President’s Message
Social Studies is in trouble! I don’t mean to sound like an alarmist, but I need to make you aware of some facts regarding social studies education in the state of Florida. We are now the only discipline that is not represented in Tallahassee. The state Social Studies Specialist position has been officially eliminated (they had been putting off filling it for almost a year.)
A meeting was recently held in Orlando to “collaboratively explore using FCAT results”. This meeting was coordinated by the Florida Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, and no one representing social studies was even invited to attend.
Regardless of your level, you most certainly are aware of the extent to which FCAT now drives the use of resources at the state and district level. In my district Eisenhower funds have been “commandeered” to provide all of our schools with reading specialists. These are federal dollars that were designed to allow for staff development of teachers in all of the core curriculum areas.
Last year Education Commissioner Charles Crist advocated several “best practices” in the Monday Report. One of these was to double up on the teaching of reading and math — I’ll leave it to you to figure out where the time was taken from. In light of the recent terrorist attack, it seems to me that it is more important than ever to educate our students about geography, world history, global economics, American history, and citizenship, as well as the other social studies electives.
The First Lady just made a statement saying that American history is the most important subject students need to learn. I hope her brother-in-law was listening. I dislike the amount of testing that takes place in our schools now, but the fact remains if it isn’t tested, it isn’t taught. We are now the only area not included in FCAT testing, and I believe that resources will continue to move away from social studies and towards those areas that are tested.
I urge you to consider contacting your state representatives to ask that we receive the respect that the other disciplines get. Unfortunately, many legislators have a very fuzzy notion of what constitutes social studies, and why it is so important. Please — let’s unite to provide them with this education!
Susie Fogarty
FCSS President
Trends and Issues, Volume XIII, No. 3 (Fall, 2001) page 3.
Friday, August 3, 2001
Wednesday, May 3, 2000
Sample Call to Action Letter from 2000
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: October 3, 2000
TO: Mrs. Cannon, Mayflower Society
4031 Gulfshore Blvd. North #23
Naples, FL 34103
FR: Jack Bovee, President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and Coordinator for Social Studies, K-12 Collier District Schools
RE: Update on Student Awareness of National Heritage
The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and the Florida Council for the Social Studies are requesting the assistance of all civic and educational groups whose charters encourage them to work for the purpose of preserving our national heritage. We are now in pursuing a matter of great urgency to educational professionals, civic minded groups and citizens throughout the state of Florida this coming legislative session. For several years, social studies teachers and supervisors have watched with increasing dismay how our curriculum area has been placed on the educational “backburner” in Florida. The legislature, on occasion, has added to the areas of statewide assessment in Florida, yet there still has been no effort to ascertain to what degree our students understand the history or geography of our state and nation. Indeed, due to the heavy emphasis now being placed upon the state-wide tested areas (mathematics, science, reading and writing) less emphasis than ever before is being placed upon those areas which once served as the mainstay of all educational programs. The founding fathers argued that to imbue students with civic virtue, it was necessary that they have an in-depth understanding to the study of history, political science, economics and geography. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “If we expect to remain ignorant and free in a state of nature, we want what never was nor ever can be.”
Recent reports and surveys reveal that even among our most academically oriented youth, many do not understand the fundamental principles of our political and economic systems or the unique heritage of our nation and state. It is ironic that in an age when many of the nations around the globe are embracing democratic values, that we in Florida have no way of assessing to what extent the future leaders of our state and nation understand these same beliefs. It has been often said that Americans are not held together by a common faith, race, or ethnicity, but by their understanding and appreciation of the fundamental precepts by which our political, economic and social systems operate. When students lack an awareness of these precepts, our nation truly is “at risk”.
As a result of these unfortunate trends, the FCSS and FASSS are now undertaking the goal of asking that the legislature amend both the statuary provisions of Florida’s pupil progression law and the statewide assessment program. We seek the support of your organization and all other civic minded organizations to assist us in this task. We know that this will not be easy. But, let us take faith from the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It’s time that American history, government and economics teachers and their allies put into practice what we teach. We trust that we can rely upon your support in this initiative. As a first step, we welcome letters of support on organizational letterhead which we can use in our lobbying efforts with local legislators. As a second step, we would appreciate members of your group joining ours – when convenient – for small group discussions in selected, key districts around the state to discuss this need firsthand with selected legislators. Thirdly, if you have contacts at the state level with either the D.A.R. or S.A.R., I would appreciate having their names, addresses and phone numbers. You may have additional ideas that would aid in this endeavor. I would also be delighted to discuss this initiative with you or anyone else in your organization. Letters of support may be mailed to Jack Bovee at the address on this stationary.
I appreciate your sharing this request with your board at your earliest convenience.
I forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Jack Bovee, President, FASSS
“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who
mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with
the power knowledge gives.”
James Madison, 1822
“The people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty . . .
History by apprising them of the past will enable them to
judge the future; it will avail them to the experience of
other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges
of the actions and designs of men . . . “
Thomas Jefferson
DATE: October 3, 2000
TO: Mrs. Cannon, Mayflower Society
4031 Gulfshore Blvd. North #23
Naples, FL 34103
FR: Jack Bovee, President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and Coordinator for Social Studies, K-12 Collier District Schools
RE: Update on Student Awareness of National Heritage
The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and the Florida Council for the Social Studies are requesting the assistance of all civic and educational groups whose charters encourage them to work for the purpose of preserving our national heritage. We are now in pursuing a matter of great urgency to educational professionals, civic minded groups and citizens throughout the state of Florida this coming legislative session. For several years, social studies teachers and supervisors have watched with increasing dismay how our curriculum area has been placed on the educational “backburner” in Florida. The legislature, on occasion, has added to the areas of statewide assessment in Florida, yet there still has been no effort to ascertain to what degree our students understand the history or geography of our state and nation. Indeed, due to the heavy emphasis now being placed upon the state-wide tested areas (mathematics, science, reading and writing) less emphasis than ever before is being placed upon those areas which once served as the mainstay of all educational programs. The founding fathers argued that to imbue students with civic virtue, it was necessary that they have an in-depth understanding to the study of history, political science, economics and geography. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “If we expect to remain ignorant and free in a state of nature, we want what never was nor ever can be.”
Recent reports and surveys reveal that even among our most academically oriented youth, many do not understand the fundamental principles of our political and economic systems or the unique heritage of our nation and state. It is ironic that in an age when many of the nations around the globe are embracing democratic values, that we in Florida have no way of assessing to what extent the future leaders of our state and nation understand these same beliefs. It has been often said that Americans are not held together by a common faith, race, or ethnicity, but by their understanding and appreciation of the fundamental precepts by which our political, economic and social systems operate. When students lack an awareness of these precepts, our nation truly is “at risk”.
As a result of these unfortunate trends, the FCSS and FASSS are now undertaking the goal of asking that the legislature amend both the statuary provisions of Florida’s pupil progression law and the statewide assessment program. We seek the support of your organization and all other civic minded organizations to assist us in this task. We know that this will not be easy. But, let us take faith from the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It’s time that American history, government and economics teachers and their allies put into practice what we teach. We trust that we can rely upon your support in this initiative. As a first step, we welcome letters of support on organizational letterhead which we can use in our lobbying efforts with local legislators. As a second step, we would appreciate members of your group joining ours – when convenient – for small group discussions in selected, key districts around the state to discuss this need firsthand with selected legislators. Thirdly, if you have contacts at the state level with either the D.A.R. or S.A.R., I would appreciate having their names, addresses and phone numbers. You may have additional ideas that would aid in this endeavor. I would also be delighted to discuss this initiative with you or anyone else in your organization. Letters of support may be mailed to Jack Bovee at the address on this stationary.
I appreciate your sharing this request with your board at your earliest convenience.
I forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Jack Bovee, President, FASSS
“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who
mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with
the power knowledge gives.”
James Madison, 1822
“The people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty . . .
History by apprising them of the past will enable them to
judge the future; it will avail them to the experience of
other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges
of the actions and designs of men . . . “
Thomas Jefferson
Monday, December 22, 1997
Monday, May 22, 1995
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