Posts Tagged ‘Standards’
Radio Show & Action Items
January 9th, 2010
This morning I was on Red Meat Radio with Senator Howard Stephenson and Representative Greg Hughes talking about the problems with our recently adopted K-2 social studies standards. The first 2 minutes are a little talk about the first segment of the show and then we get into the meat of the subject. Total running time is 14 minutes (or 12 if you skip the first 2).
Red-Meat-Radio-Republic Segment-1-9-2010
Here’s the action plan. With public exposure on what has transpired, our plan will be to do as Senator Stephenson asked and have everyone write your State School Board member a letter asking why public suggestions weren’t used in the final document. Use the letter below this post as a perfect example of great suggestions that were ignored. Include in your letter, your name, address, and phone number and send it to all board members (but send it to your own separately with a comment in the subject line identifying you as a constituent) and CC your state representative and senator and myself so I have an archive of the letters. Representative Hughes said if we are ignored they will hold hearings so we need to get everyone to write a brief letter and document responses. We the people can hold our education office accountable through this method.
To get the email address of your State Board Member go here: https://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/board/
For email addresses for your Representative and Senator go here: https://www.utah.gov/government/legislative.html
If you don’t know what to write, here’s a sample letter you can customize or copy:
Subject: K-2 Social Studies standards {I am a constituent—for your own member}
Dear {state school board member},
You recently voted to approve K-2 social studies standards for the state of Utah. Prior to your approval there were a few public hearings where comments were made regarding the draft. I know there were a few people that made comments at these meetings and I am aware that over 50 email letters were sent in with specific suggestions to improve the standards but almost none of these responses were taken into consideration or included in the final draft.
For example, in discussing our founding documents, the only requirement in the approved standards for K-2 is to learn “Declaration of Independence” and “Constitution” as vocabulary terms, and to be able to “identify” the document. This is completely inadequate. One letter that was submitted showed specific ways to incorporate our founding documents into the standards in a very easy to integrate way. Some of those suggestions were to slightly modify draft standards to use founding document references as follows:
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Kindergarten:
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 1 (Culture): Objective 1 e. Explain that the Declaration of Independence teaches us all people should be treated with respect because they are equal.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 2 (Citizenship): Objective 1 f. Explain that the U.S. Constitution teaches us to respect the rights of others.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (FInancial Literacy) e. Explain that the U.S. Constitution authorized the Congress to coin our money and set the value of it.
**********
None of these were included and apparently very few public comments were even taken seriously. The word Republic doesn’t appear in the Utah standards at any K-12 level (aside from this document’s introductory material for teachers–this is a first for any direct reference to the American form of government).
I would specifically like to know what you are going to do as a state board member to correct this and amend the standards to include greater integration of our founding documents. I’m sure you weren’t wholly aware of the amount of public input that was ignored when you approved the standards, but it seems that the “public” education system only holds public hearings as a way to mark off a “completed” box rather than take public comment seriously. Please respond.
Sincerely,
{your name, address, phone number}
A Sample of K-2 Standards Suggestions
January 9th, 2010
I received a copy of this letter that was sent to the individual tasked with writing the K-2 social studies standards. I know this person received at least 50 letters with suggestions to do various things such as lighten up on the diversity emphasis, incorporate more of the constitution (which the letter below is excellent for and would have been very easy to incorporate), implementation of notions of natural law, great people in American history, and of course teaching what a Republic is.
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[name of state standards writer],
It was good to meet you last week at the Springville meeting. I’ve been studying your document. I’m amazed at all the hard work you have put into it. It will make it very easy to incorporate.
I have have few suggestions. The U.S. Constitution, which includes the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are the foundation of our moral code in the United States. It seems that the goal of the Social Studies Core is help children become citizens that respect the rights of other regardless of race, religion, culture and so forth. To teach that requires a foundation based on rule of law. In our country the Declaration of Independence teaches us we are created equal, no matter what race, religion, culture and so forth. The Constitution is the rule of law that protects our rights and teaches us to treat all people with respect. I believe it would strengthen the Elementary Core Curriculum to include some easy to understand foundational principles from those documents. I suggest the addition of the following sentences:
Kindergarten
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 1 (Culture): Objective 1 e. Explain that the Declaration of Independence teaches us all people should be treated with respect because they are equal.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 2 (Citizenship): Objective 1 f. Explain that the U.S. Constitution teaches us to respect the rights of others.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (FInancial Literacy) e. Explain that the U.S. Constitution authorized the Congress to coin our money and set the value of it.
First Grade
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (Financial Literacy) Objective 1: e. Explain that the U.S. Constitution protects our right to earn money and buy the goods and services we want.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (Citizenship) Objective 2 g. Explain that the U. S. Constitution helps us to be responsible citizens by teaching us to respect the rights of others.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (Citizenship) Objective 2 h. Explain that the U. S. Constitution helps us to be responsible citizens by teaching us to take responsibility for our own actions.
Second Grade
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 1 (Culture): Objective 1 d. Explain how the Bill of Rights teaches us to respect the traditions and and customs of others.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 2 (Citizenship): Objective 2 e Explain how the U.S. Constitution protects our right to vote for whom we want.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (Financial Literacy): Objective 2 f. Explain how the U.S. Constitution limits what services the government can provide.
Self, Family, and Classroom, Standard 4 (Financial Literacy): Objective 2 g. Explain how the U.S. Constitution protects us so we can offer the goods and services we choose to.
Sincerely,
[name removed]
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Now look at what the Core Knowledge program by E.D. Hirsche promotes for K-2 social studies (used by homeschoolers and many of Utah’s Charter Schools) and then compare it to the newly approved Utah social studies standards. Note in particular the American history content at each grade level. No contest.
Comments Closed
Draft of K-2 Utah Social Studies Standards
November 16th, 2009
Here’s a copy of the K-2 Utah Social Studies Standards. They are in public comment phase at this time. Please read them and make comments on how they could be improved either here or on the Facebook group for this project at (https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=174425832671)
Comments Closed
