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)

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.

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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.

FCSS Urges CCSSO to Implement Social Studies Standards

October 26, 2009


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


Dear Mr. Wilhoit,

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

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

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

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

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

Respectfully,


Kristine Scola
President, Florida Council for the Social Studies

NCHE Endorses S659! (pg. 1)

NCHE Endorses S659! (pg. 2)

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

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

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

NCSS Loses another Opportunity to Lobby for NAEP

Since 2004 FCSS has lobbied NCSS on the need to provide equity on NAEP through its periodic, independently tested Civics, U.S. History and Geography assessments. At one time the NCSS Board of Directors actually passed a motion to have the organization lobby in behalf of a bill that would address this inequity and which has been repeatedly introduced in the last four Congresses. The email below represents one of the few times that NCSS members have been alerted to the fact such a bill is in existance or is even desirable.

Although a memo from NCSS lobbying firm "Washington Partners" briefly addressed the general provisions of the bill and members were urged to read the bill in its entirety, there was no separate legislative alert from NCSS calling for members to support the bill. Nor was a rationale as to why the measure might be important included. Nor was it mentioned that the bill has languished in the last three Congresses due to lack of national support for the measure. Equally baffling is how NCCS can continue to ignore attempts to rectify our inferior status on NAEP by not specifically drawing its members attention to the provisions of these bills in Congress. [Incidentally, the bill calls for hundreds of millions of dollars for continued training of social studies teachers -- in addition to the almost half billion Congress has already spent in that area-- but ignores the rather paltry amount of $7 million per year for two years for the NAEP assessment. The NAEP provision may finally pass now that it's strategically included with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of other "pork" and Congress is in the mood to gleefully spend our children's and grandchildren's inheritance.]

Many FCSS members remember that because Florida has never held accountable on NAEP or any other national assessment, former governor Jeb Bush could without fear of consequence sign into a law a measure that eliminated American History and American Govenment as graduation requirements for all Florida students. Again, if Florida is never to be held 'accountable' for students' knowledge of Civics or American History, why continue to require these subjects of all students? As a result, for two years Algebra was the only course that all Florida public school students had to successfully complete for graduation!

If S659 passed Congress this year, it would compare up to ten states on student performance in U.S. History and Civics on the 2010 NAEP assessment, and thus send the message to all governors that these courses are vital and that their state may one day be held accountable for the civic mission of its public schools!

One has to wonder what's going on at NCSS at this time of national crisis not to specifically point this out to its members through every opportunity? When will NCSS finally urge its affiliates to fight for S659?
(editor's comment: Jack Bovee)
________________________________________
mailto:level.egis@ncss.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:18:51 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [Ncss-legis] Advocacy News: Alexander, Byrd, and Kennedy Introduce History and Civics Education Bill!

NCSS is pleased to share the attached brief memo from Washington Partners on the introduction of S.659--a bill to improve the teaching and learning of American history and civics--by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on Thursday, March 19.

Largely based on the History and Civic Achievement Act that was introduced in the 110th Congress by Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) in the House and by Senators Alexander and Kennedy in the Senate, the bill connects to NCSS advocacy efforts in the last Congress and is of great interest to the social studies. Please be sure to read the brief report for complete details.

The bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee after its introduction and has not yet been made publicly available. As the details and future of this legislation become clearer, NCSS will be working with Washington Partners to express our continued support and determine how we can best assert our voice to improve its prospects. (Note the lack of any 'call to action' here?)

NCSS Loses an Opportunity to Lobby for National Equity on NAEP

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

_________________________
October 8, 2008

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

Dear Senator McCain:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Susan Griffin Michael Yell
Executive Director President

Constitution Day Consternations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Words 816

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

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.

Justice O’Connor Again Misses the Big Picture on Civics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's just my two cents.


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

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

Lack of National Leadership 2006

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

Calling Senator Byrd's Bluff! Sept. 2005

(Sent to major newspapers in Virginia and Florida at the time Senator Byrd introduced and Congress passed legislation requiring every institution receiving federal funds to implement a Civic Education program with employees on or around September 17th of each year. The article attempted to point out the continued passage of meaningless laws at the state and national level would not do as much as periodically holding the separate states accountable for how well they prepare students with the requisite skills and knowledge for citizenship. After asking editors to possibly devote space to the complex issue, the author argued, "It is a national tragedy what is happening in Congress and the possible consequence is of such importance that it necessitates some depth in coverage. Feel free, of course, to edit as you need." It is not known if papers printed the article or not.

Calling Senator Byrd’s Bluff
Sept. 12, 2005 - (Sent to major newspapers in Virginia and Florida)

I had the pleasure of watching Sen. Robert Byrd deliver on C-SPAN a rousing and emotional Constitution Day speech on September 16th at Shepherd University in West Virginia. As the sponsor of the bill it was very appropriate. The senator intoned how government requires an informed citizenry. His remarks were laced with the wisdom of such great statesmen as Cicero, our Founders, Daniel Webster and even Ronald Reagan. The audience chuckled when he related how the ‘Great Communicator’ once remarked “government is like a baby’s elementary canal – it has a hearty appetite on one end and no responsibility on the other.” Warming to the occasion, he lamented that our calendars generally do not specify “Constitution Day” on their page for September, yet they never fail to point out the phases of the moon or the First Day of Spring. He got another round of chuckles when he pointed out that Americans more often take their cars to Jiffy Lube than vote. He then soberly asked the audience how long the nation, just like any other machine that requires constant vigilance and periodic maintenance, could be expected to endure when we care more about our cars than our responsibilities as citizens? The laughter ended rather abruptly.

Now I’m all for giving the nation a good civics lesson. Heaven knows we sure need one. But when haven’t we? Survey after survey for over 30 years has demonstrated this. My generation remembers how stunned Americans were to see Chief Justice Warren Burger resign from one of the highest positions of power in the nation to become honorary Chairman of the Bicentennial of the Constitution Commission. He did so, he said, to give the nation a very-much needed lesson in civics. Nothing’s changed much. Warren is no longer with us when we desperately need him and only the names of the surveys have changed.

Back to Senator Byrd. It was a wonderful speech but I remain opposed to Constitution Day. I oppose it as an educator who has put more than 30 years into teaching about the Constitution because I’m tired of national leaders and Congressmen who can easily appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars to train teachers of U.S. History and Civics to do their jobs better, but then can’t find a measly $10 million to hold states accountable for how well they prepare their students in these subjects. Senate Bill 860, which was aimed at ending the second-class status of Civics and U.S. History on NAEP, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is languishing in Congress and will probably die again. No one noticed when it’s sponsor Lamar Alexander stated U.S. History is our worst subject. It died in the last Congress without a hearing. Although it recently had a hearing and noted historian David McCullough spoke to the Senators about the civic crisis the nation faces, it will probably die again. Interestingly, this NAEP bill would only fund enough to know how students perform in up to 10 states. We compare all 50 in all the other subjects! Is this the best that Congress can do -- spend a half BILLION dollars training teachers and pass Constitution Day while continuing to ignore holding states accountable for one of the most important reasons for public education?

Why is S860 important? Because without it, Governors like Florida’s Jeb Bush can talk about the importance of imbuing students with civic knowledge while actually remaining hostile to it. Governor Bush sits on the Education Commission of the States whose subsidiary group, the National Center for Learning and Citizenship works to improve civic education programs. He’s also an “Honorary Member of Constitution Day, Inc.” Civic educators in Florida, however, know the truth. He signed into law a measure a few years back that eliminated American History, American Government and Economics as graduation courses for all Florida students. For years, his legislature leaders have stymied attempts by civic educators to require that student performance in Civics and History be allowed to be taken into consideration when children are reviewed for promotion from one grade to the next. The measure, which once was passed by the entire House and which never had one vote cast in opposition to it in the Senate, was killed by legislative leaders because it was on a fast track for approval.

Why? Because it appears that some feared that it might, someday, somehow, in some way by some future legislature be interpreted as meaning these courses should be added to the states’ assessment program. [How anyone could arrive at that conclusion is amazing. It’s a totally separate statute that was NOT addressed in the measure.] Civic educators in Florida know that Jeb Bush and his statewide legislative leaders oppose adding these vital subjects to the state-wide assessment program. This is, by the way, completely contrary to the stated goals of the ECS and NCLC of which Jeb is a proud member and “Director”.

Nevertheless, Jeb has endorsed the wide-scale sampling of students in our state -- 70,000 of them a couple of years ago -- on very intrusive Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Surveys that contains literally hundreds of questions. Thus, Florida can know with scientific accuracy when the last time a typical student in a middle school was offered a swig of beer, a 'joint' -- or something worse. Sadly, the Governor has ignored the only study ever conducted in the state to assess students’ civic understanding and which has demonstrated that Florida's University students are more ignorant of basic civic knowledge than their peers across the nation. Of course, with regard to K-12 public education, such understandings are anyone’s guess! Things were so bad that Florida Congressman Jim Davis, now a Gubernatorial Candidate to replace Jeb, actually introduced a bill in Congress to punish his own state with a loss of federal education funds because of its hostile attitude toward civic education. Finally, when asked to break the legislative logjam on an important civic education measure two years ago, direct pleas to Governor Bush fell upon deaf ears. Amazingly, the honorary titles for his keen sense of civic-mindedness keep coming.

This brings us back to Senator Byrd’s “Constitution Day”. Congress needs to pass this bill that would begin to place civic and historical understanding on an equitable standing with other core curriculum subjects. Then, states like Florida won’t be able to hide in a cloak of total civic ignorance. Senator Byrd and his colleagues can do better. Only the very survival of this Republic hangs in the balance.

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

Jack Bovee
319 Fifth Avenue
Lehigh Acres, FL 33972
Ph: 239-369-1297 cell: 239-272-3508
Email: JSBovee@aol.com

Constitution Day Consternations - 2005 Editorial

Social Studies teachers have a plethora of calendar dates which provide excellent opportunities for us to submit 'timely' guest editorials to the print media on a wide variety of topics. Here is one sample which used the September "Constitution Day" federal requirement to grab the attention of Florida legislators convening in Tallahassee in the fall during the time that many submit bills prior to the opening of the session.
__________________________________________________________

Constitution Day Consternations
Jack Bovee, Sept. 16, 2005

This September 17 marks the first annual requirement -- sponsored by Senator Robert Byrd (Dem. WV) -- that all schools implement a program to instruct students about the Constitution. As one who has dedicated his adult life to that endeavor let me go on record as being strongly opposed to this law.

Why? Because there is a better law which both the Senate and the media continue to ignore. It’s time for Congress to finally pass some substantive legislation that would restore American History and Civics as part of the nation’s core curriculum. It’s time to place these subjects at least on an equitable footing with others that are assessed by what is commonly referred to as “The Nations Report Card”. How? By holding states accountable for how well they prepare our students to be citizens – by comparing them to one another and to a national average -- just as we do in reading, writing, math and science. What? We don’t do that already, you say? Of course we don’t. And that’s the reason for the drastic decline in civic knowledge for over the last 30 years!

Believe it or not, American History and Civics have been repeatedly discriminated against in the testing process and postponed on the national testing calendar. For decades, we’ve compared all the states to one another in reading, writing, math and science. Governors and Education Commissioners post bragging rights on their web sites when their states do better than the national average and they appropriate huge sums of money to remedy their academic deficiencies. The U.S. Department of Education even compares how well they effectively deter students from using drugs, alcohol or tobacco. In history and civics, however, we simply don’t care enough to even keep score. Nor does anyone seem to care! Look in earnest through the words of Diane Ravitch, Chester Finn, Charles Quigley and others for any articles in support of state accountability or for support for a revitalized NAEP, and you’ll be searching in vain.

When Charles Smith, Executive Director of the National Assessment Governing Board, recently testified to the Senate about the importance of U.S. History and how dismally our students perform in it, he bragged that under a ‘new’ testing calendar, U.S. History would be assessed more often. Good. It needs to be. What he forgot to mention, however, was that it was the plan of his own shop only a couple of years ago to basically eliminate testing this subject on future NAEP tests at Grade 12. Nor did he mention President Bush supported the evisceration of these subjects at the very grade when schools are registering students to vote. You can bet no one asked him why this plan was even proposed for a course in which our students ‘perform worst’. Nor did anyone have the foresight to ask Secretary Spellings about her plans to restore Civic and Historical Knowledge to the nation’s schools during her confirmation process. Can it be that no one cares?

Sadly, Senate Bill 860 -- which is designed to shed some light and accountability on the subject-- continues to languish in Congress. It died in the last Congress and appears doomed to die in this one. David McCullough’s appearance some weeks ago before the Senate on this bill apparently did very little to stir them into action. This is the subject that provides the “glue” which holds the nation together. Politicians love to point out that we are not united by a common religion, ethnicity, race or even perhaps now, language. It’s this ‘love of our sacred documents’, our understanding of how ‘America has served as a beacon of liberty to countless others around the globe’, and the realization of the ‘sacrifice of countless others’ who have preceded us that unifies us as a people. Sure, right. Read the reports over the last 20 years and tell me if anyone really thinks that Senator Byrd’s generation – or mine, for that matter – have kept the promise to properly provide young Americans today with the requisite knowledge and skills for citizenship.

Congress has been able to appropriate about a half billion (that’s with a “B”) dollars to train teachers to do a better job teaching American History, yet it can’t agree to pass a bill that would authorize a measly $10 million to end the second-class status this subject has in the U.S. Department of Education and in the 50 states. They can’t seem to pass a bill that would actually hold states accountable for what used to be the basic reason for a public education. As a result, we know with more scientific accuracy when the last time a typical middle school student in Michigan took a swig of beer than we do about that student’s knowledge of our Constitution. Why is this? You’ll have to ask Senator Byrd and his peers.

This isn’t rocket science – nor is it a novel idea. Surveys have been reporting these findings since Chief Justice Warren Burger’s “national civics lesson” in the 1970s. Thank goodness Burger, like the Founders, isn’t around today to see just how bad things have become. McCullough worries about this very real threat to America’s security and future. Like him, I’m very worried whether today’s young adults possess even the rudimentary knowledge to keep the Republic going when the mantle of authority is passed on to them. A Roper Survey in 2002 found Americans aged 18 to 24 coming in last or second to last when compared to their peers from among eight other nations in such things as: the ability to identify the location of our country on a world map, knowing the approximate size of the U.S. population, being able to identify what two nations each have over 1 billion people, or even knowing which of our enemies took credit for the slaughter of over 3,000 innocent Americans only months before. Mexican students beat their American counterparts on all of those questions. Perhaps we can just extend our right of franchise south of the border.

Without some form of accountability, states will continue to relegate civic knowledge to the educational backburner. Take Florida for example. Governor Jeb Bush and several of Florida’s leading legislators serve as ‘state directors’ to the Education Commission of the States. As such, they also serve on its subsidiary group -- the National Center for Learning and Citizenship. Both are charged with improving Civic Education programs. While serving in this capacity, Jeb Bush signed into law a few years ago an act that eliminated American History, American Government, and Economics as graduation requirements in Florida. Incensed, Tampa Congressman Jim Davis immediately introduced HR 3592 in the last Congress to threaten his own state with the loss of federal funds. It took a battle, but these courses were eventually restored as graduation requirements.

Why would Jeb Bush do such a thing? For the same reason the President delayed the Civics N.A.E.P. assessment some years ago. If no one keeps score – who cares? Funny, but I never hear anyone at the national level point out to the President or his younger brother that things such as non-accountability, the second-class status given to civic knowledge, advocating the elimination of such assessments at grade 12 or eradicating such courses as graduation requirements might actually give folks the impression that civic knowledge isn’t very important!

Let’s hope that Congress will not blow another chance to hold still yet another generation of young Americans and their state leaders accountable for what is the most important mission of public education! Perhaps if they got behind the Alexander bill, we could begin to treat these subjects equitably. Some state leaders might even take their responsibilities as ‘national directors’ and guardians of civic knowledge more seriously. And perhaps, if we’re lucky, we’ll begin to work on improving the glue that might actually hold this nation together in the future.

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

Word Count – 1313
Jack Bovee, 319 Fifth Avenue
Lehigh Acres, Florida 33972
Ph: 239-369-1397 Email: JSBovee@aol.com

U.S. Rep. Jim Davis Blasts Early Graduation Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 17, 2003
Contact: Diane Pratt-Heavner(202) 226-7797
Davis to introduce bill requiring American Government and History for graduation.
Click here to read the bill.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Today, Congressman Jim Davis (D-Tampa), joined by Democratic Leader of the Florida Senate, Ron Klein, and Democratic Leader of the Florida House, Doug Wiles, blasted the Florida Legislature for passing legislation allowing students to skip basic course work to graduate a year early. Davis promised to introduce a bill in Congress requiring states, as a condition for receiving federal education funds, to make American Government and History a graduation requirement.

The Florida law, passed this year in an attempt to skirt the state constitutional amendment mandating smaller class sizes, allows students to bypass American History and American Government, among other courses, and graduate in three years with just 18 credits instead of the usual 24 credits.

"I am appalled that as soldiers are fighting in Iraq to protect our freedoms, the Florida Legislature has decided that it is not important for students to learn how these freedoms were won in the first place," said Davis. "And are we really preparing our students to vote in their first election by allowing them to skip out on American History and Government?"

"As a parent, I am outraged that the Florida Legislature, Governor Bush and Commissioner Horne have not taken immediate action to remedy this failure. When I was in school, I had to take American Government, so I know the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from directly legislating school curriculum, but here is what I can do - when I return to Congress this week, I will introduce legislation that says that any state wishing to receive a Federal K-12 Education Block Grant under Title V-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) must require high school students to take American History and Government before graduating."
For Fiscal Year 2003, Florida received $18.5 million in Title V-A funding.

A number of legislators and school board members have already lined up in support of U.S. Rep. Davis’ efforts: Sen. Ron Klein said, "The voters' mandate to lower class size didn't mean lowering our standards. American history shouldn't go the way of 7th periods, physical education, or summer school. Our children need to know the history of their country before stepping into its future."

"For us to compete in the modern economy, we must hold our students and our schools to the highest academic standards," said Rep. Doug Wiles. "Reducing high school graduation standards to allow students to finish in three years will make us less competitive with other states and nations."

"In my opinion the accelerated graduation plan puts our students at a disadvantage when applying for admission at colleges and universities. This is a time when we should be demanding more rigorous academics rather than less from our graduates." Harry G. Kinnan, Manatee County School Board

Jane Gallucci, Pinellas County School Board member, member of the Board of Directors for the National School Board Association and former President of Florida School Boards commented, "Clearly this Administration is sending the wrong message to all Florida high school students by not requiring American Government for graduation. All students must thoroughly understand how government works to be expected to defend the flag and the democracy it stands for."

"I am happy that Jim Davis is educating the Florida Legislature on how to educate our children," Tim Shea, Orange County School Board.

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