Monday, May 21, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Tallahassee Legislative Symposium Invitation - 2007
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
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
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 )
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