History at the high school level. At no time in Florida’s history have we been able to accurately determine to what extent districts live up to the civic and historical mission of our schools. Many national reports and our own state’s rapid demographic changes increasingly make such an assessment vital to the preservation of the Republic. The draft standards for American History at the high school level would facilitate the construction of such an assessment even as work on these standards might continue to be refined at other grade levels.

It is our hope and expectation that the vacancy left by Mr. Levon Terrell be immediately filled by a full time experienced and qualified specialist for Social Studies within the Department. We also wish to once again urge that social studies be added to the state’s Student Progression Law for the elementary grades and to FCAT as soon as this is practically possible. We urge that increased attention be devoted to the importance of non-fiction reading on all Departmental curriculum packets and on FCAT. The revisions to the Third Grade Assessment Portfolio, for example, are insufficient in meeting the vital need for our students to acquire the necessary background knowledge so essential for improved reading comprehension. Nor do these selections model exemplary social studies readings. We welcome your support for the elementary teacher survey being currently conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship. This survey seeks to ascertain the status of social studies teaching in grades K-5 and to evaluate the impact of testing in our area. Finally, we welcome your presence at the upcoming Florida Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference being held October 24-25 in St. Petersburg in order to establish and maintain an excellent link of communication between yourself and Florida’s social studies teachers.

We look forward to your thoughts on the above ideas and in discussing with you ways that Florida students may be better prepared to lead productive lives as responsible citizens in a truly interdependent world.

Sincerely,

Jason Caros
President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Vice President Elect, Florida Council for the Social Studies

Legislative Committee Meets with Commissioner Smith!

2008-10-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

October 13, 2008

Dr. Eric Smith
Commissioner, Florida D.O.E.
Turlington Building, Suite 1514 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Dear Dr. Smith,

Please allow me to express personal thanks to you on behalf of Florida’s social studies teachers for taking the time to recently meet and discuss with us ways to ensure the best education possible for our students. We are encouraged to hear that the Department plans to send an appropriate person to our upcoming state conference later this month and that you will move to fill the now vacant position of Social Studies Specialist within the Department. We also applaud your desire for the Department to move forward with plans for several end-of-course social studies assessments at the high school level. With regard to this, we additionally encourage you to formally submit to the consortium of states that are working to develop such assessments Florida’s desire that these become an urgent priority. They are especially needed in light of the fact that Florida and many other states have never been able to determine to what extent school districts fulfill their vitally important civic mission. Additionally, we welcome your desire to see increased use of non-fiction readings in the social sciences be developed and used by the Department for Reading purposes or for FCAT preparation and assessment. We agree that it is vital that children be equipped with the necessary background knowledge that comes from their exposure to the social studies curriculum and which so often leads to increased reading achievement.

The subject of the Next Generation social studies standards will soon be taken up by our Board at our upcoming annual meeting. We look forward to discussing this with our members and promise to continue to work with you on the implementation of quality standards for Florida’s children.

Sincerely,

Jason Caros
President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Vice-President Elect, Florida Council for the Social Studies

Legislative Committee Meets with Chancellor Haithcock!

2008-10-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2008

Dr. Frances Haithcock
Chancellor, Florida D.O.E.
Turlington Building, Suite 514 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Dear Dr. Haithcock,

Please allow me to express personal thanks to you on behalf of Florida’s social studies teachers for taking the time to recently meet and discuss with us ways to ensure the best education possible for our students. We are encouraged to hear that the Department plans to send an appropriate person to our upcoming state conference later this month and that you will move to fill the now vacant position of Social Studies Specialist within the Department. We also applaud your desire for the Department to move forward with plans for several end-of-course social studies assessments at the high school level. With regard to this, we additionally encourage you to formally submit to the consortium of states that are working to develop such assessments Florida’s desire that these become an urgent priority. They are especially needed in light of the fact that Florida and many other states have never been able to determine to what extent school districts fulfill their vitally important civic mission. Additionally, we welcome your desire to see increased use of non-fiction readings in the social sciences be developed and used by the Department for Reading purposes or for FCAT preparation and assessment. We agree that it is vital that children be equipped with the necessary background knowledge that comes from their exposure to the social studies curriculum and which so often leads to increased reading achievement.

The subject of the Next Generation social studies standards will soon be taken up by our Board at our upcoming annual meeting. We look forward to discussing this with our members and promise to continue to work with you on the implementation of quality standards for Florida’s children.

Sincerely,

Jason Caros
President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Vice President Elect, Florida Council for the Social Studies

Constitution Day Consternations

2008-09-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

When Benjamin Franklin emerged from Convention’s final work in Philadelphia, a woman asked of him, “Well, Dr. Franklin, what have you given us?” The elder statesman replied, “A Republic, madam - if you can keep it.” Today’s legislators should take heed of Franklin’s admonition, for the ultimate fate of the Republic may well hinge upon their actions. The world’s longest standing Constitution has withstood the tests of Civil War, Fascism, Cold War and countless other challenges. Whether it will continue to stand, Aristotle reminds us, “depends upon the education of youth.” How stands the ship of state today? ‘Not well’ must be everyone’s unqualified answer.

One year after 9/11 a Roper Survey discovered America’s voting age young adults were last among nine nations in correctly identifying the approximate size of this nation’s population. They were last in knowing that Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban and was about to be invaded by the U.S. for refusing to surrender Osama bin Laden. They were last in being able to locate Russia, Italy, Argentina, Japan on a world map, and were almost last in recognizing the location of their own nation! Almost half of the students believed the majority population in India is Muslim and less than half could correctly identify the location of New York. Since then, numerous surveys attest to the fact our youth more readily recognize the names of the long dead Three Stooges, Snoop Doogy Dog, the members of the Simpson Family and the identities of Beavis and Butthead than can correctly identify key Constitutional Amendments or basic principles of American Government.

National attempts to rectify the problem in the last two Congresses have been in vain. Despite being told that “American History is the nation’s worst subject”, Congress for the last two sessions has neglected to pass a paltry $8 million measure (S860) that would have provided equity for this subject on “The Nation’s Report Card” – the National Assessment for Educational Progress. Although Congress has been able in that last few years to fund about a half billion dollars in training for American History teachers, the one time allocation of $8 million to hold states accountable for what students actually learned in that subject was apparently too costly.

Shall it be said of this generation of lawmakers that for the cost of a few Cruise Missiles our nation literally risks an implosion like the former Soviet Union? Shall our governors never be held accountable for how poorly they equip our nation’s future citizens with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to perpetuate this Republic? Despite public education's primary purpose being an informed citizenry, no state’s civic education program has ever been held to the same standards of comparison as that given to such areas as reading, writing, math, science or even teens’ alcohol and drug consumption habits! One can more easily find the last time a typical 13 year-old was offered cocaine in SW Florida than what that student knows about the Constitution or our nation’s past heritage.

And yet Florida continues to promote what is now a tsunami of civic ignorance among youth. In recent years our state was ridiculed by Phyllis Schlafly and condemned on the floor of both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate for its hostility toward civic education. Florida has never known to what extent its students are prepared for citizenship. It seemingly doesn’t care. The legislature has repeatedly refused to amend the state's Pupil Progression Law so that civic understanding may be taken into consideration for grade promotion purposes. The former House Education Committee chair and the current D.O.E. bureaucrat in charge of FCAT have stated in writing that they are opposed any assessment of United States History because due to our ‘diverse population’ it would be ‘almost impossible to assess.” Curiously, various other states and the College Board have successfully been doing this very thing for years.

So where are we today as we celebrate another “Constitution Day”? Well, we’re still a Republic. But for how long? President Reagan warned in his 1989 farewell, “An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? . . . I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American Spirit.”

We are as ignorant today in Florida of this question as we were when Reagan took office. The result of ignoring his warning is that many civic educators today have arrived at the conclusion that the erosion of the American Memory is already well underway. The Florida Legislature can avert this danger to our Republic by requiring an assessment in this vital area of our children’s education -- before it’s too late! Both our children’s future, and that of our Republic rests upon their decision.

Words 816

The writer has been a social studies educator, a former elementary school principal, and serves as Legislative Chair for the Florida Council for the Social Studies. He may be reached at JSBovee@aol.com.

Legislative Goals 2007-2008 -- ONGOING now

2008-05-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

FCSS / FASSS
Position Paper on 2007-08 Legislative Issues (These were continued for the future until passage of a comprehensive assessment program for Social Studies for Florida's students.)

Level One Priorities are those immediately pressing needs that the organization is aggressively seeking to secure legislative support for in the coming session. Level Two Priorities represent longer range goals. These allow FCSS / FASSS to take positions supporting other issues when addressing the main priority of the organization.

RECOMMENDATION ONE: Florida Statute 1008.22 should be amended so as to add social studies as an area for statewide assessment. This law should go into effect no later than 2009.
Current status: The case for this is well known. We would be open to a strictly electronic assessment format to reduce fiscal impact, a sufficient percentage sampling of students in each district as opposed to census testing, and other reasonable compromises. Since the Legislature and Commissioner of Education have both called for rigorous end-of-course assessments similar to those for the N.Y. State Regent’s Diploma, we have lobbied key legislative leaders and D.O.E. officials for the purpose of making the American History high school course the next schedule assessment for high school students in Florida.
Priority Level: One

THE FCSS BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTED TO IMPLEMENT A SINGLE FOCUS FOR THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVOCACY COMMITTEE – PASSAGE OF A STATE-WIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL STUDIES. As a result, the goals which follow are presented here as secondary issues which teachers may also wish to support.

RECOMMENDATION TWO: FCSS should work with other civic-minded organizations to conduct a statewide campaign to incorporate social studies as part of the FCAT.

Current Status: As a result of efforts by former Governor Bob Graham, Congressman Lou Frey, Chief Justice Lewis and numerous others bills were introduced in the legislature by House and Senate leaders calling for social studies to become part of FCAT.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION THREE: FCSS should work with other civic-minded organizations to conduct a statewide survey of student civic and historical knowledge at the elementary and secondary levels, the results of which should be released to the public and the Commissioner of Education.

Current Status: No such survey or assessment has ever been done with large numbers of students in Florida. Sample questions should be based upon N.A.E.P. assessment items and other previously known surveys so that some comparison might be made. Consideration should be given to institutionalizing such a survey for the purpose of annually bringing civic literacy to the state’s attention each September. When possible, the data should be disaggregated by region, gender, grade level, and race/ethnicity. Results should be shared with the Florida’s legislators, various media outlets and the Florida Association of Educational Writers.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION FOUR: The state should establish the Florida Commission on Civic Education for the purpose of (1) educating students on the importance of citizen involvement in a representative democracy, and for (2) promoting communication and collaboration among organizations in the state that conduct civic education programs.

Current Status: There are now several organizations with state-wide reach that promote civic understanding – The Florida Law Related Education Association and the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship – which make this priority less critical than in the past.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION FIVE: FCSS should continue to take the appropriate steps to communicate with NCSS and other national organizations as well as individual members of Congress on the urgent need for state comparative data regarding this year’s NAEP Civics and US History assessments.
Current Status: Senator Lamar Alexander has for the third time filed legislation (S860, S2721, and S1414) to provide for a pilot assessment of up to ten states to be compared to the national profile which will be obtained from last January’s History and Civics assessments. NCSS during the 110th Congress was able to have Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduce an identical measure (H6525) in the House of Representatives for which she is securing co-sponsors. As no action was taken on these measures during both sessions of the last Congress, they will have to be reintroduced for a FOURTH time in the 111th Congress when it convenes in 2009/
Priorit Level: One

RECOMMENDATION SIX: We recommend inclusion of “social studies” in the state Student Progression Law (F.S. 1008.25).

Current Status:
- Current law requires educators to review a student’s performance in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science when being promoted from one grade level to the next. Moreover, should a student be found to be deficient in his/her performance in of these core subject areas, parents must be notified and an opportunity for remediation of that content needs to be made available to the student.
- To permit the current law to state that students’ performance in elementary social studies need not even be considered for promotion purposes – when reading, writing, math and science must be – is an intolerable and ominous development for the future civic health of our state and nation. Students must complete three years of successful Social Studies instruction in the Middle Grades and must be remediated before being promoted to the next grade.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION SEVEN: The Legislature should require that the Florida Department of Education complete a comprehensive survey on the Status of Social Studies Education in Florida.

Current Status: Due to the lack of data pertaining to student performance in the area of Social Studies and with regard to how districts implement the many legislative mandates under Florida Statute: 1003.42 (Required instruction.), it is imperative that the Florida legislature require the Department of Education to undertake a district analysis of the status of social studies. Two years ago the legislature pass a measure to complete a study on Physical Education throughout the state.

Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION EIGHT: The length of time for which an ESOL student’s F.C.A.T. score should be used for accountability purposes should be extended from two to three years.
Current Status: (TABLED by FCSS in the past although supported by FASSS ) Research states that it takes six or seven years for a student whose native language is different from English to be proficient in reading and writing in our language. Federal guidelines for No Child Left Behind use a three year period of time before such scores are factored into accountability measurements. Florida’s accountability provisions should not be more punitive than federal standards.
Priority Level: Two

RECOMMENDATION NINE: We urge the repeal of the Special Teachers Are Recognized Program.
Current Status: By another statute, Districts must provide differentiated salaries to instructional personal. The S.T.A.R. program was hastily devised and there are not enough reliable or valid measures of student performance to implement it. Through its enactment the legislature has added to the burdens of districts.
Priority Level: Two

Other:

Possibly Recommend the Establishment of a Veteran’s Curriculum Taskforce to consolidate, develop and promote instructional resources related to Florida Statute 1003.42.

Patriot's Day Guest Editorial

2008-05-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

April 25, 2005

Re: Guest Editorial or Article

Sadly, most of the nation’s newspapers (Education Week included) seemingly ignored an important event that recently involved several of the nation’s noted historians, key Congressional leaders and educators. The National Council for History Education brought these groups together in the nation’s capitol last week to commemorate both “Patriot’s Day” and to call for a national campaign to “Make History Stronger in Our Schools”. That this is needed, no one denies. Kathleen Manzo’s recent article (“Social Studies Losing Out to Reading, Math,” March 15, 2005) accurately described the deplorable state that the subject has come to in the nation’s schools. She cited a litany of problems in the teaching of History, Civics and Social Studies in states such as California, Maryland, Florida, and Illinois.

But it’s worse than this. Knowledge of economics and geography is equally deplorable. Several international surveys now indicate that American young adults possess less knowledge requisite for U.S. citizenship than even their peers from around the world! A Roper Survey for National Geographic conducted in nine countries in 2002, for example, showed American students coming in last in knowing the correct size of our population, identifying which nation gave sanctuary to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, and even the ability to identify our nation on a world map! Not surprisingly, noted historian David McCullough recently stated that nothing less than “national security” is at stake due to this rising tide of historical and civic ignorance.

Those assembled in the nation’s capitol for “Patriot’s Day” last week put forth a powerful argument for the revitalization of American History. Senator Lamar Alexander has repeatedly stated that based upon National Assessment for Education Progress (N.A.E.P.) results for all academic subjects, “American history is our students worst subject”.

It’s interesting to note that during the confirmation hearing for Margaret Spellings, not a single question was directed to her as to what plans she has for how the Department of Education might reverse this trend. One legislative proposal filed by Senators Alexander and Kennedy to coincide with “Patriot’s Day” -- Senate bill 860 -- may offer a solution. Aimed at the elimination of ‘second-class status” on N.A.E.P. for History and Civics, it would authorize Spelling to spend $5 million to hold up to 10 states accountable for how well they prepare students in History and Civics. Comparisons of states to one another and to a national average have been done for many years in the areas of Math, Reading, Writing and Science at grades four and eight, but these have never occurred in History or Civics. The federal Department of Education actually spends more money annually to collect comparable state data on the extent of teenage drinking, smoking and drug use than that being proposed by S860! This is the second time the bill has been filed by the senators. In the 108th Congress the measure (S2721) never even came up for a vote. Nor was there much of a cry amongst History or Civics educators that it do so. Surprisingly, it was strongly advocated by social studies educators. These folks, perhaps more familiar with the realities of K-12 public education, realize that until you begin to hold some states accountable, History and Civics will continue to lose valuable time and resources. The old adage, “What gets tested is what gets taught,” holds true today more than ever before. I might add, however, “This only happens if you’re keeping score.” In the case of History and Civics, no one is.

It’s easily argued that when states are not held accountable to a national standard, they need mot worry or do much to improve. Take Florida, for example. Governor Jeb Bush and leading legislators serve as commissioners to the Education Commission of the States. One of the main missions of this group is to improve civic education programs. As a result, a subsidiary of this group - the National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) - has been formed to carry out this mission and to serve as a repository for civics educators. Perhaps not surprisingly, NCLC argues for increased assessment of civic knowledge by local school districts or by the state. It is mute on the idea of granting Civics parity -- by comparing states’ performance in this subject -- with other subjects on N.A.E.P. As a result, Florida politicians who serve on the Education Commission of the States need not worry about how Florida will compare to other states or to a national average. Incredulously, in recent years Governor Bush and these same legislative leaders have signed into law proposals eliminating American History and American Government as required high school courses for all students. Moreover, despite support from the Florida League of Women Voters and from social studies teachers, the legislature has for three years refused to pass a bill which would require districts to take student performance in history/civics/social studies into consideration when children are promoted from one grade to the next. Nor should it be any surprise that none of these subjects are part of the state’s assessment program.

What is surprising is the near total silence on the subject of revitalizing the upcoming 2006 N.A.E.P assessments in U.S. History and Civics by nationally renowned educators – even those with a strong affinity for the civic mission of our schools! Chester Finn and Diane Ravitch, both well known for their heated editorials attacking “social studies” as the primary culprit for today’s decline of historical and civic knowledge, have never argued for a revitalized N.A.E.P similar to that proposed by former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander. They argue for, among other things, increased history training opportunities for teachers. They miss the fact that by never holding states accountable, nothing will ever change! What many seem to forget is that Congress has appropriated almost $400 million in the last few years for training teachers in the areas of history and civics. While appreciative of this, I’m amazed that Congress has yet to authorize a paltry $5 million to find out how well the states seem to be living up to their civic responsibilities. When 2006 passes, the opportunity to do this again won’t come around in the N.A.G.B. schedule until 2012 (Civics). The next U.S. History assessment isn’t listed on their current schedule, and can be presumed to come until after 2012.

Equally surprising is the lack of Op-Ed articles from leading national educators decrying the proposal by the National Assessment Governing Board (N.A.G.B.) to possibly eliminate future 12th grade assessments in U.S. History, Civics and Geography. These provide our only window on how well we’ve prepared voting age students in these vital subjects. President Bush, who unfortunately once endorsed a delay in the 2001 Civics assessment so resources might be reallocated to Reading and Math, endorsed this new 12th grade plan some time ago. He did so in order that N.A.G.B. could use their resources to consider initiating for the first time statewide comparisons in Reading and Math at grade 12.

If there is a trend, it is the movement to postpone, eliminate or eviscerate any attempt to hold states and students accountable in these vital subjects. There is a dire need to restore History and Civics to their rightful place in public education. In the rush to do so, however, let’s not lose sight of the important need to hold a few states accountable for what our students have learned! Until this happens, things will only get worse!

Jack Bovee
Legislative Chair, Florida Council for the Social Studies

The writer is a 32-year social studies educator, a former elementary school principal, and now the coordinator for K-12 Social Studies in Collier County, Fla.

Justice O’Connor Again Misses the Big Picture on Civics

2008-05-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

Here's 'more of the same' from the former Supreme Court Justice. ("Turning Students Into Citizens" by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, October 27, 2008.)

As we look to the beginning of a new Presidency and Congress, the National Assessment Governing Board makes preparation for the upcoming 2010 NAEP assessments in Civics and U.S. History. I found it interesting that Justice O'Connor continues to ignore this event. She could not bring herself to utter even one word about the inequity which Civics faces at the national level -- that no state has ever been held accountable for how well it imparts to students the knowledge and skills requisite for effective citizenship. For the umpteenth time she has said not a word, nadda, zip, zero!

I find it a bit amusing to see that Justice O'Connor once again begins with the comment "we are failing to impart civics information . . ." and then proceeds to cite the ever famous survey that revealed kids today know the "Three Stooges" better than they know the "three branches" of government. Although she discusses the 'partial answer' to the problem, I keep wondering when she is ever going to address the 'rest’ of the problem? She never has and apparently never will'.

Justice O’Connor, for what reason would the president's brother, Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, sign into law a measure that once eliminated American Government and American History as graduation requirements for all students? For anyone who needs reminding, it was because Florida wasn't being held accountable on these subjects and they weren't therefore 'important' to his mission of 'raising student achievement.' Although we need to thank O'Connor for once again sharing the awareness that we've lost 'instructional time' to civics (I wonder what caused that to happen?), I resent her contention that the major problem for this crisis is that it's being taught poorly by teachers. Or that it's our 'textbooks’ fault. Or that a half billion dollars in teacher training hasn't been enough to get things 'right' by now. Although we all agree with her statement that it’s too ‘important’ to put on the sidelines, it’s just as obvious that until someone starts to keep score, this subject won’t get much playing time on the field. And even if it does, what will keep it that way?

When she does manage to speak to the impact of national testing in areas other than civics, she seemingly can't even mention the everlasting inequity we face on the NAEP assessments that occur every 4-8 years. Worse, she can’t even seem to mention that these assessments are even coming up again in 2010. (Does she even know this, one wonders?) Two bills in Congress (S1414 and H6525) would address this issue by appropriating $8 million in order that the Department of Education could compare the student achievement scores in grades 8 and 12 in up to 10 states against a national profile – something which is routine for all other core subjects. These bills have languished in committee for the last three Congresses as the situation has only grown worse. Justice Connor missed this opportunity in the last NAEP of 2006 and she cannot seem to depart from the role of being Nero while Rome burns! The time to address the need for such a program is now Justice O’Connor, not the year they are to be administered.

Every governor and every state DOE webpage is filled with references to "The Nation's Report Card," as NAEP is called. It appears that hell will first freeze over before anyone at the national level gets some realistic talking points to Justice O'Connor so that when she takes the Bully Pulpit the next time she might be able to describe what the 'rest’ of the problem is.

How could the 'conspiracy of silence' which began long before the NAEP 2006 assessments took place continue to this day? How can it be that Justice O’Connor and other national civic leaders and historians for the most part remain mute on this issue? Why is it that Congress will once again have to -- for the FOURTH time -- watch as civics and history professional organizations practically ignore legislation that would reform NAEP and quite possibly help serve to turn the tide in restoring our curriculum as a core subject area?

Heaven only knows. Perhaps there really IS a conspiracy to destroy the nation. That makes about as much sense as some of the 'answers' to the above questions.

That's just my two cents.

Jack Bovee
199698 Villa Rosa Loop
Ft. Myers, FL 33967
Phone 239-482-8594 email: JSBovee@aol.com

The writer has been a social studies educator, a former elementary school principal, and serves as Legislative Chair for the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors. He may be reached at JSBovee@aol.com.

Lack of National Leadership 2006

2008-05-02T04:28:00.000-07:00

Fellow FCSS Folks & Fellow Civic Educators — (sent September 3, 2006)

Here are still more recent articles on the crisis the nation currently is experiencing (and will continue to experience) concerning civic and historical illiteracy. They will soon be most likely consigned to the national dustbin like countless hundreds of similar articles before them.

The file to the left is from about one week ago and is titled "Civic Illiteracy: A Threat to America's Freedom".
The second article from NCSS repeats the same theme.

These are nothing new. I believe I've got about 250 such articles dating back to the time Warren Burger resigned the Supreme Court to give us his "civics lesson". Apparently, he was a poor teacher. Since those days, civic and historical illiteracy have been an ever increasing threat to the nation. Noted historian David McCullough argues it now constitutes the "greatest threat" to America's future. Who among us would disagree?

So what is the plan for improvement? If you read Diane Ravitch's recent column in the September 2005 "History Matters" entitled "A Job For the Legislature" it appears that the solution lies at the state level. She bemoans what is happening in New York, much as Tom Foley remarked in the second file below that "civics should be a part of the curriculum from the earliest grades". Right . . . . sure. Teach civics in every grade. Let's pass a Declaration of Independence Teaching Bill to go along with Sen. Byrd's Constitution Day legislation. Meanwhile, Rome burns.

What these folks have YET to face is that Senate Bill 860 — which will once again DIE in this Congress — is probably the BEST answer to this national problem. It would place History and Civics on an equitable plane with Math, Reading, Writing and Science on the national assessment program known familiarly as "The Nation's Report Card." It would hold the states, the various Education Commissioners and the respective state legislatures such as Ravitch's own New York state accountable for how well they prepare our future citizens. And it would cost a trifling compared to the buckets of money thrown at teacher training over the past few years. Katrina will undoubtedly end the gravy train of such teacher training workshops. Where is the long term benefit?

Why is it that not a single national organization (except NCSS) among all those historical and civic groups have yet endorsed S860? Despite repeated calls from the Florida Council for the Social Studies to all the major national organizations to get behind S860, we've not seen it mentioned in print in paragraph form from these groups even once. No calls for folks to write their Senators or Congressmen urging it be scheduled for a vote. No guest Op Ed pieces from the nation's preeminent leaders in Civics or History on the possible benefits of this legislation. Natta. Zilch. Zero. Where are the editorials and speeches asking Congress to pass this bill? Why is it Ravitch, who served TWO terms on the National Assessment for Educational Progress can't see past her nose on this issue? [The fact she put so many years in the position with NEVER ONCE bewailing the second-class status accorded to these subjects for which she was the 'sitting expert' makes her in my mind, the enemy, not our friend. But that's just my opinion.] Why is it that Chester Finn, who rails against social studies educators from his bastion at the Fordham Foundation can't deign to mention the lack of equity on NAEP as a possible solution to this crisis? Instead these folks often rail against 'social studies' majors like there is some dark conspiracy that social studies is destroying the nation. I can even put up with that nonsense if they would at least MENTION S860 in passing. They can't even do that! (Read Ravitch's paragraph one which she predicts another NAEP catastrophe for civics and history without even alluding to the reason why! If no state is held accountable, then no single governor nor state commissioner of education need worry! (Read the fourth file to see how hypocritical they can be - like Florida's Governor Jeb Bush has proven to be on this issue.) How many of those watching or reading about the testimony David McCulloch and NAGB chairman Charles Smith gave at this summer's hearing on S860 even knew that Smith's own NAGB planned to eviscerate the national assessment of these subjects at grade 12? Or that President Bush has supported this plan? With 'friends' of history and civics such as these, who needs enemies? Yet where is ANY mention of any of this past history in any paper by anyone? Surely, Ravitch and Finn have selected their battles very carefully.

The 2006 NAEP Assessments on History and Civics are currently in the preparation stage while the reform bill sponsored by Senators Alexander and Kennedy languishes in yet another Congress. As of last week it hadn't even been scheduled for a vote. The ten year battle of FCSS to reform NAEP will apparently die in the 109th Congress as it did in the 108th Congress. It will have died because Ivory Towered folks really don't understand what has been driving K-12 education for the last 20 years. It will have died because many of the national groups were more concerned about consulting contracts than they were about restoring equity to our curriculum. It will have died because some leaders were more alarmed over threats to their fiefdoms than they were about the future of this nation. It will have died for many unknown reasons. [Can anyone explain the reason for the deafening silence on this bill from folks who are seemingly concerned about civic and historical literacy?]

I think there will be plenty of blame to go around as to why all the professional groups have lost yet another opportunity to end the second-class status of our curriculum on NAEP.

Neither Hitler nor Stalin could have devised a better plan for our civic undoing. What IS amazing is how many folks like Diane Ravitch can't seem to see beyond their own backyards. All are agreed we have a national problem — where are we with the reasonable national solution of holding states and hence school districts and students responsible for what they know and understand about these vital subjects? Nowhere.

If and when this bill dies, FCSS should raise bloody hell over this debacle and let the chips fall where they may!

Jack Bovee
Naples, Florida

Attach. 1: Civic Illiteracy Threatens America's Freedom
Attach. 2: Another NCSS alert on the harmful effects of NCLB (but which ommited mention of S860)
Attach. 3: Diane Ravitch Article in NCHE "History Matters"
Attach. 4: my Guest Op Ed piece sent to West VA and FL papers opposing "Constitution Day" legislation as meaningless trop

The Campaign that Wasn't Put Into Play - Part III

2008-05-02T04:16:00.000-07:00

The short 'guest editorial' below was the third in a series of hard-hitting articles that were never sent to Florida newspapers. They are provided here as an insight into the frustrations Florida's social studies educators felt after a non-productive twenty year campaign to have the Florida legislature address the state's crisis in public education. They are posted here as ways that today's social studies educators might utilize the print media -- in less strident ways perhaps -- to keep all citizens apprized of the status of social studies education in our schools. The idea would be to submit short, focused, REPEATED letters to the editor or postings to newspaper blogs on the 'current crisis' in Florida's public schools.

Florida’s Sad State of Civic Education – Part III

Florida’s students come increasingly from a wide range of diverse backgrounds. In the near future whites Anglos will make up an increasing minority of students in our schools. Many of the new arrivals come from nations without strong republican or democratic traditions. Indeed, the spirit of revolution might be stronger than a deep understanding of republican institutions. Knowing this, it was with some shock that Florida’s civic educators watched in horror as elites in the legislature two years ago eviscerated a core of civic courses such as American History and American Government as graduation requirements for all students. More surprising was the fact they had to fight an uphill battle to restore these courses in last year’s session. In light of Florida’s rapidly changing demographics and its mania for assessing such important knowledge as the life cycle of a tadpole, the correct use of a comma vs. semi-colon, or how to correctly use a possessive apostrophe – such acts will ultimately contribute to national suicide. We are no longer bound together by a common religion, heritage nor even perhaps a common language. When faced with massive immigration in the 1920s the nation’s schools decisively conducted a campaign to teach the recent arrivals what it meant to be an American citizen. No such campaign exists today, nor do educational elites in the state legislature or D.O.E. think it even advisable to have students demonstrate their degree of civic understanding when being considered for promotion from one grade level to the next. A bill to do just that and which has had four separate unanimous votes in the legislature was bottled up in committee last year to deliberately prevent it from seeing the light of day. We have been continually showing how Florida has designed the worst civic education program in the nation. It’s time for a change. Our future is at stake. To help, contact Jack Bovee at 369-1397.

Word Count 317

The Campaign that Wasn't Put Into Play - Part II

2008-05-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

Legislative Committee members should often send short 'guest' editorials to local newspapers in the area for the purpose of educating citizens about the need to strengthen our social studies curriculum. Here's a typical one that could also provide readers with links to documents on the FASSS-FCSS Advocacy Website.

Florida’s Sad State of Civic Education – part II

Florida is meticulous about collecting data. We know with scientific accuracy the number of students in each school who understand the desired algebraic concepts for their grade. Thanks to a very intrusive survey amongst 70,000 teens each year, we know the percent of 14 year olds who have been offered illegal drugs, what number of them smoke and how many took a swig of beer in the last month and even week. We could pave our highways with the math and reading statistics we keep on our children. We will soon know with scientific accuracy the percent that correctly can differentiate between a comma and a semi-colon and those who can correctly use a plural possessive apostrophe. We have no idea how many can identify basic tenets of our form of government or understand the underlying principles of our economic system. What little we DO know isn’t very pretty. Some years ago the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee commissioned a study amongst seniors at the University of Florida and Florida State to compare their knowledge of U.S. History and Government with that of their peers across the nation. Students at 50 other prestigious colleges across America failed a simple test designed for assessing high school students’ knowledge on these subjects. Not surprisingly, students at our two state flagship universities did even worse. Amazingly, elite bureaucrats in the Florida Department of Education and legislature have been sabotaging efforts by civic educators to correct the problem. What’s at stake here? Only the future of the state and nation! Franklin cautioned that Americans could maintain the Republic only through an informed citizenry. There is a ton of evidence that Florida’s leaders have failed their civic responsibilities. It’s time to change this travesty. if you'd like more information, go to http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/ . If you wish to help, call Jack Bovee at 369-1397.

Word Count 299

The Campaign that Wasn't Put Into Play - Part I

2008-05-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

Florida’s Sad State of Civic Education -- part one

Florida has always feared being the nation’s poster boy for civic ignorance. Following the fiasco of Florida’s role in the presidential election in 2000, millions were spent on electronic voting machines and a $200,000 budget was hastily assembled so that teachers could receive Civic instruction. Laws were passed requiring K-12 students to parrot two sentences from the Declaration of Independence while others mandated larger flags for every classroom. What’s the big deal? How many know Floridians know that elites within the Department of Education and state legislature actually resist real civic reform in our schools? National leaders like Sen. Lamar Alexander, Congressman Jim Davis and Phyllis Schaffley regularly describe Florida as hostile to civic education. Congressman Davis actually introduced a law designed to punish Florida for no longer requiring that all students successfully complete courses in American History and American government before receiving their diploma. What’s sad is that despite being told by civic educators of the need to restore these credits plus other credits in Economics and World History for ALL high school students, Florida Senate Education Committee Chair Lee Constantine’s original bill last year would have required students complete only one course containing ‘the principles of American democracy.’ This was another one of those many attempts to pass ‘feel good’ laws on civic education. Thankfully, some legislators would have nothing of it. Floridians should thank Senator Anna Cowin for amending this shortsighted measure and for restoring the traditional civic core of high school credits as the bill went to the next committee. Her amendment passed unanimously and eventually became law. As a result, a catastrophe in civic education was averted. There is much more to do. Floridians should be asking their legislators to do more to ensure that future generations of students understand the basic principles of American democracy and economics. Visit WWW.FCSS.ORG for more.

Word Count 307

Appeal on Student Progression and 'Fast Track' Omission of Required Courses - 2003

2008-05-02T03:27:00.000-07:00

Florida Senate Votes to Eliminate Our Civic Core - 2004

2008-05-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

S364 Bill Relating to Accelerated High School Graduation Options GENERAL BILL by Constantine (Chair, Senate Education Committee)
Accelerated HS Graduation Options; amends requirements applicable to
selection of accelerated high school graduation option; amends
requirements for grade point average that must be earned; requires
district school boards to adopt rules allowing students to switch from
one accelerated option to another; provides for default to standard
graduation requirements in certain circumstances. Amends 1003.429.
EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/2004.
10/22/03 SENATE Prefiled
10/30/03 SENATE Referred to Education; Appropriations Subcommittee on
Education; Appropriations
12/01/03 SENATE On Committee agenda-- Education, 12/10/03, 1:45 pm, 412-K
12/10/03 SENATE CS by Education; YEAS 12 NAYS 0

Bill Text
Version:

Posted:

Format:
S 0364

10/22/2003

Web Page PDF

Fighting for Florida's Civic Core Curriculum

2008-05-02T02:41:00.000-07:00

Email sent to Mr. James Durso, legislative aide to Senator Lee Constantine in 2004 over the state’s elimination of required social studies courses for graduation, by FCSS-FASSS legislative chair Jack Bovee. Thanks in part to information supplied by the FASSS/FCSS legislative committee, Florida had been condemned on the floor of the U.S. Congress – both in the House and Senate – for this action, and the desire of Republican leadership in Tallahassee (Senators Evelyn Lynn and Lee Constantine) to amend the statute by requiring at least one social studies course expose students to ‘instruction regarding democracy and the history and principles of the United States of America’ was deemed insufficient by Florida's Social Studies educators. This plea to Senator Constantine fell upon deaf ears and his amendment passed the Florida Senate Education Committee ‘as is’. It was only when Jack Bovee, legislative chair for FCSS/FASSS at that time, was able to contact Senator Anna Cowin to explain our continued opposition that she agreed to amend the measure in the Educational Appropriations Committee by restoring our three required courses. Once Senator Cowin 'moved' her amendment restoring American History, American Government, World History and Economics as graduation requirements for ALL students, no senator dared cast a vote against it. Florida's traditional 'civics core' of three required courses were once again thus required of all students receiving a Florida diploma. The letter below offers insight into this legislative battle and cites many other problems besetting Florida’s social studies curriculum at that time. Florida's Social Studies educators remain forever indepted for former Senator Anna Cowin for her assistance during this time.

__________________________________________________

Dear Mr. Durso:

We spoke last week about the amended language for SB 364 that would require at least one of the three social studies credits for graduation "to include instruction regarding democracy and the history and principles of the United States of America."

The Florida Council for the Social Studies, the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors, the Sons of the American Revolution and several other civic minded groups are reviewing the amended language to see what our formal response will be. I believe we will have some remaining concerns with the legislation as amended and I would like to share these with you in the hope the proposed language may be improved.

The new required (1) year credit language above is a reduction of the former (2) credits traditionally required in the past and which remain in force for the majority of students who will undoubtedly remain in the 24 credit track. These two credits are (1) in American History and (.5) each in American Government and Economics.

The new language does not address the former CORE civic education 3 credit mandated program which ALL students had to successfully complete. At the present time, students may graduate without World History, or without American Government or Economics. As a result, Florida no longer has a civic education core of courses required for ALL of its students! Better Algebra – the only course now required for all students in all three graduation tracks – be left as an elective than the state disband what has been traditionally its three credit civic core curriculum. We are moving toward a two tiered educational system, one that prepares all students for mastery of algebraic reasoning, but does NOT require they all have the same exposure to civic knowledge! The present language undercuts what has always been a primary purpose of education since the establishment of our public schools. In light of Florida's rapidly changing demographics, the civic core ought to be maintained, not disbanded. This is a recipe for state and national disaster!

Due to FCAT testing in the areas of MATH, SCIENCE, READING, and WRITING, social studies educators affirm that far less attention is being devoted to civic and historical knowledge, especially at the elementary and middle school levels, than in the past. Students are arriving in high school with far less knowledge and aptitude with regard to civic understanding than they have in the past. To now reinstate only one third of the traditional core will merely serve to exacerbate the problem!

The current language, although an improvement over the 'open to any elective' language passed last year, would still allow 1 credit courses such as Psychology or community service to be substituted for the traditional core curriculum courses. Students excelling in math and science may readily opt for AP Psychology and other, sometimes far less rigorous social studies electives, so that they can devote even more time to the AP math and AP science courses that this new law will allow them to substitute for the former ‘civic core’. As a result, some of our best and brightest students may NOT be receiving an adequate preparation for the only job ALL students will have upon graduation – that of citizen!

Since there is no accountability in any way for what Florida’s students know about our nation’s past or civic knowledge, no end of course assessment or FCAT for any social studies area, it would seem that successful completion of "prescribed civic education' courses would be a desirable feature that ought to be retained. Indeed, we have lots of data on how well our students at every grade level do on math, reading and science assessments. We operate in total darkness, however, with regard to civic knowledge. Better to allow students to complete credit in the traditional civic core by demonstrating proficiency on assessments specifically designed for this purpose, than to allow them to skip out on taking such courses!

The new language may not satisfy the bill recently submitted by Congressman Jim Davis (Tampa) that would seek to deny some federal funds to states that do not require students to complete separate "courses" in American Government and American History. Should his bill be approved, Florida will risk of losing millions of dollars in federal funding.

The fact that districts may opt to increase the graduation requirements and specify the return to a civic core, does not lessen the responsibility of the state for providing ALL students with the opportunity to learn about our government and nation. Quite frankly, since the loss of instructional time at lower levels, and the lack of prior civic knowledge students are bringing into high school, a one credit course is simply not enough time to teach the intricacies of our nation's past heritage, the essential principles of our governmental and economic systems, and to equip them with the knowledge of the history of the world and current global issues to prepare them to act as informed decision makers when they graduate.

Finally, whereas the nation and other states seem to be enhancing their civic education programs and requiring more from students in this area, Florida seems to be retreating from its statewide civic responsibilities. There is currently not even the requirement that a student's performance in social studies be even taken into consideration when that pupil is being promoted from one grade to the next. Nor is there any plan at all to develop an assessment instrument to gauge the civic understanding of our students, whether it would be FCAT like or not. Nor is there the movement to improve the social studies Sunshine State Standards, despite past promises from the Florida Department of Education to do so and two independent audits of the state's educational standards which cite that urgent need. The Shanker Institute study found Florida's civic education standards to be in the worst category among the various states. (see attached)

In short, the state has for many years placed its head in the sand with regard to civic education and the amended language does little to restore the previous core of high school courses which earlier legislators saw fit to describe as the 'minimum' required for high school graduation.
I urge that you review the two reports to the right and discuss these concerns with Senator Constantine at once. Hopefully, the bill may be amended to fully restore our high school civic education program during the next legislative hurdle.

Sincerely,

Jack Bovee,
Legislative Chair, FCSS and FASSS

FCSS Lobbyist Job Description

2008-05-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

The following will be the responsibilities of the FCSS Lobbyist position

● Be in attendance at selected FCSS Board Meetings

● Familiarize the FCSS Board with the names of key legislators, especially those who serve on education and appropriation committees and others who support education issues

● Report to the Legislative chairperson on a regular basis, including quarterly written reports and summaries of pre-filed bills and weekly reports during the legislative session. All reports shall be composed by electronic means for distribution to FCSS Board Members and FASSS Officers.

● Maintain an appointment log containing information as to date, items discussed, person met with, and outcomes of all such meetings with legislators, Department of Education personnel, or other educational lobbyists. The appointment log should be available to the Legislative Chair when requested.

● Establish a networking relationship with other educational lobbyists to compare agendas and to, whenever possible, seek common cause on educational goals.

● Follow educational issues related to all levels of public and private education, Pre-K through post secondary, as well as issues related to retirement and sick leave for public employee, etc.

● Provide a list of legislative committee members for FCSS. It is suggested that this be annotated with notes as to who are key legislators, who are strong supporters of our goals, who may be opposed to our goals, etc.

● Make recommendations to FCSS to improve the visibility of the organization with the legislature and gain the support of legislators to reach the goals established by FCSS and the FCSS Legislative Committee.

● Help FCSS to gain support for legislative changes and goals of the FCSS.

● Coordinate with legislators the pre-filing of bills to help FCSS obtain its goals.

The primary goal for FCSS for the 2003-2004-2005 Legislature Session is to add Social Studies to the state student progression plan.

Secondary goals are:
- the eventual inclusion of Social Studies on FCAT
- continued support for incentives for districts and teachers regarding the AP program. (Weighted FTE for districts and financial incentives for teachers.)
- continued categorical funding for affiliated groups such as the FCEE and Florida Humanities Council
- funding for curriculum development in the areas of mandated curriculum areas such as Veterans contributions, Hispanic American contributions, African-American History, Holocaust education, etc.
- the establishment of a state-wide report by the D.O.E. on the status of Social Studies in Florida.
- establishment of a Commission on Civic Education to devise a plan for the improvement of civic literacy to be patterned after states such as Louisiana and to have the equivalent funding of similar state commissions on the Holocaust and the African American Task Force.
- the revision of the Social Studies Sunshine State Standards