Doing a Texas Two-Step Around Education Reform

Watering down new high-school graduation standards will shortchange students, employers and the country.
By CHARLES COOK AND TERRENCE MOORE

For decades, policy makers have gone back and forth adopting the latest fads in school reform without any measurable improvement in learning. The latest trend in Texas is to de-emphasize the liberal arts and increase instructional time spent in math, science and technology.
        As the Texas legislature convened last month, a coalition of anti-testing organizations, including Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment, promoted a plan to gut the state's tough new high-school graduation standards. Instead of passing 15 end-of-course exams, a student would graduate by passing two or three. More than 800 Texas school boards have adopted a resolution to water down requirements.
     We disagree. States across the country are increasing graduation standards, and Texas cannot afford to water down its own. A proposal to eliminate exams in world geography and world history as a graduation requirement, for instance, is shortsighted. Ever-lower expectations lead to one predictable outcome: a profound ignorance of the world among young people in an era when international events and evolving fiscal and trade policies have a personal impact on communities, businesses and individuals in every corner of the U.S.
         Who hasn't heard or seen the signs of this ignorance? To cite one of many now-familiar results, there is the 2008 report "Still at Risk: What Students Don't Know, Even Now" by Frederick Hess. It found that nearly 25% of 17-year-olds surveyed nationwide could not identify Adolf Hitler. More than 25% believed Christopher Columbus set sail for the New World after 1750. Forty percent could not place World War I as occurring between 1900 and 1950. Nearly 40% could not identify the Renaissance as the period in European history noted for cultural and technological advances.     
        Allowing young people to graduate as historical or geographical illiterates is myopic for another reason. Training them for getting jobs is not good enough; graduates of public schools are also citizens. Ask any physician today whether politics affects his livelihood.
        We have a different approach to equipping students to face the future, one that has the weight of millennia of human experience behind it: a rigorous classical education. Such an education (called liberal-arts at the college level) does not shortchange math and science. On the contrary, those subjects are studied with more rigor than can be seen in today's public schools.
        Students also learn the fundamentals of English grammar; American and world history through the reading of primary source documents; and the great stories of human struggle and yearning told by the greatest storytellers—Homer, Shakespeare, Milton and Melville. They study the principles of liberty and self-government as articulated by the Founding Fathers and the ennobling beauties found in painting, sculpture and song. Yes, the children have to learn Latin, too, just as the Founding Fathers did, because that language gives the greatest insight into the vocabulary and grammar of our own tongue and the Romance languages, including Spanish.
          Certainly America needs as many engineers and computer scientists as the country requires in the 21st century. But that does not describe what lies ahead for the vast majority of young people entering the marketplace. The most common complaints of American employers is that job applicant and recent hires lack communication skills and higher-level thinking skills. More plainly, many applicants cannot read a memo, they cannot express themselves in speech or in writing, they lack the ability to think through difficult problems.
        We think that students who have been taught to write forcefully by studying Shakespeare and Tom Paine, who have learned to speak by studying the speeches of Cicero and Abraham Lincoln, who have learned to think through difficult problems by studying the Constitution through an analysis of the Federalist Papers, and who revel in the rigors of Latin grammar will have no difficulty in reading the boss's memo.
       Training young people in the liberal arts and sciences also will better prepare them to become "the boss" when it is time for the present cohort of bosses to retire. Those on the front lines of hiring employees in this state see the need for a classical education. Now parents are increasingly demanding such an education for their children. We know this in part because the number of schools that have come to Hillsdale College each spring in search of graduating seniors to recruit as teachers of classical subjects has more than doubled in the past five years.
       Before long, we will begin to see how well the approach works. Responsive Education Solutions (ResponsiveEd), the largest charter-school system in Texas, in collaboration with Hillsdale College, is providing students the opportunity to receive a rigorous classical education tuition-free. Founders Classical Academy is a public charter school that opened near Dallas in August 2012. The response has been almost overwhelming. The school initially started with 450 students and will educate more than 700 next year.
       Classical-curriculum schools in other states, such as Ridgeview Classical Schools in Colorado, generally have waiting lists of over a thousand applicants. The graduates of such programs go on to college to study the liberal arts and sciences. Typically, the biggest complaint of these graduates is that their freshman courses were too easy.
       As ResponsiveEd and Hillsdale College continue to open classical schools across the country, we want to see other schools, including noncharter public schools, brought up to a serious level of accountability as well.
       Jobs do not create the human mind; the human mind creates jobs. As a result, the very best education—the kind the Founding Fathers had—is what will produce good workers and good citizens. The challenge for those who want to eliminate testing in world history and geography or other subjects in Texas is to explain how students are prepared for a global economy when they are not required to learn anything about either the globe or the economy.

Mr. Cook is CEO of ResponsiveEd, a charter-school district with over 60 schools in Texas. Mr. Moore is a Hillsdale College professor of history who advises the college's Barney Charter School Initiative. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324081704578233814190553202.html

MN Social Studies Curriculum Emphasizes American ‘Racism,’ Removes ‘Patriotism’

Tony Lee, Breitbart, December 23, 2012

Last Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Education held public hearings to approve its new social studies education curriculum that leaves out "patriotism" as a civic virtue and teaches that America's rise as a global power from its agrarian roots led to "institutionalized racism."

History Standard 20 for the period 1870–1920, in the new social studies/history standards, says:

“The student will understand that as the United States shifted from its agrarian roots into an industrial and global power, the rise of big business, urbanization, and immigration led to institutionalized racism, ethnic and class conflict, and new efforts at reform.”

John Fonte, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, wrote that "nine years ago a group of history professors from the University of Minnesota sent a letter to the state’s education department" complaining that Minnesota's social studies standards "presented American history too positively."

These academics wanted Minnesota's children to learn that the story of American "primarily meant slavery for African Americans, genocide for American Indians, subjugation for women, xenophobia for immigrants, and exploitation for poor people."

The 2012 standards also include "no references to 9/11, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, the Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan, the Gulf War of 1991, or terrorism itself."

In addition, the Minnesota education standards no longer list “patriotism” in the list of “civic values." As Fonte notes, Loyola University, Baltimore Professor Diana Schaub has described this deemphasizing of "patriotism" in the schools as “civics without a country."

 

Texas curriculum: "Allah is the Almighty God"

Arabic-speaking Christians generally use the word "Allah" for the God of the Bible, but this curriculum doesn't seem to be talking about Arabic-speaking Christians: it seems fairly clear that it is trying to portray Islam in a benign and positive light, without any reference to the violent texts and teachings that jihadis and Islamic supremacists point to in order to justify their actions.

What a coincidence that this curriculum would be in use in Texas, where Governor Rick Perry partnered with the Aga Khan Foundation to develop a severely whitewashed, Islam-friendly curriculum. When Pamela Geller and I broke the story of that curriculum in 2011, the reaction was furious: one blogger demanded I stop linking him; another claimed that the curriculum material we had uncovered was not really the curriculum at all, and tried to pass off one teacher's private notes as the real curriculum; and former friends and associates denounced us with a cult-like fervor that I still find hard to believe that a compromised nonentity like Rick Perry could have inspired.

Now, lo and behold, we find that Texas has a severely whitewashed Islam curriculum, just as we said. Today one of the bloggers who was most furiously and frenziedly denouncing us last year for daring to suggest that Perry was opening Texas schools to a biased and whitewashed presentation of Islam posted this WND story without the slightest reference to the Perry controversy, about which he was so spectacularly wrong. That's chutzpah.

"Texas teaching 'Allah is the Almighty God,'" by John Griffing for WND, December 13 (thanks to all who sent this in):

In the 70 percent of Texas public schools where a private curriculum has been installed, students are learning the “fact” that “Allah is the Almighty God,” charge critics of a new online curriculum that already is facing condemnation for its secrecy and restrictions on oversight.

The program, called CSCOPE, is a private venture operating under the umbrella of the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, whose incorporation documents state its independence from the State Board of Education of the Texas Education Agency.

Other reports previously have raised alarm over the curriculum’s depiction of the Boston Tea Party as a terrorist act on par with the 9/11 attack.

According to documentation that has leaked out, the program describes the Boston Tea Party this way: “A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port. Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise, considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities. It is believed that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens.”

There also have been reports that the curriculum – contrary to recent Supreme Court rulings – says the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the right to bear arms, is limited to state-run organizations.

“The collective right’s advocates believed that the Second Amendment did not apply to individuals; rather it recognized the right of a state to arm its militia. It recognized limited individual rights only when it was exercised by members of a functioning, organized militia while actively participating in the militia’s activities.”

Now come concerns about what critics describe as a definitively pro-Islam bias.

The critics say the studies border on proselytizing.

In one scenario, students are asked to study the tenets of Islam, and critics say the materials provided exceed impartial review of another faith, extending into requirements of conversion and moral imperatives.

A computer presentation utilized as part of a study of Islam includes information on how to convert, as well as verses denigrating other faiths.

According to excerpts, under the heading, “Who Is Allah?,” students are told:

“Allah is the Almighty God.”

“Allah alone is the Creator. He alone deserves our devout love and worship.”

Muhammad is described as having become “disillusioned with the corruption in the city and the growing gap between the urban dwellers and the Bedouins (nomadic herders).”

But there is no mention of his documented sex activities with a child or his penchant for beheading entire indigenous people groups....

Posted by Robert on December 14, 2012

Mexicans Say SW U.S. Belongs to Mexico!

For Immediate Release June 11, 2002 New Zogby Poll Mexicans Say Southwest U.S. Belongs to Them;   Shouldn't Need Permission to Enter U.S.

Download Full Report (160 KB MSword doc)

    Americans and Mexicans have widely divergent views of border issues, according to a new poll by Zogby International.   Zogby found that a large majority of the Mexican population believes the southwest territory of the U.S. rightfully belongs to Mexico, and that Mexicans should have the right to enter the U.S. without first obtaining U.S. permission. By contrast, Zogby's survey of Americans conducted within a few days of the Mexican poll shows a large majority supports reducing immigration levels and wants the military deployed along the border to protect the U.S. from illegal immigration.

    Zogby's poll found that 58 percent of Mexicans agree with the statement, "the territory of the United States' Southwest rightfully belongs to Mexico." Only 28 percent disagree, and 14 percent are unsure.  

    A similar majority, 57 percent, agree with the statement, "Mexicans should have the right to enter the U.S. without U.S. permission," while 35 percent disagree. Seven percent are unsure.

    The survey has a margin of error of 3.5 percent. The Mexico portion of the survey was conducted in Spanish between May 25 and May 26 among 801 adults chosen at random throughout Mexico. The poll was commissioned by Americans for Immigration Control, Inc. (AIC), which advocates increased restrictions on immigration.

    "There is obviously a large and significant gap between the attitudes of Americans and Mexicans," said Robert Goldsborough, AIC president. "While most Americans want immigration reduced, most Mexicans think they don't even need permission to enter our country. The poll clearly shows there is less common ground for immigration negotiations between Mexico and the U.S. than the leaders think. Support for a porous border and a loose migration policy occurs only on the Mexican side, not in the U.S."

    Zogby's survey of American attitudes found wide majorities of Americans also oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. The U.S. portion of the survey was conducted of 1,015 likely voters in the U.S. from May 28 to May 30. It found that 65 percent disagree with the statement, "foreigners residing illegally in the U.S. should be given amnesty." Just 26 percent of likely voters support amnesty for illegals, while 9 percent are unsure.

    A large majority, 58 percent, agree that the U.S. should "admit fewer immigrants each year." Only 6 percent want "more immigrants each year," and 30 percent want to "keep immigration at the current annual levels."

    The single largest majority in the entire poll was found among Americans supporting use of the military to guard the border. Fully 68 percent of those surveyed agree with the statement, "the U.S. should deploy military troops on the border as a temporary measure to help the U.S. Border Patrol curb illegal immigration." Only 28 percent disagree, and 3 percent are unsure. 

The wrong lesson on national standards

Posted by Jim Stergios May 21, 2012 04:49 PM

Dear David,

Congratulations on becoming the new head of the College Board. I know, as a Founding Father of the national standards effort, I may have written things that you do not agree with. While I haven’t met you personally yet, I look forward to it. I have heard universally that you are a smart guy and reputed by all to be a nice person.

I hope you and the Coleman family are well, and I am writing to say I’m sorry.

In addition to writing about school innovations, charter schools, vocational technical schools, school choice, accountability to results, and teacher quality issues, I’ve written with some frequency about academic standards and curricula—and especially recently about the effort to advance national (Common Core) standards.

I’m sorry because I think I may have gotten some of the intentions of Common Core's supporters wrong. Considering the heavy hand of the Gates Foundation and DC-based trade groups and their support of an effort that violates three federal laws; the imposition of $16 billion in new unfunded mandates on states and localities; and the feds’ shoehorning of states into adopting mediocre/community college readiness academic standards; I thought there may have been a well-thought-through plan at work. I thought the fact that many of the same players were involved in the 1990s in similar efforts meant that they had learned from past mistakes and decided to bypass congressional scrutiny and state legislative processes.

I thought they (and by association perhaps you) were consciously flouting the rule of law, the Constitutional Framers, and 220-plus years of American constitutional history. After all, supporters of national standards know their history and what is legal and illegal, and why all this was a bad idea.

Well, I just watched this national standards promo video by a couple of Gates Foundation clients—the Council of Chief States School Officers (CCSSO) and the Jim Hunt Institute, what I have affectionately in the past termed the EduBlob (perhaps too often uploaded with cheesy 60s’ movie posters). The video features you and it illustrates to me how I was wrong on the question of intention.

The video (see especially 2:07 to 2:49) does not dissuade me from my view that the national standards are a mediocre race to the middle, or that they are illegal, or needless centralizing and expensive.

In it, you articulate how you would use Madison’s Federalist #51 to teach students and teachers about carefully reading primary sources like Madison’s work and how to understand concepts like “faction” as the authors themselves understood these terms. The video comes with a nice-looking pictorial text of Federalist #51 on the screen. Listening for a few minutes, I thought it sounded good, especially where you note:

I want to say a little more about what we mean by building knowledge through reading and writing. It doesn’t mean simply that students can refer to a text they’ve read in history and social studies and mention that in Federalist Paper 51 someone named Madison had some ideas about faction. To be able to read and gain knowledge to analyze that document would be as the [national] standards require to examine precisely what Madison said or didn’t say about faction and from reading that document carefully having a rich and deep understanding about precisely what Madison thought about faction. It’s about the close study of primary documents to understand from whence they come and what they might mean and not mean.

David, I think at this point it would be helpful to introduce you to James Madison. Another Founding Father—but he was a key drafter of the United States Constitution. He drafted the 10 initial constitutional amendments, which we call the Bill of Rights.

He was the co-founder of a major political party. Author of the Virginia Resolution. Secretary of State (1801-1809). Fourth President of the United States of America (1809-1817). Unlike a president before him (John Adams) and many after, even in times of existential crisis for the nation (the War of 1812, when Washington, D.C. was being burned by the British), Madison didn’t abuse executive power to abridge the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights. He knew better than most the power of the Constitution and was its faithful implementer.

Despite almost incomparable Founding accomplishments, Madison is best known for essays he, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, wrote called the Federalist Papers, the most enduring articulation of American constitutional principles ever committed to paper. It’s the kind of stuff our kids (and we) need to know.

I’m not sure if Yale and Oxford, while you were there as a Rhodes scholar, forgot to tell you this, but Madison’s Federalist #51 isn’t about “faction.” I know you repeat this point over and over in the video tutorial. But, as any well-educated 10th-grader knows (at least in Massachusetts before we switched to the national standards), Federalist #51 is actually about checks and balances. Here’s the title and most famous lines from Federalist #51:

The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments

In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government, which to a certain extent is admitted on all hands to be essential to the preservation of liberty, it is evident that each department should have a will of its own; and consequently should be so constituted that the members of each should have as little agency as possible in the appointment of the members of the others...

But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition...

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.

In fact, David, I hope you and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Hunt Institute, and the whole swarm of national standards proponents will take the time to read Federalist #10, which, incidentally is the most famous of all of Madison’s works. The term “faction” is mentioned 18 times (including the title) and is the major topic of Federalist #10. Madison’s views on “faction” are thoughtful and far-sighted. Let me share a section with you:

The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection (continued)

AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He will not fail, therefore, to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for it...

By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community...

No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity. With equal, nay with greater reason, a body of men are unfit to be both judges and parties at the same time...

David, I truly hope you and other supporters of the Common Core will come to read the Federalist Papers and demonstrate the skills to understand James Madison’s original intent. I further hope you will gain the ability to reflect on the premises of the American constitutional republic. Perhaps close attention to the section of Federalist #10 regarding not serving as judge in your own case would help you and the Gates Foundation understand that advancing a policy with hundreds of millions of dollars and then paying others to support that view is a no-no. I am convinced that, with this reading and study complete, you will understand why national education standards are anti-constitutional, illegal, and violate the public trust.

In truth, when crafting the Constitution and the Federalist Papers Madison and the Framers very much had in mind the reckless ambitions of the recklessly ambitious. The drive to advance the Common Core outside the boundaries of the Constitution and legal restrictions is just what Madison had in mind. And the EduBlob represents exactly the types of dangerous “factions” whose “common impulse of passion, or of interest” were contrary to the public good and the “aggregate interests of the community.”

The next time you would like to opine about why you and others should set national standards, curricula, and testing for America’s 50 million schoolchildren, I would ask you to reflect on you and your peers lack of even the most basic understanding of our Founding principles.

Respectfully,

Jim

http://boston.com/community/blogs/rock_the_schoolhouse/

Radical Mexican La Raza Studies Protest in Tuscon

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.

Keeping Our American Identity

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."

SENATOR LAMAR ALEXANDER'S FLOOR REMARKS on S.659

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

FLORIDA PUSHES TO REFORM NAEP, EXPAND HISTORY AND CIVICS LEGISLATION

March 30, 2009


The Honorable Senator Lamar Alexander
455 DIRKSEN Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4944

Dear Senator Alexander,

The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (FASSS) applauds your efforts to strengthen and consolidate a number of vital programs affecting the teaching of United States History and Civics into another measure – S659. The provisions of this bill will greatly enhance and strengthen these subjects in the nation’s public schools. Florida’s social studies teachers can attest first hand to the effectiveness of such programs as: “We the People,” “Project Citizen,” “National History Day,” “National Close-Up,” and the “Teaching Traditional American History Grant Program.” Moreover, your provision to implement and expand student and teacher summer academies in these disciplines will additionally serve to revitalize the civic and historical mission of the nation’s public schools.

Even more significantly is the provision within the bill to provide equity – by ensuring first time comparability to a national profile -- of these vital subjects on the 2010 National Assessment for Educational Progress program. Unlike other core curriculum subjects and despite repeated attempts to correct this problem in previous Congresses, states have yet to be held accountable in these areas. Florida’s Social Studies educators feel such comparisons are vitally important to the civic health of our nation. Not long ago, American History and American Government were briefly eviscerated from the list of course requirements all Florida students had to successfully complete for graduation. Although these requirements have since been reinstated in Florida, events continue to threaten the civic health of both our state and nation. At a time when drastic demographic changes are challenging the vital civic mission of our schools and when our former adversaries glibly predict the imminent collapse of our Republican form of government, it is imperative that Congress pass this important provision within S659.

FASSS is committed to the entire proposal and will work to secure additional co-sponsors for the bill. We will also aggressively urge like-minded national groups and organizations to join you in this vital campaign. We urge that you make this legislation a priority!

Sincerely,

Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair
Florida Association for Social Studies Supervisors

Cc: Honorable Senator Robert C. Byrd
Honorable Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Honorable Representative Betty McCollum
Susan Griffin, Executive Director, National Council for the Social Studies
Cynthia Stout, Executive Director, National Council for History Education
Lee White, Executive Director, National Coalition for History

NATIONAL HISTORY DAY - CALL TO ACTION

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

Policymakers Fail Test on Civics: Jason Caros

February 04, 2007
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
By JASON CAROS FLORIDA VOICE

One of the highest and most valuable objects to which the influence of a school can be made conducive consists in training our children in self-government.
-- Horace Mann

For a number of years now educators across America have been engaged in a concentrated effort to improve student reading proficiency, and rightly so. Reading is a gateway to the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of student success. Educators and policymakers must continue to focus their efforts in this area; however, they must simultaneously work in earnest to bolster another type of student literacy -- civic literacy.

Civics refers to the preparation students receive in order to understand and appreciate the important rights and responsibilities they have as citizens of the United States. Civic instruction has been, since the beginning of our history, an educational priority as recorded by George Washington in his final State of the Union address in 1796: "A primary object . . . should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing . . . than communicating it to those who are guardians of the liberties of the country?"

Is civics a priority today? Civic preparation should be fostered throughout a student's education and in a variety of classes but the predominant place for this instruction is in the area of social studies where students learn history, civics and government, geography and economics.

In a recent survey report produced by The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and prepared by Dr. Patrick Coggins of Stetson University, approximately 1,800 elementary teachers from around the state were polled about Social Studies instruction and it was found that 68 percent teach social studies for two hours or less per week and only 2.5 percent teach social studies five hours per week (compare this to 7.5 hours of weekly required reading instruction). What does this mean for the "experiment in democracy" we call The United States?

De-emphasizing civics and history at the elementary level has important ramifications. Civics instruction in the elementary grades involves essential foundational learning. In order for students to acquire the civic skills and dispositions commensurate with a responsible citizenry they must first absorb essential civic knowledge. If neglected in the elementary grades, civic education begins at the secondary level in a remedial manner, often times preventing students from completing the step-by-step process that should culminate in high school with students engaging in more advanced civic discourse and activity.

This lack of instruction and learning contributes to the general civic ignorance and apathy prevalent in our culture today. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes that many Americans have no clue about the most fundamental historical knowledge or principles our nation was founded on. Connected to this is the fact that civic participation is strikingly low. For example, in the results of the most recent national assessment of U.S. students on history and civics, via a test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, it was found that 73 percent of fourth-graders could not identify the Constitution from among four choices as "the document that contains the basic rules used to run the United States government." Ninety-four percent of students in eighth grade could not give two reasons why it can be useful for a country to have a constitution; and 91 percent of students in grade 12 were unable to explain two ways that democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.

In a 2005 University of Central Florida survey of more than 1,600 central Floridians, two-thirds of respondents could not name our state's two U.S. senators, both of whom reside in Central Florida, and Florida's voter turnout for the 2006 general election was a disappointing 46.8 percent, about 20 percent less than the average between 1954 and 2004.

When looking at statistics of youth participation in voting at the national level, one will find that voting among 18- to 24-year-olds has decreased 12 percentage points since the 1970s, and in comparison to the rest of the industrialized and democratic world, the United States has the lowest voter turnout of all nations.

It should go without saying that civic education is at the heart of democratic instructional endeavors. The reality is, though, that civics needs resuscitation at the elementary level and therapy at the secondary level. We have many wonderful teachers at all levels fighting the good fight, but there are too many gaps in our current system.

In a bipartisan effort to help improve civic education in Florida, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey recently presented Gov. Charlie Crist, state legislators, members of the Department of Education and educational organizations with a report entitled, "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens." It is my sincere hope that this report will lead to constructive dialogue and action that will strengthen civic education in our state. Florida's future depends on it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
"Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a joint report from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida, offers recommendation, listed below, for making civic education a priority . Tell us what you think. Write to Ideas/Civics, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL., 32120-2831; fax 386-258-1577, or e-mail letters@news-jrnl.com (place "civics" in the subject line):

· Make civic education an integral part of our public school curriculum: Florida's current learning standards treat civics as an afterthought. We must utilize the scheduled 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards in Social Studies to update and strengthen those guidelines so that schools give students all of the skills they need to be effective citizens.

· Test civics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: Florida currently examines students on reading, writing, mathematics, and science --in short, every core academic subject but civics and social studies. Without assessment and accountability, civics will remain under-emphasized. We must add civics knowledge and skills to the subjects tested on the FCAT.

· Encourage and support teaching of civics in Florida's K-12 schools: Students will not be transformed into active citizens without teachers who are properly trained and empowered. We must make civics instruction an essential part of teacher education at Florida's colleges and universities and help teachers already in the classroom enhance their civics teaching skills and methods.

· Lead the nation in textbook improvement: Because of its strength in the textbook market, Florida has both an opportunity and a responsibility to improve instructional materials in civics as well as other core subjects. Educational policymakers must make use of Florida's unique influence to update academic standards, build instructional coalitions with other states, and review our own textbook selection process so that students in the state and across the country have the right learning tools.

· Establish a strategic center for Florida citizenship: Civics education is currently championed by a diffuse and independent array of students, parents, educators, elected officials, public policy centers and advocacy organizations. We must establish and fund a center to support and help coordinate these efforts, monitor Florida's civic health, and keep us on track to produce educated and effective citizens.

Caros is president of the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (www.fasss.org) and K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Volusia County Schools. He contributed to the development of "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a report led by Bob Graham and Lou Frey.