By Chris Straton, President – League of Women Voters of Collier County
Remember when you learned about Government in school? Remember when Citizenship was an important part of your education? In today’s classrooms, Civics does not have the same importance that it used to. Many say our schools “teach to the test,” and it seems that classroom time has become so focused on the subjects covered by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (Reading, Writing, Math and Science) that little time is left for basic civics.
It’s not for lack of intent. Florida’s “required instruction statute” (FS 1003.42) states that all schools must teach about the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution with emphasis on the Bill of Rights and the structure of our government;, the elements of civil government, including the primary functions of and interrelationships between the Federal Government, the state, and its counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts; the history of the United States; and much, much more. In fact, of the twenty specific provisions mandated by the statute, fully fifteen are related to Social Studies. None relate to Reading, Math, or Writing. Only fleeting reference is made to Science.
Yet despite the intent, our citizens are woefully lacking in basic civics knowledge. National surveys have revealed that 22% of Americans think the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat and Independent, and that over one third of Americans cannot identify even one of the branches of government. A December 2005 survey conducted by the Florida Bar reflected similar findings. A September 2006 national survey found that only a little more than half of Americans believe the President of the United States must follow the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.[1] (The three branches of government are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The President is not above the law; he/she must following the rulings of the Supreme Court.)
Florida does nothing to determine how well our schools prepare students for the only job they will all have in life – that of citizen. Civics educators have been asking both the Commissioner of Education and the legislature to enact a statewide accountability system for Social Studies since the early 1980s. Among ten southern states, only Florida and North Carolina lack such a program. At the national level, Civics and United States History – unlike Reading, Writing, Math and Science – lack state comparative analysis on student performance. Since no state – or in the case of Florida, no county – has ever been held accountable for its civic and historical educational mission, both subjects have lost tremendous instructional time and emphasis. For example, a survey of over 1600 Florida elementary teachers conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship in the fall of 2008 revealed that almost nine of ten instructors reported teaching social studies for less than two hours per week!
During the 2006 legislative session, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause successfully inserted a requirement for a semester of Civics Education into the middle school curriculum. But efforts to mandate student performance standards in Civics Education failed in the 2007 session as, unfortunately, the bill also included the establishment of a Civics Education institute that demanded funds in tight budget years.[2] Similarly, efforts introduced in 2008 to enhance Civics Education were unsuccessful, and while legislation has again been introduced, the outlook for 2009 is equally bleak.
The League of Women Voters of Collier County invites the public to learn more about the state of Civics Education in today’s curriculum, and to consider what it should be. On March 16, our speaker will be Jack Bovee, Social Studies Coordinator for the Collier County Public Schools, who is an advocate for teaching more Civics in the classroom and a contributor to this commentary. Our program will be held twice for the convenience of the community: at 1 PM at the Collier Athletic Club and at 7 PM at the Olde Cypress Clubhouse. The program is offered free of charge, although tax-deductible contributions to help defray expenses will be appreciated. For reservations or more information, please call the League at 263-4656 or email lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org.
[1] http://www.flrea.org/reports/FLREAPowerpoint.ppt
[2] Study and Action 2007 – 2009: A Guide to Public Policy Positions, the League of Women Voters of Florida, p. 30.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Tips for Communicating with Elected Officials
Tips On Telephoning Your Elected Representatives
To find your U.S. senators' and representative's phone numbers, you may use our searchable online congressional directory or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.
To find your Florida senators and representatives, you should go to Online Sunshine then click on the appropriate chamber then go to "Member's" Pages.
Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
After identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message, such as: "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)."
You will also want to state reasons for your support or opposition to the bill. Ask for your senators' or representative's position on the bill. ________________________________________
Tips On Writing Legislators
The letter is the most popular choice of communication with legislators. If you decide to write a letter, this list of helpful suggestions will improve the effectiveness of the letter:
1. Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H. R. ____, Senate bill: S.____.
2. Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.
3. Address only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep the letter to one page.
Addressing Correspondence to Congress:
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
Note: When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as:
Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairwoman:
or Dear Mr. Speaker:
________________________________________
Tips On E-mailing Florida Legislators
Generally, the same guidelines apply as with writing letters to Congress. You may find and e-mail your senators and representative directly from the Online Sunshine site.
To find your U.S. senators' and representative's phone numbers, you may use our searchable online congressional directory or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.
To find your Florida senators and representatives, you should go to Online Sunshine then click on the appropriate chamber then go to "Member's" Pages.
Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
After identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message, such as: "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)."
You will also want to state reasons for your support or opposition to the bill. Ask for your senators' or representative's position on the bill. ________________________________________
Tips On Writing Legislators
The letter is the most popular choice of communication with legislators. If you decide to write a letter, this list of helpful suggestions will improve the effectiveness of the letter:
1. Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H. R. ____, Senate bill: S.____.
2. Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.
3. Address only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep the letter to one page.
Addressing Correspondence to Congress:
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
Note: When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as:
Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairwoman:
or Dear Mr. Speaker:
________________________________________
Tips On E-mailing Florida Legislators
Generally, the same guidelines apply as with writing letters to Congress. You may find and e-mail your senators and representative directly from the Online Sunshine site.
Policymakers Fail Test on Civics: Jason Caros
February 04, 2007
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
By JASON CAROS FLORIDA VOICE
One of the highest and most valuable objects to which the influence of a school can be made conducive consists in training our children in self-government.
-- Horace Mann
For a number of years now educators across America have been engaged in a concentrated effort to improve student reading proficiency, and rightly so. Reading is a gateway to the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of student success. Educators and policymakers must continue to focus their efforts in this area; however, they must simultaneously work in earnest to bolster another type of student literacy -- civic literacy.
Civics refers to the preparation students receive in order to understand and appreciate the important rights and responsibilities they have as citizens of the United States. Civic instruction has been, since the beginning of our history, an educational priority as recorded by George Washington in his final State of the Union address in 1796: "A primary object . . . should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing . . . than communicating it to those who are guardians of the liberties of the country?"
Is civics a priority today? Civic preparation should be fostered throughout a student's education and in a variety of classes but the predominant place for this instruction is in the area of social studies where students learn history, civics and government, geography and economics.
In a recent survey report produced by The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and prepared by Dr. Patrick Coggins of Stetson University, approximately 1,800 elementary teachers from around the state were polled about Social Studies instruction and it was found that 68 percent teach social studies for two hours or less per week and only 2.5 percent teach social studies five hours per week (compare this to 7.5 hours of weekly required reading instruction). What does this mean for the "experiment in democracy" we call The United States?
De-emphasizing civics and history at the elementary level has important ramifications. Civics instruction in the elementary grades involves essential foundational learning. In order for students to acquire the civic skills and dispositions commensurate with a responsible citizenry they must first absorb essential civic knowledge. If neglected in the elementary grades, civic education begins at the secondary level in a remedial manner, often times preventing students from completing the step-by-step process that should culminate in high school with students engaging in more advanced civic discourse and activity.
This lack of instruction and learning contributes to the general civic ignorance and apathy prevalent in our culture today. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes that many Americans have no clue about the most fundamental historical knowledge or principles our nation was founded on. Connected to this is the fact that civic participation is strikingly low. For example, in the results of the most recent national assessment of U.S. students on history and civics, via a test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, it was found that 73 percent of fourth-graders could not identify the Constitution from among four choices as "the document that contains the basic rules used to run the United States government." Ninety-four percent of students in eighth grade could not give two reasons why it can be useful for a country to have a constitution; and 91 percent of students in grade 12 were unable to explain two ways that democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.
In a 2005 University of Central Florida survey of more than 1,600 central Floridians, two-thirds of respondents could not name our state's two U.S. senators, both of whom reside in Central Florida, and Florida's voter turnout for the 2006 general election was a disappointing 46.8 percent, about 20 percent less than the average between 1954 and 2004.
When looking at statistics of youth participation in voting at the national level, one will find that voting among 18- to 24-year-olds has decreased 12 percentage points since the 1970s, and in comparison to the rest of the industrialized and democratic world, the United States has the lowest voter turnout of all nations.
It should go without saying that civic education is at the heart of democratic instructional endeavors. The reality is, though, that civics needs resuscitation at the elementary level and therapy at the secondary level. We have many wonderful teachers at all levels fighting the good fight, but there are too many gaps in our current system.
In a bipartisan effort to help improve civic education in Florida, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey recently presented Gov. Charlie Crist, state legislators, members of the Department of Education and educational organizations with a report entitled, "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens." It is my sincere hope that this report will lead to constructive dialogue and action that will strengthen civic education in our state. Florida's future depends on it.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
"Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a joint report from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida, offers recommendation, listed below, for making civic education a priority . Tell us what you think. Write to Ideas/Civics, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL., 32120-2831; fax 386-258-1577, or e-mail letters@news-jrnl.com (place "civics" in the subject line):
· Make civic education an integral part of our public school curriculum: Florida's current learning standards treat civics as an afterthought. We must utilize the scheduled 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards in Social Studies to update and strengthen those guidelines so that schools give students all of the skills they need to be effective citizens.
· Test civics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: Florida currently examines students on reading, writing, mathematics, and science --in short, every core academic subject but civics and social studies. Without assessment and accountability, civics will remain under-emphasized. We must add civics knowledge and skills to the subjects tested on the FCAT.
· Encourage and support teaching of civics in Florida's K-12 schools: Students will not be transformed into active citizens without teachers who are properly trained and empowered. We must make civics instruction an essential part of teacher education at Florida's colleges and universities and help teachers already in the classroom enhance their civics teaching skills and methods.
· Lead the nation in textbook improvement: Because of its strength in the textbook market, Florida has both an opportunity and a responsibility to improve instructional materials in civics as well as other core subjects. Educational policymakers must make use of Florida's unique influence to update academic standards, build instructional coalitions with other states, and review our own textbook selection process so that students in the state and across the country have the right learning tools.
· Establish a strategic center for Florida citizenship: Civics education is currently championed by a diffuse and independent array of students, parents, educators, elected officials, public policy centers and advocacy organizations. We must establish and fund a center to support and help coordinate these efforts, monitor Florida's civic health, and keep us on track to produce educated and effective citizens.
Caros is president of the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (www.fasss.org) and K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Volusia County Schools. He contributed to the development of "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a report led by Bob Graham and Lou Frey.
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
By JASON CAROS FLORIDA VOICE
One of the highest and most valuable objects to which the influence of a school can be made conducive consists in training our children in self-government.
-- Horace Mann
For a number of years now educators across America have been engaged in a concentrated effort to improve student reading proficiency, and rightly so. Reading is a gateway to the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of student success. Educators and policymakers must continue to focus their efforts in this area; however, they must simultaneously work in earnest to bolster another type of student literacy -- civic literacy.
Civics refers to the preparation students receive in order to understand and appreciate the important rights and responsibilities they have as citizens of the United States. Civic instruction has been, since the beginning of our history, an educational priority as recorded by George Washington in his final State of the Union address in 1796: "A primary object . . . should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing . . . than communicating it to those who are guardians of the liberties of the country?"
Is civics a priority today? Civic preparation should be fostered throughout a student's education and in a variety of classes but the predominant place for this instruction is in the area of social studies where students learn history, civics and government, geography and economics.
In a recent survey report produced by The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and prepared by Dr. Patrick Coggins of Stetson University, approximately 1,800 elementary teachers from around the state were polled about Social Studies instruction and it was found that 68 percent teach social studies for two hours or less per week and only 2.5 percent teach social studies five hours per week (compare this to 7.5 hours of weekly required reading instruction). What does this mean for the "experiment in democracy" we call The United States?
De-emphasizing civics and history at the elementary level has important ramifications. Civics instruction in the elementary grades involves essential foundational learning. In order for students to acquire the civic skills and dispositions commensurate with a responsible citizenry they must first absorb essential civic knowledge. If neglected in the elementary grades, civic education begins at the secondary level in a remedial manner, often times preventing students from completing the step-by-step process that should culminate in high school with students engaging in more advanced civic discourse and activity.
This lack of instruction and learning contributes to the general civic ignorance and apathy prevalent in our culture today. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes that many Americans have no clue about the most fundamental historical knowledge or principles our nation was founded on. Connected to this is the fact that civic participation is strikingly low. For example, in the results of the most recent national assessment of U.S. students on history and civics, via a test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, it was found that 73 percent of fourth-graders could not identify the Constitution from among four choices as "the document that contains the basic rules used to run the United States government." Ninety-four percent of students in eighth grade could not give two reasons why it can be useful for a country to have a constitution; and 91 percent of students in grade 12 were unable to explain two ways that democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.
In a 2005 University of Central Florida survey of more than 1,600 central Floridians, two-thirds of respondents could not name our state's two U.S. senators, both of whom reside in Central Florida, and Florida's voter turnout for the 2006 general election was a disappointing 46.8 percent, about 20 percent less than the average between 1954 and 2004.
When looking at statistics of youth participation in voting at the national level, one will find that voting among 18- to 24-year-olds has decreased 12 percentage points since the 1970s, and in comparison to the rest of the industrialized and democratic world, the United States has the lowest voter turnout of all nations.
It should go without saying that civic education is at the heart of democratic instructional endeavors. The reality is, though, that civics needs resuscitation at the elementary level and therapy at the secondary level. We have many wonderful teachers at all levels fighting the good fight, but there are too many gaps in our current system.
In a bipartisan effort to help improve civic education in Florida, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey recently presented Gov. Charlie Crist, state legislators, members of the Department of Education and educational organizations with a report entitled, "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens." It is my sincere hope that this report will lead to constructive dialogue and action that will strengthen civic education in our state. Florida's future depends on it.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
"Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a joint report from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida, offers recommendation, listed below, for making civic education a priority . Tell us what you think. Write to Ideas/Civics, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL., 32120-2831; fax 386-258-1577, or e-mail letters@news-jrnl.com (place "civics" in the subject line):
· Make civic education an integral part of our public school curriculum: Florida's current learning standards treat civics as an afterthought. We must utilize the scheduled 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards in Social Studies to update and strengthen those guidelines so that schools give students all of the skills they need to be effective citizens.
· Test civics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: Florida currently examines students on reading, writing, mathematics, and science --in short, every core academic subject but civics and social studies. Without assessment and accountability, civics will remain under-emphasized. We must add civics knowledge and skills to the subjects tested on the FCAT.
· Encourage and support teaching of civics in Florida's K-12 schools: Students will not be transformed into active citizens without teachers who are properly trained and empowered. We must make civics instruction an essential part of teacher education at Florida's colleges and universities and help teachers already in the classroom enhance their civics teaching skills and methods.
· Lead the nation in textbook improvement: Because of its strength in the textbook market, Florida has both an opportunity and a responsibility to improve instructional materials in civics as well as other core subjects. Educational policymakers must make use of Florida's unique influence to update academic standards, build instructional coalitions with other states, and review our own textbook selection process so that students in the state and across the country have the right learning tools.
· Establish a strategic center for Florida citizenship: Civics education is currently championed by a diffuse and independent array of students, parents, educators, elected officials, public policy centers and advocacy organizations. We must establish and fund a center to support and help coordinate these efforts, monitor Florida's civic health, and keep us on track to produce educated and effective citizens.
Caros is president of the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (www.fasss.org) and K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Volusia County Schools. He contributed to the development of "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a report led by Bob Graham and Lou Frey.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Legislative Report #8
Legislative Update # 8
January 12, 2009
TO: All Interested Persons
FR: Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair, FCSS
RE: Latest Legislative News
For additional information on Florida legislators or issues go to ONLINE SUNSHINE - http://www.leg.state.fl.us/
Greetings everyone,
The FASSS-FCSS Legislative Committee is working on an update to our Advocacy Toolkit for the coming session. As stated at this weekend's board meeting, many reports, editorials and other information may be found at the FASSS-FCSS Advocacy webpage at http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/ . If others are interested in joining the committee or serving as part of our 'grassroots' team, please contact me at your leisure.
One way to be effective is to begin collecting related articles and to regularly write to the local media about the importance of social studies and about our need to pass both a national bill to reform NAEP in time for the 2010 assessment and the need to have a social studies assessment plan for Florida.
Here is still yet another columnist sounding in on the dire crisis this nation faces with regard to ‘saving our national heritage.’ Although numerous reports are included here, including the NAEP assessment of 2006, aside from a couple of suggestions -- none of which would hold the states or public schools accountable for their civic mission -- little is offered. It's not surprising that Phyllis Schlafly, due to her conservative roots, would not advocate state accountability for the upcoming History and Civics NAEP in 2010. What, however, can possibly explain the silence of our national organizations on this topic? Until we have equity on NAEP or some other form of national assessment we'll continue to have foreign nations (Mexico) more concerned about discovering what their emigrants to the U.S. know about foreign cultures than our own government seems to want to know about its own youth.
If ANYONE can produce ANY letter from ANY national social studies leader on reintroducing for the FOURTH time in Congress an attempt to reform NAEP by giving us equity in holding states accountable for their civic mission, please do so! I don't want to slam the 'innocent' when I submit my diatribe on what's wrong with the 'state of social studies' to leading educational periodicals across the nation in the near future.
A better copy of the Schafly editorial is attached below. Also, the recent report by a Russian professor and former KGB intelligence officer about the imminent breakup of the U.S. is below. Many other reports about the dire crisis our nation faces are posted to the FCSS Advocacy webpage. One has to wonder when our former enemies are confidently predicting our nation's collapse – in part due to our crisis in national identify -- why our legislative bodies can't pass simple bills designed to assess our students on commonly agreed upon knowledge and understandings about our government, economic system and past history. Once again, it may be worth reporting that the US Department of Education requires each state to assess students on the equivalent of the 197 question Florida Youth Survey. In that survey each county is compared to every other on a wide variety of questions involving drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other social mores.
As a first step in "Advocacy" for the coming session, I urge all board members to contact their local representatives on H0013 on the importance of social studies and the need to pass that assessment measure. Moreover, as we remain unsure as to whether NCSS will have a list of questions to the members of the U.S. SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE who will shortly be confirming Secretary Arne Duncan in that position, I urge all local councils and interested persons to write, phone or minimally email these Senators on the need to pass the equivalent of S1414 (the NAEP bill). This bill, like two others before it (Senate 870 and S2721) died in the last two year Congress and will have to be reintroduced once again in the new Congress.
In either case, you might want to include the Wall Street Journal article about how the President’s Press Secretary and the room full of press corps members couldn't help but laugh at the Russian professor's claim about the collapse of our nation next year. Given the lack of any attempt to provide equity to subjects such as American History, Civics, Economics or Geography on national or state assessments, I’m not sure such reports are so funny, nor so implausible anymore.
Jack B.
January 12, 2009
TO: All Interested Persons
FR: Jack Bovee, Legislative Chair, FCSS
RE: Latest Legislative News
For additional information on Florida legislators or issues go to ONLINE SUNSHINE - http://www.leg.state.fl.us/
Greetings everyone,
The FASSS-FCSS Legislative Committee is working on an update to our Advocacy Toolkit for the coming session. As stated at this weekend's board meeting, many reports, editorials and other information may be found at the FASSS-FCSS Advocacy webpage at http://fasss-fcss-legislative-news.blogspot.com/ . If others are interested in joining the committee or serving as part of our 'grassroots' team, please contact me at your leisure.
One way to be effective is to begin collecting related articles and to regularly write to the local media about the importance of social studies and about our need to pass both a national bill to reform NAEP in time for the 2010 assessment and the need to have a social studies assessment plan for Florida.
Here is still yet another columnist sounding in on the dire crisis this nation faces with regard to ‘saving our national heritage.’ Although numerous reports are included here, including the NAEP assessment of 2006, aside from a couple of suggestions -- none of which would hold the states or public schools accountable for their civic mission -- little is offered. It's not surprising that Phyllis Schlafly, due to her conservative roots, would not advocate state accountability for the upcoming History and Civics NAEP in 2010. What, however, can possibly explain the silence of our national organizations on this topic? Until we have equity on NAEP or some other form of national assessment we'll continue to have foreign nations (Mexico) more concerned about discovering what their emigrants to the U.S. know about foreign cultures than our own government seems to want to know about its own youth.
If ANYONE can produce ANY letter from ANY national social studies leader on reintroducing for the FOURTH time in Congress an attempt to reform NAEP by giving us equity in holding states accountable for their civic mission, please do so! I don't want to slam the 'innocent' when I submit my diatribe on what's wrong with the 'state of social studies' to leading educational periodicals across the nation in the near future.
A better copy of the Schafly editorial is attached below. Also, the recent report by a Russian professor and former KGB intelligence officer about the imminent breakup of the U.S. is below. Many other reports about the dire crisis our nation faces are posted to the FCSS Advocacy webpage. One has to wonder when our former enemies are confidently predicting our nation's collapse – in part due to our crisis in national identify -- why our legislative bodies can't pass simple bills designed to assess our students on commonly agreed upon knowledge and understandings about our government, economic system and past history. Once again, it may be worth reporting that the US Department of Education requires each state to assess students on the equivalent of the 197 question Florida Youth Survey. In that survey each county is compared to every other on a wide variety of questions involving drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other social mores.
As a first step in "Advocacy" for the coming session, I urge all board members to contact their local representatives on H0013 on the importance of social studies and the need to pass that assessment measure. Moreover, as we remain unsure as to whether NCSS will have a list of questions to the members of the U.S. SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE who will shortly be confirming Secretary Arne Duncan in that position, I urge all local councils and interested persons to write, phone or minimally email these Senators on the need to pass the equivalent of S1414 (the NAEP bill). This bill, like two others before it (Senate 870 and S2721) died in the last two year Congress and will have to be reintroduced once again in the new Congress.
In either case, you might want to include the Wall Street Journal article about how the President’s Press Secretary and the room full of press corps members couldn't help but laugh at the Russian professor's claim about the collapse of our nation next year. Given the lack of any attempt to provide equity to subjects such as American History, Civics, Economics or Geography on national or state assessments, I’m not sure such reports are so funny, nor so implausible anymore.
Jack B.
Legislative Report #7
FASSS-FCSS Legislative Report #7
Emergent Design and Development, Inc.
Legislative Update
January 5, 2009
Happy New Year and we wish each of you a prosperous, healthy, and rewarding 2009. Things are going to be interesting in the Legislature, as always. Less money, more needs, special interests, along with the normal party politics will make for an exciting year. We will update you regularly regarding the Educational issues.
SPECIAL SESSION
The Special Session begins today (Jan 5, 2009). The purpose is to bring the Budget in line with the expected income. Currently the prediction is a shortfall of $2.3 billion.
The House will take public testimony from 1-5pm today. The overall calendar is expected to result in a budget passing each house by Friday. Conference Committees would work on the weekend (January 10 and 11). The budget would be printed by Tuesday the 13th, wait the required 72 hours, and have a final vote by Jan. 16.
During these two weeks, both Houses expect to have time to meet in their regular committees to work on legislation for the 2009 Session. Agreement seems to have been reached on some general guidelines:
No higher taxes on cigarette products or on alcohol
Possible adjustments to unnamed uses fees
Higher fines and fees related to traffic enforcement
Higher criminal and civil court fees
Transfer of trust funds
Reduction of appropriations in current budget
BRIGHT FUTURES CONCERNS
The current budget crisis appears to put pressure upon the Legislature to examine the costs related to the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
Among changes to lower the cost of the program are:
Raise academic requirements for the program
Include family income as one criterion
Raise college grade point requirement for renewal
Raise credit hour requirement for renewal
Establish and freeze a flat rate for the scholarship
Lower the percentage of tuition and fees covered by the program
POWERBALL AND THE LOTTERY
Multistate Powerball in Florida starts this week with ticket sales beginning on Jan.4 and the first drawing on Jan. 7. Florida will be the 30th state to join along with the Virgin Islands and D.C.
Base jackpots will begin at $220 million and the average winning jackpot expected to come in at $141 million. (The odds of winning are 1 in 198 million vs. the current Florida lottery odds of 1 in 122 million)
Sales of the current lottery program have reduced by 7.5% since July. According to lottery officials, 40% of Powerball sales in Florida will go to the education system, 5% will be paid to retailers, and the rest will go to winners in the multistate program.
FCAT FIX
Last year, Legislators decided to ease the pressure of the FCAT on the grades given to Florida High Schools. It now seems that the fix has raised some concerns, especially among Florida Superintendents.
In a pilot program, State DOE officials have recalculated the grades given to High Schools last year, using the new system. One hundred twenty nine (129) High Schools would have dropped one letter grade. Twenty-four (24) would have improved. The number of schools identified as failing would have doubled.
We would expect to hear further reaction from the Legislature concerning this issue.
Bills of interest filed in the Florida Legislature are attached in a PDF
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