NAEP results: students’ history knowledge in need of improvement

June 16, 2011

Earlier this week, the 2010 NAEP U.S. History results were released for our 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th graders. Overall, the results were not very encouraging especially at the 12^th grade level. Our 8^th graders have made some progress over the past decade but overall scores at the 4^th and 12^th grade levels remained relatively unchanged. However, as Jim Hull over at The Edifier points out, Black and Hispanic students have made tremendous progress since the mid-90’s at both the 4^th and 8^th grade levels.

Yet, besides these bright spots yesterday’s report point out our students are lacking in their knowledge of this nation’s history. That, as the New York Times argues, there needs to be a renewed focus on history. The first step in doing so is for Congress to reauthorize ESEA so schools aren’t judged on math and reading alone. BoardBuzz is excited to hear Secretary Duncan signal there is regulatory relief for school districts if Congress doesn’t act this summer. Hopefully this will push Congress to develop a fair and constructive federal accountability system that values the importance of all subjects.

 For a full summary of the NEAP results check out NSBA’s Center for Public Education’s blog The Edifier. Also, for more information on what NAEP results really mean check out The Center’s The Proficiency Debate: A guide to NAEP Achievement Levels.
From: http://schoolboardnews.nsba.org/2011/06/naep-results-students-history-knowledge-in-need-of-improvement/

Posted at 12:36 PM ET, 05/05/2011

Many students lack civics knowledge, study shows
By Education Week

Many high school seniors may be old enough to vote, but just one-quarter of them demonstrate at least a "proficient" level of civics knowledge and skills, based on the latest results from a prominent national exam.

That statistic, 24 percent, represents a slight dip from the proportion of 12th-graders scoring proficient or "advanced" in the subject four years earlier. (This was also reported by Answer Sheet blogger Valerie Strauss Wednesday.)

Meanwhile, the average fourth grade score rose in the latest administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, compared with both 2006 and 1998, the first time "the nation's report card" in civics was given. Twenty-seven percent were proficient or better in 2010, compared with 24 percent in 2006, according to the NAEP data issued Wednesday.

No significant change was seen for eighth graders, who have remained stuck at the 22 percent proficient-or-higher mark since 1998.

"Knowledge of our system of government is not handed down through the gene pool," retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said in a statement. "The habits of citizenship must be learned. ... But we have neglected civic education for the past several decades, and the results are predictably dismal," said Justice O'Connor, who has been promoting civics instruction in the United States.

One area of growth highlighted in the new report is the improvement over time for Hispanic students. At all three grade levels, the Hispanic test-takers had higher scores than in 1998, and scores have climbed for eighth graders since 2006, as well. In 1998, 44 percent of Hispanic eighth graders scored at "basic" or above, compared with 50 percent in 2006 and 56 percent in 2010.

In fact, the achievement gap between Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites was narrower than in both 2006 and 1998, though it was still sizable, at 23 points on the NAEP scale, which runs from zero to 300.

"We are encouraged by the gains in civics achievement being made by our nation's Hispanic students, who are an increasingly important voice in our democracy," David P. Driscoll, the chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP, said in a press release.

That said, even with the progress for Hispanic students, only 11 percent of eighth graders scored at the proficient level or above.

Further, relatively few students of all races and ethnicities reached the highest level which represents what the report calls "superior performance."

Only four percent of all 12th graders, for example, scored advanced, "a level we would hope our future leaders would attain," Charles N. Quigley, the executive director of the nonprofit Center for Civic Education, said in a statement.

Five percent of white seniors scored at the advanced level, compared with 2 percent of Hispanics and 1 percent of African-Americans.

The NAEP test in civics contains a blend of multiple-choice and constructed-response questions at each grade level. The questions tackle three interrelated components: civic knowledge, intellectual and participatory skills, and civic dispositions. The focus on civic knowledge tests, among other topics, students' understanding of civic life, politics, and government; the foundations of the American political system; and the role of citizens in American democracy.

Quigley said he was especially alarmed to see so many seniors performing poorly on the national exam.

"Many of our high school seniors are already eligible to vote, or they very soon will be," said Mr. Quigley, whose organization is based in Woodland Hills, Calif. "We would expect them to be better prepared to exercise the rights and assume the responsibilities of American citizenship."

It appears that the overall 3-point drop in civics achievement among seniors was largely the result of a decline among girls. The average scale score for girls dropped from 152 to 148, which was statistically significant. For boys, it declined from 150 to 148, but that change was not deemed statistically significant.

On the flip side, 4th grade girls scored higher in 2010 than four years earlier, posting an average score that was 7 points higher than the performance of 4th grade boys. Put another way, 30 percent of girls scored as at least proficient in 2010, compared with 24 percent of that population in 2006. Meanwhile, for 4th grade boys, the proportion scoring proficient or higher remained unchanged between 2006 and 2010, at 24 percent.

As part of the NAEP report, both teachers and students were surveyed to learn more about the extent to which civics instruction is delivered in schools. That instruction, however, didn't necessarily benefit the students, the data suggest.

At the 8th grade, 85 percent of students reported learning about civics in school, but there was no significant difference in the average scores of those who did or did not report receiving such instruction.

There also was no measurable change in the particular topics 8th graders reported studying. For example, 82 percent said they covered the U.S. Constitution, 78 percent Congress, and just 40 percent other countries' governments.

Nearly all 12th graders, 97 percent, reported studying civics or government during their high school years.

When asked more specifically about particular topics they had studied during the current school year, fewer said they had been taught about the Constitution than previously. Sixty-seven percent reported studying the document in 2010, compared with 72 percent in 2006. That, however, was the only content area out of nine specific civics topics students were asked about in which the difference between 2010 and 2006 was statistically significant.

The survey data for seniors also show that:

-68 percent said they had studied political parties, elections, and voting;

-66 percent studied Congress;

-61 percent studied how laws were made; and

-59 percent studied the president and Cabinet.

By far, studying other nations' governments (47 percent) and international organizations such as the United Nations (43 percent) were the two content areas that the smallest proportion of seniors said they studied.

Mr. Quigley said he was deeply troubled that so many seniors are apparently not spending time on those content areas.

"Ignoring those topics," he said, "is difficult to defend in an era in which our country is ever more deeply involved in the world — politically, economically, militarily, and in humanitarian efforts."

By Education Week  |  12:36 PM ET, 05/05/2011

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)

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

A Third off High School Seniors Lack Basic Grasp off 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)

Governor Signs Civics Bill

Colleges Get Failing Grades In Civics

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.

Constitution and Citizenship Day Act of 2009

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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This American Tradition Endangered!

O’CONNOR: BOOST CIVIC EDUCATION

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

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

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

By Chris Straton, President – League of Women Voters of Collier County

Remember when you learned about Government in school? Remember when Citizenship was an important part of your education? In today’s classrooms, Civics does not have the same importance that it used to. Many say our schools “teach to the test,” and it seems that classroom time has become so focused on the subjects covered by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (Reading, Writing, Math and Science) that little time is left for basic civics.

It’s not for lack of intent. Florida’s “required instruction statute” (FS 1003.42) states that all schools must teach about the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution with emphasis on the Bill of Rights and the structure of our government;, the elements of civil government, including the primary functions of and interrelationships between the Federal Government, the state, and its counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts; the history of the United States; and much, much more. In fact, of the twenty specific provisions mandated by the statute, fully fifteen are related to Social Studies. None relate to Reading, Math, or Writing. Only fleeting reference is made to Science.

Yet despite the intent, our citizens are woefully lacking in basic civics knowledge. National surveys have revealed that 22% of Americans think the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat and Independent, and that over one third of Americans cannot identify even one of the branches of government. A December 2005 survey conducted by the Florida Bar reflected similar findings. A September 2006 national survey found that only a little more than half of Americans believe the President of the United States must follow the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.[1] (The three branches of government are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The President is not above the law; he/she must following the rulings of the Supreme Court.)

Florida does nothing to determine how well our schools prepare students for the only job they will all have in life – that of citizen. Civics educators have been asking both the Commissioner of Education and the legislature to enact a statewide accountability system for Social Studies since the early 1980s. Among ten southern states, only Florida and North Carolina lack such a program. At the national level, Civics and United States History – unlike Reading, Writing, Math and Science – lack state comparative analysis on student performance. Since no state – or in the case of Florida, no county – has ever been held accountable for its civic and historical educational mission, both subjects have lost tremendous instructional time and emphasis. For example, a survey of over 1600 Florida elementary teachers conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship in the fall of 2008 revealed that almost nine of ten instructors reported teaching social studies for less than two hours per week!

During the 2006 legislative session, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause successfully inserted a requirement for a semester of Civics Education into the middle school curriculum. But efforts to mandate student performance standards in Civics Education failed in the 2007 session as, unfortunately, the bill also included the establishment of a Civics Education institute that demanded funds in tight budget years.[2] Similarly, efforts introduced in 2008 to enhance Civics Education were unsuccessful, and while legislation has again been introduced, the outlook for 2009 is equally bleak.

The League of Women Voters of Collier County invites the public to learn more about the state of Civics Education in today’s curriculum, and to consider what it should be. On March 16, our speaker will be Jack Bovee, Social Studies Coordinator for the Collier County Public Schools, who is an advocate for teaching more Civics in the classroom and a contributor to this commentary. Our program will be held twice for the convenience of the community: at 1 PM at the Collier Athletic Club and at 7 PM at the Olde Cypress Clubhouse. The program is offered free of charge, although tax-deductible contributions to help defray expenses will be appreciated. For reservations or more information, please call the League at 263-4656 or email lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org.

[1] http://www.flrea.org/reports/FLREAPowerpoint.ppt
[2] Study and Action 2007 – 2009: A Guide to Public Policy Positions, the League of Women Voters of Florida, p. 30.

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.

Patriot's Day Guest Editorial

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.

Lack of National Leadership 2006

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

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

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

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