January 6, 2007
Dear Supporter of Citizenship Education,
The Florida Council for Social Studies is hosting a regional conference Saturday Feb.3 at Tallahassee Community College for all social studies teachers of north Florida. We need your help and we need your advice. The mission of the Florida Council for the Social Studies is citizenship education. Although the current Sunshine State Standards provide objectives for citizenship education, the reality is that for too many students in too many school districts, citizenship education is not a priority.
We would like to have the opportunity to share some of our ideas and utilize your expertise to make citizenship education a priority for our students.
Please join us at a reception to share your thoughts and advice
Friday, February 2, 2007
4:30 to 6:30 pm
Mary Brogan Museum
Lottery Room
350 S. Duval Street
Tallahassee Florida
The Florida Council for the Social Studies looks forward to
meeting you.
Sincerely,
Sally S. Day
Director Emeritus
Florida Council for the Social Studies
Please R.S.V.P.
sasday@tampabay.rr.com or 727.531.0857
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Monday, November 20, 2006
FASSS STUDENT 'Celebrate Freedom Week'
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - November 2006
In September 2006, the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors piloted a student poll to obtain information about students' knowledge and attitudes toward civic and historical understanding within the state of Florida. Despite intense lobbying for almost 30 years to be added to statewide assessment programs, Florida citizens still have no idea how well school districts are fulfilling their civic mission. The results of the draft survey of high school students included responses from 749 high school students. Teachers were to explain to students the need to be honest in light of the total darkness in which the state operates regarding civic knowledge among our youth. Some attitudinal questions were deliberately included because it was thought this might be revealing as opposed to the typical headline getting "Kids Can Identify the Long Dead 3 Stooges Better than Our 3 Branches of Government" material that other national surveys have resorted to. For this reason and to help eliminate 'guessing', the survey also included "I Don't Know" as an option for many of the questions. Moreover, in order to gauge the extent to which students might have been making light of the survey, two open-ended questions were utilized to which students could respond with any comment. These techniques helped to ensure that almost all students took the poll seriously.
The demographics of the Sample are not too far out of line with Florida's demographics at the high school level. Several indicators among the data give the impression that these were above average students. A summary of the results revealed that
• Whereas approximately 45% of the high school respondents said they themselves were knowledgeable and interested in history and politics only about 12% felt their peers were. (This may lead us to assume mostly academically rigorous or 'Honors' classes took the survey.)
• Less than half the students knew Condoleeza Rice was Secretary of State, despite her almost daily being in the news last fall before the national election.
• Only 16% of the students knew the U.S. House has 435 members.
• Only one-fifth knew the term of office for U.S. Senators.
• Only one-fourth could identify 'Roe vs Wade'.
• Less than one-fourth could identify the purpose of the Electoral College.
• Only about one in ten could identify the source of the phrase, "Government of the People, by the People, for the People".
• Almost one half thought Lincoln is best remembered for "promising as a Presidential Candidate to eliminate slavery." ( Less than 14% selected that he had "preserved the union" - the only true statement among those given.)
• Only about one-fourth knew FDR was President during WWII - about the same who thought T.R. was the correct response.
• Almost four fifths thought the philosophy "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" came from a sacred American document such as the Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence.
• Less than one-fourth could correctly identify the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Only one-fourth knew the correct quarter-century when the Civil War took place.
• Only 17 of 747 (2%) students could name BOTH of Florida's two U.S. Senators. (This was only days before Senator Bill Nelson stood for reelection.)
• Only 9 of 749 (1%) students could name, in any way, two U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
FASSS urges accountability for the civic mission of Florida's Public Schools!
(For more information contact Jack Bovee at boveeja@collier.k12.fl.us )
In September 2006, the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors piloted a student poll to obtain information about students' knowledge and attitudes toward civic and historical understanding within the state of Florida. Despite intense lobbying for almost 30 years to be added to statewide assessment programs, Florida citizens still have no idea how well school districts are fulfilling their civic mission. The results of the draft survey of high school students included responses from 749 high school students. Teachers were to explain to students the need to be honest in light of the total darkness in which the state operates regarding civic knowledge among our youth. Some attitudinal questions were deliberately included because it was thought this might be revealing as opposed to the typical headline getting "Kids Can Identify the Long Dead 3 Stooges Better than Our 3 Branches of Government" material that other national surveys have resorted to. For this reason and to help eliminate 'guessing', the survey also included "I Don't Know" as an option for many of the questions. Moreover, in order to gauge the extent to which students might have been making light of the survey, two open-ended questions were utilized to which students could respond with any comment. These techniques helped to ensure that almost all students took the poll seriously.
The demographics of the Sample are not too far out of line with Florida's demographics at the high school level. Several indicators among the data give the impression that these were above average students. A summary of the results revealed that
• Whereas approximately 45% of the high school respondents said they themselves were knowledgeable and interested in history and politics only about 12% felt their peers were. (This may lead us to assume mostly academically rigorous or 'Honors' classes took the survey.)
• Less than half the students knew Condoleeza Rice was Secretary of State, despite her almost daily being in the news last fall before the national election.
• Only 16% of the students knew the U.S. House has 435 members.
• Only one-fifth knew the term of office for U.S. Senators.
• Only one-fourth could identify 'Roe vs Wade'.
• Less than one-fourth could identify the purpose of the Electoral College.
• Only about one in ten could identify the source of the phrase, "Government of the People, by the People, for the People".
• Almost one half thought Lincoln is best remembered for "promising as a Presidential Candidate to eliminate slavery." ( Less than 14% selected that he had "preserved the union" - the only true statement among those given.)
• Only about one-fourth knew FDR was President during WWII - about the same who thought T.R. was the correct response.
• Almost four fifths thought the philosophy "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" came from a sacred American document such as the Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence.
• Less than one-fourth could correctly identify the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Only one-fourth knew the correct quarter-century when the Civil War took place.
• Only 17 of 747 (2%) students could name BOTH of Florida's two U.S. Senators. (This was only days before Senator Bill Nelson stood for reelection.)
• Only 9 of 749 (1%) students could name, in any way, two U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
FASSS urges accountability for the civic mission of Florida's Public Schools!
(For more information contact Jack Bovee at boveeja@collier.k12.fl.us )
Thursday, August 3, 2006
U.S. Comptroller General Warns the Nation of Economic Calamity
Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.com Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006
The Comptroller General of the United States warns the nation will go broke within a generation - unless it takes radical steps now to rein in out-of-control federal spending. In an exclusive interview with NewsMax, Comptroller David M. Walker, explained his mission: Save America from the brink of financial disaster. Walker has revealed America's collision course in computer simulations that show balancing the budget in 2040 (under the status quo of spending like there's no tomorrow) could require cutting total federal spending by an incredible 60 percent - or raising federal taxes 200 percent over today's level.
Serving a 15-year appointed term that began when he took his oath of office on Nov. 9, 1998, this no-nonsense certified public accountant is the nation's chief accountability officer and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Walker has won plaudits from both Republicans and Democrats for his no-nonsense straight talk about the nation's growing long-term fiscal challenge.
In his wide-ranging interview with NewsMax, Walker offered a candid assessment of the problems and risks facing Americans over the next several decades.
Among his key assessments:
· Prescription Drugs:: Walker says that the prescription drug plan is the "poster case for what is wrong with Washington."
He notes that when Congress first took up the matter of Medicare prescription drugs, estimates placed the cost at $300 billion.
But he argues that both Congress and the administration simply downplayed or ignored the true costs of the program. Today, the nation will have to pay out for the program $8 trillion-plus in current dollar terms.
Walker also detailed that when the Medicare actuary of the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services calculated the true costs of the program, he "was told he could not tell the Congress or else he might lose his job."
"That not only was unethical but it was illegal, and nobody has been held accountable for it," an angry Walker said.
· Defense Budget: Walker argues that Defense Department simply is out of control and that basic rules of accountability don't apply.
He said that although it received a whopping $500 billion in appropriations, the Defense Department "is the only agency in the federal government that cannot adequately account for its assets and its expenditures - and cannot withstand an outside financial statement audit."
Walker grades the agency with a "D" on "economy, efficiency, transparency, and accountability." He added, "And it has not been held accountable."
· The Nation's Debt: Walker says the United States risks losing its pre-eminence around the globe because of its growing status as a debtor nation.
He ominously notes that "last year was the first year since 1933 that Americans spent more money than they took home and, as you probably recall, 1933 was not a good year for the United States."
Because the United States has to rely on foreign central banks to finance its deficits, it places itself in a high-risk situation. "It means that other players hold an increasing percentage of our nation's mortgage; and it means the debt service is going to go overseas rather than domestic; and it means that we will have less leverage on them with regard to economic, foreign policy and national security issues - and they will have more leverage on us."
· Entitlements: The United States must rein in entitlement programs or face economic woes, he argues.
Walker says that today the United States is "about 3 percent short of the GDP between what we are taking in and what we are spending, and it is going to get worse when the [baby] boomers start to retire - primarily because of entitlement programs.
"You can't solve the problem without fundamental reform of the entitlement programs. Medicare is going to require much more dramatic and fundamental reforms than Social Security because the problem is six to seven times greater than Social Security.
"It is going to take entitlement reform; it is going to take spend constraint; and it is going to take some revenue enhancements."
Walker's Mission
Walker's frequent refrain is simply, "The status quo is not an option!" He's been telling his story to Congress, the media, and anyone else who will listen.
His globetrotting has included speaking appearances at Gresham College London, England; the London School of Economics; the Atlanta Rotary Club; the National Press Foundation; and the National Conference of State Legislatures - just to name a few.
Walker likes slide shows – to better facilitate the ominous graphs and charts that highlight his message.
The long-term modeling that is at the heart of his warning is adapted from work done at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the various new estimates that become available from the Congressional Budget Office and from the Social Security and Medicare Trustees.
Walker is not overly impressed with the recently touted spurt of economic growth and its accompanying windfall of unexpected federal revenues.
"Faster economic growth can help, but it cannot solve the problem," the straight-shooting former public trustee for Social Security and Medicare emphasizes.
Here's where Walker typically clicks on one of his attention-grabbing slides on the subject.
The audience digests as the GAO chief reads from the screen:
· Closing the current long-term fiscal gap based on reasonable assumptions would require real average annual economic growth in the double-digit range every year for the next 75 years.
· During the 1990s, the economy grew at an average 3.2 percent per year.
"We cannot simply grow our way out of this problem," he announces somberly.
When playing to a home crowd of working stiffs, Walker follows with another body blow that penetrates the reality world of mom and pop: It's called, benignly enough, "Our Total Fiscal Burden." But when broken down as to show the impact on every man, woman, and child in the country, it can knock the wind from the collective lungs.
Up pops another eye-widening slide:
· Total fiscal exposures: $46.4 trillion.
· Total household net worth: $51.1 trillion.
· Burden/net worth ratio: 91 percent.
Forget the accounting jargon; what's my personal bill for my government's runaway spending?
As if to say "Glad you asked that," there follows the grim tally:
· Per person: $156,000.
· Per full-time worker: $375,000.
· Per household: $411,000.
Gee, that sounds a bit extreme. Can our pocketbooks handle that tab?
Just how extreme is explained by the next slide:
· Median U.S. household income: $44,389.
· Disposable personal income per capita: $30,431.
After learning that we are a wee bit short on the greenbacks, Walker switches back to the macro-picture, revealing yet another disturbing picture:
"The United States may be the only superpower, but compared to most other OECD countries [countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development] on selected key economic, social, and environmental indicators, on average, the U.S. ranks 16 out of 28," announces Walker to an accompanying slide.
Included in those OECD indicators are such down-to-earth items as quality of life, education, and prices.
Walker, the author of "Retirement Security: Understanding and Planning Your Financial Future," is for sure no administration spinner.
He will tell you that he is only following a grand tradition of the non-partisan GAO, which for more than a decade has published the results of its long-term budget simulations in reports and testimonies.
Well, at least some of the states are doing well these days - those increased property values and all . . .
Don't get too wound up on that front, warns Walker. States are reeling under their own fiscal challenges, including unsustainable Medicaid cost increases; unfunded liabilities of state retirement systems; education funding squeezed by competing demands; infrastructure maintenance and expansion needs given unparalleled sprawl and congestion; and - lest we forget - emergency preparedness response and recovery needs.
The bottom line, according to Walker: "We must make tough choices, and the sooner the better."
The chief financial overseer advises that a multipronged approach is needed:
· Revise existing budget processes and financial reporting requirements.
· Restructure existing entitlement programs.
· Re-examine the base of discretionary and other spending.
· Review and revise tax policy and enforcement programs - including tax expenditures.
"Everything must be on the table," says Walker.
While not pleased with the pace of action to date, Walker does see some progress. He happily points out that the White House now "readily acknowledge now that we face a huge long-range structural deficit that has to be addressed."
Meanwhile, beating the drum for fiscal reform is but one facet of the immense GAO workload.
Walker's agency must advise not only Congress, but the heads of executive agencies -- such as Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, and Health and Human Services -- about making government more effective and responsive.
To do the job, Walker heads up some 3,200 employees and manages a budget of $474.5 million.
At the end of fiscal 2005, 85 percent of the 1,752 recommendations the GAO made in fiscal year 2001 had been implemented, notes the agency. But is the all-important keeper of the federal purse strings, the Congress, reacting to Walker's big-picture warnings of fiscal crisis ahead?
For the answer to that, see the NewsMax interview with U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker.
For more on David Walker see this 60 Minutes segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-16u9x3tfE - Glen Beck's interview with former Comptroller General David Walker
The Comptroller General of the United States warns the nation will go broke within a generation - unless it takes radical steps now to rein in out-of-control federal spending. In an exclusive interview with NewsMax, Comptroller David M. Walker, explained his mission: Save America from the brink of financial disaster. Walker has revealed America's collision course in computer simulations that show balancing the budget in 2040 (under the status quo of spending like there's no tomorrow) could require cutting total federal spending by an incredible 60 percent - or raising federal taxes 200 percent over today's level.
Serving a 15-year appointed term that began when he took his oath of office on Nov. 9, 1998, this no-nonsense certified public accountant is the nation's chief accountability officer and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Walker has won plaudits from both Republicans and Democrats for his no-nonsense straight talk about the nation's growing long-term fiscal challenge.
In his wide-ranging interview with NewsMax, Walker offered a candid assessment of the problems and risks facing Americans over the next several decades.
Among his key assessments:
· Prescription Drugs:: Walker says that the prescription drug plan is the "poster case for what is wrong with Washington."
He notes that when Congress first took up the matter of Medicare prescription drugs, estimates placed the cost at $300 billion.
But he argues that both Congress and the administration simply downplayed or ignored the true costs of the program. Today, the nation will have to pay out for the program $8 trillion-plus in current dollar terms.
Walker also detailed that when the Medicare actuary of the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services calculated the true costs of the program, he "was told he could not tell the Congress or else he might lose his job."
"That not only was unethical but it was illegal, and nobody has been held accountable for it," an angry Walker said.
· Defense Budget: Walker argues that Defense Department simply is out of control and that basic rules of accountability don't apply.
He said that although it received a whopping $500 billion in appropriations, the Defense Department "is the only agency in the federal government that cannot adequately account for its assets and its expenditures - and cannot withstand an outside financial statement audit."
Walker grades the agency with a "D" on "economy, efficiency, transparency, and accountability." He added, "And it has not been held accountable."
· The Nation's Debt: Walker says the United States risks losing its pre-eminence around the globe because of its growing status as a debtor nation.
He ominously notes that "last year was the first year since 1933 that Americans spent more money than they took home and, as you probably recall, 1933 was not a good year for the United States."
Because the United States has to rely on foreign central banks to finance its deficits, it places itself in a high-risk situation. "It means that other players hold an increasing percentage of our nation's mortgage; and it means the debt service is going to go overseas rather than domestic; and it means that we will have less leverage on them with regard to economic, foreign policy and national security issues - and they will have more leverage on us."
· Entitlements: The United States must rein in entitlement programs or face economic woes, he argues.
Walker says that today the United States is "about 3 percent short of the GDP between what we are taking in and what we are spending, and it is going to get worse when the [baby] boomers start to retire - primarily because of entitlement programs.
"You can't solve the problem without fundamental reform of the entitlement programs. Medicare is going to require much more dramatic and fundamental reforms than Social Security because the problem is six to seven times greater than Social Security.
"It is going to take entitlement reform; it is going to take spend constraint; and it is going to take some revenue enhancements."
Walker's Mission
Walker's frequent refrain is simply, "The status quo is not an option!" He's been telling his story to Congress, the media, and anyone else who will listen.
His globetrotting has included speaking appearances at Gresham College London, England; the London School of Economics; the Atlanta Rotary Club; the National Press Foundation; and the National Conference of State Legislatures - just to name a few.
Walker likes slide shows – to better facilitate the ominous graphs and charts that highlight his message.
The long-term modeling that is at the heart of his warning is adapted from work done at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the various new estimates that become available from the Congressional Budget Office and from the Social Security and Medicare Trustees.
Walker is not overly impressed with the recently touted spurt of economic growth and its accompanying windfall of unexpected federal revenues.
"Faster economic growth can help, but it cannot solve the problem," the straight-shooting former public trustee for Social Security and Medicare emphasizes.
Here's where Walker typically clicks on one of his attention-grabbing slides on the subject.
The audience digests as the GAO chief reads from the screen:
· Closing the current long-term fiscal gap based on reasonable assumptions would require real average annual economic growth in the double-digit range every year for the next 75 years.
· During the 1990s, the economy grew at an average 3.2 percent per year.
"We cannot simply grow our way out of this problem," he announces somberly.
When playing to a home crowd of working stiffs, Walker follows with another body blow that penetrates the reality world of mom and pop: It's called, benignly enough, "Our Total Fiscal Burden." But when broken down as to show the impact on every man, woman, and child in the country, it can knock the wind from the collective lungs.
Up pops another eye-widening slide:
· Total fiscal exposures: $46.4 trillion.
· Total household net worth: $51.1 trillion.
· Burden/net worth ratio: 91 percent.
Forget the accounting jargon; what's my personal bill for my government's runaway spending?
As if to say "Glad you asked that," there follows the grim tally:
· Per person: $156,000.
· Per full-time worker: $375,000.
· Per household: $411,000.
Gee, that sounds a bit extreme. Can our pocketbooks handle that tab?
Just how extreme is explained by the next slide:
· Median U.S. household income: $44,389.
· Disposable personal income per capita: $30,431.
After learning that we are a wee bit short on the greenbacks, Walker switches back to the macro-picture, revealing yet another disturbing picture:
"The United States may be the only superpower, but compared to most other OECD countries [countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development] on selected key economic, social, and environmental indicators, on average, the U.S. ranks 16 out of 28," announces Walker to an accompanying slide.
Included in those OECD indicators are such down-to-earth items as quality of life, education, and prices.
Walker, the author of "Retirement Security: Understanding and Planning Your Financial Future," is for sure no administration spinner.
He will tell you that he is only following a grand tradition of the non-partisan GAO, which for more than a decade has published the results of its long-term budget simulations in reports and testimonies.
Well, at least some of the states are doing well these days - those increased property values and all . . .
Don't get too wound up on that front, warns Walker. States are reeling under their own fiscal challenges, including unsustainable Medicaid cost increases; unfunded liabilities of state retirement systems; education funding squeezed by competing demands; infrastructure maintenance and expansion needs given unparalleled sprawl and congestion; and - lest we forget - emergency preparedness response and recovery needs.
The bottom line, according to Walker: "We must make tough choices, and the sooner the better."
The chief financial overseer advises that a multipronged approach is needed:
· Revise existing budget processes and financial reporting requirements.
· Restructure existing entitlement programs.
· Re-examine the base of discretionary and other spending.
· Review and revise tax policy and enforcement programs - including tax expenditures.
"Everything must be on the table," says Walker.
While not pleased with the pace of action to date, Walker does see some progress. He happily points out that the White House now "readily acknowledge now that we face a huge long-range structural deficit that has to be addressed."
Meanwhile, beating the drum for fiscal reform is but one facet of the immense GAO workload.
Walker's agency must advise not only Congress, but the heads of executive agencies -- such as Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, and Health and Human Services -- about making government more effective and responsive.
To do the job, Walker heads up some 3,200 employees and manages a budget of $474.5 million.
At the end of fiscal 2005, 85 percent of the 1,752 recommendations the GAO made in fiscal year 2001 had been implemented, notes the agency. But is the all-important keeper of the federal purse strings, the Congress, reacting to Walker's big-picture warnings of fiscal crisis ahead?
For the answer to that, see the NewsMax interview with U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker.
For more on David Walker see this 60 Minutes segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-16u9x3tfE - Glen Beck's interview with former Comptroller General David Walker
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Florida's World History Standards Rated "F" by Fordham
For many years Florida's Social Studies teachers lobbied Tallahassee to revise our state's curriculum for this vital subject. After several damaging reports such as the one below, this finally happened in 2007-2008. The process was flawed once again with changing leadership in D.O.E., unrealistic deadlines and needlessly hurried timelines. After refusing to allow more time for the editing process due to the need to meet the proposed deadline for the Course Descriptions for these subjects, the DOE is at this writing more than five months behind schedule on the project. Whether the new curriculum will fare any better than the old when reviewed by professional educational associations remains to be seen.
The State of State
World History Standards - 2006
by Walter Russell Mead
the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
For the full report, go to: http://www.edexcellence.net/doc/State%20of%20State%20World%20History%20Standards%202006.pdf
Florida's World History Standards
Scoring Breakdown
Curriculum ………………….. 18
Instructional ………………... 13
Total ………………………..…. 31
GRADE ……………...........….. F
The Sunshine State standards claim to “identify what students should know and be able to do [sic] for the 21st century.” That vague goal, unfortunately, is largely unrealized when it comes to world history. The state addresses the entirety of world history in 21 bullet points on a single page. It should come as no surprise that it is impossible to cover world history from the “beginning of time” to “Western and Eastern civilizations since the Renaissance” in that brief write-up.
The list includes a number of important cultures, events, and themes, but nothing is addressed with any depth or sincerity. Atop this fundamental failure, there is no attempt to supply any grade specificity in the high school years. Florida’s approach is so superficial that it is, for all intents and purposes, worthless.
There’s nothing glowing in the Sunshine State’s standards, and little worth redeeming. At the very least, the state should supply some actual content to the standards themselves and specify at the high school level what material should be learned in which grades. But the best course of action would most likely be to dispense with what the state has and adopt another state’s standards—Floridians could hardly do worse.
The State of State
World History Standards - 2006
by Walter Russell Mead
the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
For the full report, go to: http://www.edexcellence.net/doc/State%20of%20State%20World%20History%20Standards%202006.pdf
Florida's World History Standards
Scoring Breakdown
Curriculum ………………….. 18
Instructional ………………... 13
Total ………………………..…. 31
GRADE ……………...........….. F
The Sunshine State standards claim to “identify what students should know and be able to do [sic] for the 21st century.” That vague goal, unfortunately, is largely unrealized when it comes to world history. The state addresses the entirety of world history in 21 bullet points on a single page. It should come as no surprise that it is impossible to cover world history from the “beginning of time” to “Western and Eastern civilizations since the Renaissance” in that brief write-up.
The list includes a number of important cultures, events, and themes, but nothing is addressed with any depth or sincerity. Atop this fundamental failure, there is no attempt to supply any grade specificity in the high school years. Florida’s approach is so superficial that it is, for all intents and purposes, worthless.
There’s nothing glowing in the Sunshine State’s standards, and little worth redeeming. At the very least, the state should supply some actual content to the standards themselves and specify at the high school level what material should be learned in which grades. But the best course of action would most likely be to dispense with what the state has and adopt another state’s standards—Floridians could hardly do worse.
State of Florida's Social Studies Program - 2006
The following exchange of emails concerned a request from D.O.E. leadership to then Social Studies Specialist Levon Terrell on the status of Florida's Social Studies Program. A response from Jack Bovee explains then existing conditions in Florida at the time.
_______________________________________________
June 8, 2006
Jack,
Hope you are having a great summer and getting a well deserved rest. I need your input on a project I have been asked to complete.
I am preparing a report on the state of social studies in the state of Florida. I could use your assistance in preparing this document. Any documentation / stats you have on social studies education in Florida and comparing Florida with other states would be useful.
Thanks for any assistance you may be able to provide.
Levon Terrell
Social Studies Curriculum Specialist
Florida Department of Education
Bureau of School Improvement
850-245-0760 Direct
850-245-0820 Fax
___________________________________________
Levon —
This is quite 'the assignment'. I urge that you make the most of it. I would paint a pretty dark picture using only cold, hard facts. I would avoid all editorializing and individualized commentary, of course.
I'd start back in 1974 with an historical approach, maybe even before that. In 1974, the ONLY state-wide assessment was that which was required under the Free Enterprise and Economics Act of that year. It lasted for a few years, perhaps a decade. Earlier though, Florida's two flagship universities required students to demonstrate some sort of proficiency in American History as part of their college entrance criteria. ( I'm not sure if the data was used only as part of the entrance selection criteria overall or if, as a result of poor performance, they were required to take survey courses to remediate them. Regardless, we knew more in the 1950s than we do now and I'd make that the point of your 'status report'. Basically, Florida's role in this is similar to that of Col. Kink in Hogan's Heroes, "I know NOTHING!") As evidence of that old college requirement, look at first two files below from around the 1950s and 60s.
Then, there's a letter in 1986 from Warren Tracey (file #3) asking for our discipline to be included in the statewide testing program after the state added us to the then existing minimum proficiency standards. (FCAT caused this to never occur, of course, and eliminated all such plans to assess social studies right after that.)
You could mention the 1996 James Madison Institute report titled, "What Florida's University Students Don't Know About History and Government" and point out that this is the ONLY data we have on the subject. It represents data from our best COLLEGES - UF and FSU. We have absolutely NO IDEA, of course, how well the state fulfills its K-12 civic education mission. That's not surprising, of course, due to something else you could point out. I'd urge that you point out to them that neither in the preamble of the Florida state Constitution nor in the section which establishes a public school system is there a clearly delineated "civic mission" to our public schools. (And this obviously doesn't seem important from the actions of the state in the last few years!) Go to Online Sunshine for more, but a quick reference to this is below.
Article IX of the Florida Constitution -- The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning and other public education programs that the needs of the people may require.
You could move on to attempts by Florida social studies professional groups to seek DOE support to rectify the crisis and mention these efforts met with mixed results. You could mention former Chancelor Warford's support for us to be added to the State's Pupil Progression Plan while Dr. Cornelia Orr stated the exact opposite in her written letter to the President of the Florida League of Women Voters. (I have the copies of both letters if you want them.)
You could move on to the legislature and mention that Florida has for years supported with state appropriations a Holocaust Education Commission and an African American History Task Force, yet we have never had a commission on Civic Literacy in the state, something which other states have found useful, nor have we any idea on how well the state fulfills it's 'non-mentioned' Constitutional civic mission in the public schools.
You could discuss how the state legislature prefers to tinker with the "required instruction statute" -- language which is basically impossible to assess. You could point out that the state collects more data from school districts on the drinking and drug habits of school children than it does about their knowledge of the Constitution, their understanding of our nation's past, our economic system or the world in which they live. (See file 6)
You could mention some of the particulars of the much more recent never-ending saga of our attempt to add 'social studies' to the state's pupil progression law (See file #4 titled "An Example of How an Eminently Worthy Measure Repeatedly Fails to Become Law") If you need any documentation of all the 'facts' contained therein, don't hesitate to ask.)
You might point out that national pundits like Phyllis Schlafly and Congressional leaders such as former Secretary of Education and now TN Senator Lamar Alexander and Florida Congressman Jim Davis (file #7) have blasted Florida Jeb Bush and the state legislature for once eliminating American History and American Government as graduation requirements for all Florida students a few years ago. You'll recall that Tampa Congressman Davis, who's now running for Jeb's office, went so far as to seek to withhold needed federal funds from our own state for this anti-civic education measure.
You could wrap up by discussing the lack of DISTRICT accountability to determine how well students master the sunshine state standards. Your survey from some months ago might shed light on how rapidly districts have moved in to fill this void. (That would be worth a few chuckles.)
You might include mention that a renown educational think tank, the Fordham Institute, has just recently called Florida's teaching of World History and in particular Latin American History not just bad, but "worthless". (One has to wonder about the deliberate choice of that word, eh? Does it seem as if someone has an axe to grind perhaps?)
In short, Levon, I'd make the most of this opportunity. Good luck.
Ps. Did you not get the 'mini-CD Rom' which I gave out at the last FCSS meeting as part of the legislative report? It contained all these files and many, many more. Finally, some of the statements from noted national leaders in the last file, for example, might be used to lace your report with the 'wisdom' of national political and educational leaders.
Jack
_______________________________________________
June 8, 2006
Jack,
Hope you are having a great summer and getting a well deserved rest. I need your input on a project I have been asked to complete.
I am preparing a report on the state of social studies in the state of Florida. I could use your assistance in preparing this document. Any documentation / stats you have on social studies education in Florida and comparing Florida with other states would be useful.
Thanks for any assistance you may be able to provide.
Levon Terrell
Social Studies Curriculum Specialist
Florida Department of Education
Bureau of School Improvement
850-245-0760 Direct
850-245-0820 Fax
___________________________________________
Levon —
This is quite 'the assignment'. I urge that you make the most of it. I would paint a pretty dark picture using only cold, hard facts. I would avoid all editorializing and individualized commentary, of course.
I'd start back in 1974 with an historical approach, maybe even before that. In 1974, the ONLY state-wide assessment was that which was required under the Free Enterprise and Economics Act of that year. It lasted for a few years, perhaps a decade. Earlier though, Florida's two flagship universities required students to demonstrate some sort of proficiency in American History as part of their college entrance criteria. ( I'm not sure if the data was used only as part of the entrance selection criteria overall or if, as a result of poor performance, they were required to take survey courses to remediate them. Regardless, we knew more in the 1950s than we do now and I'd make that the point of your 'status report'. Basically, Florida's role in this is similar to that of Col. Kink in Hogan's Heroes, "I know NOTHING!") As evidence of that old college requirement, look at first two files below from around the 1950s and 60s.
Then, there's a letter in 1986 from Warren Tracey (file #3) asking for our discipline to be included in the statewide testing program after the state added us to the then existing minimum proficiency standards. (FCAT caused this to never occur, of course, and eliminated all such plans to assess social studies right after that.)
You could mention the 1996 James Madison Institute report titled, "What Florida's University Students Don't Know About History and Government" and point out that this is the ONLY data we have on the subject. It represents data from our best COLLEGES - UF and FSU. We have absolutely NO IDEA, of course, how well the state fulfills its K-12 civic education mission. That's not surprising, of course, due to something else you could point out. I'd urge that you point out to them that neither in the preamble of the Florida state Constitution nor in the section which establishes a public school system is there a clearly delineated "civic mission" to our public schools. (And this obviously doesn't seem important from the actions of the state in the last few years!) Go to Online Sunshine for more, but a quick reference to this is below.
Article IX of the Florida Constitution -- The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning and other public education programs that the needs of the people may require.
You could move on to attempts by Florida social studies professional groups to seek DOE support to rectify the crisis and mention these efforts met with mixed results. You could mention former Chancelor Warford's support for us to be added to the State's Pupil Progression Plan while Dr. Cornelia Orr stated the exact opposite in her written letter to the President of the Florida League of Women Voters. (I have the copies of both letters if you want them.)
You could move on to the legislature and mention that Florida has for years supported with state appropriations a Holocaust Education Commission and an African American History Task Force, yet we have never had a commission on Civic Literacy in the state, something which other states have found useful, nor have we any idea on how well the state fulfills it's 'non-mentioned' Constitutional civic mission in the public schools.
You could discuss how the state legislature prefers to tinker with the "required instruction statute" -- language which is basically impossible to assess. You could point out that the state collects more data from school districts on the drinking and drug habits of school children than it does about their knowledge of the Constitution, their understanding of our nation's past, our economic system or the world in which they live. (See file 6)
You could mention some of the particulars of the much more recent never-ending saga of our attempt to add 'social studies' to the state's pupil progression law (See file #4 titled "An Example of How an Eminently Worthy Measure Repeatedly Fails to Become Law") If you need any documentation of all the 'facts' contained therein, don't hesitate to ask.)
You might point out that national pundits like Phyllis Schlafly and Congressional leaders such as former Secretary of Education and now TN Senator Lamar Alexander and Florida Congressman Jim Davis (file #7) have blasted Florida Jeb Bush and the state legislature for once eliminating American History and American Government as graduation requirements for all Florida students a few years ago. You'll recall that Tampa Congressman Davis, who's now running for Jeb's office, went so far as to seek to withhold needed federal funds from our own state for this anti-civic education measure.
You could wrap up by discussing the lack of DISTRICT accountability to determine how well students master the sunshine state standards. Your survey from some months ago might shed light on how rapidly districts have moved in to fill this void. (That would be worth a few chuckles.)
You might include mention that a renown educational think tank, the Fordham Institute, has just recently called Florida's teaching of World History and in particular Latin American History not just bad, but "worthless". (One has to wonder about the deliberate choice of that word, eh? Does it seem as if someone has an axe to grind perhaps?)
In short, Levon, I'd make the most of this opportunity. Good luck.
Ps. Did you not get the 'mini-CD Rom' which I gave out at the last FCSS meeting as part of the legislative report? It contained all these files and many, many more. Finally, some of the statements from noted national leaders in the last file, for example, might be used to lace your report with the 'wisdom' of national political and educational leaders.
Jack
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