To the Legislature: Accept the Proposed Standards

		Social Studies Academic Standards


Main Social Studies Science Updates		January 16, 2003 To the Legislature: Accept the Proposed Standards Since the proposed MN science and social studies standards were completed and released to the public in mid-December, the reviews have been trickling in. Our initial press release extended "cautious praise," but we promised a more careful review. The committee members did careful work. They listened to the public. They pared back the standards and benchmarks dramatically. They added more analysis skills. They made the standards more age appropriate. They incorporated content they had missed. They provided more balance. The standards contain both positives and negatives. They are a long way from addressing all of our concerns. Some of the "higher order thinking skills" are not knowledge based. Analyzing and comparing complex subject areas is meaningless without a foundation of knowledge. Other concerns are questionable historical "facts" that are sometimes heavily tilted to the far liberal spectrum. For example, most of the items given for 6th graders to understand how Minnesota has been affected by events in the nation are little more than a litany of favored protest movements and Democratic politicians of days gone by. Geography is chock full of anthropology, sociology, and political science that belong in college classes, with too little focus on genuine physical geography and nation states. But the "education elite" fear kids will be intellectually crippled by memorizing facts and information. However, in the proposed standards, students will learn states, capitals, countries, and major physical features of the world. That's real progress! The committees included a good basis in the U.S. economy is "primarily a free market system" that is regulated by supply and demand, and the role of entrepreneurship is highlighted. That, too, is major progress from the Profile of Learning. The civics and history proposed standards provide a strong foundation in the principles of freedom that are at the core of what binds us together as Americans. Controversial issues are generally stated even-handedly. Those who call this a "politicized right wing ideology" must somehow believe that our founding documents of liberty are simply someone's political agenda. Most Americans accept the self-evident truths of unalienable rights and freedom as the heritage of all Americans. While there are numerous changes we would ask legislators to make on these proposed standards, we also recognize that this document is a compromise reached with intense public input and scrutiny. No one will be entirely satisfied, including ourselves. For that reason, we urge the legislators and the Governor to accept these proposed Social Studies standards as they are. If legislators start tinkering with phrases and benchmarks, the bitter battle will begin anew. We fully believe that the result of such a battle will be standards we cannot support. That would be a tragic ending to thousands of parents, students and teachers who have struggled for six years for something better for Minnesota schools. Following are examples of comment made by people opposing the initial drafts of the social studies standards. Thankfully, these folks didn't have their way with the proposed standards, but they continue to clamor for these kind of radical standards for our schools. They said: The Declaration of Independence is nothing but a piece of propaganda written to make the people traitors to their King. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights should be taught and repeated by students, not the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge is a lie. There is no God, so God should not be in the standards anywhere. The Pledge of Allegiance is false. If I am forced to teach about the Pilgrims, I will not! Too much Americanism! I don't care if my son knows the presidents' names. Students need to see how they feel inside. Reagan did not have a connection with the fall of communism. Contact the Legislature and Governor WHO TO CONTACT: a. Your own House Member and your Senator b. House and Senate leadership, particularly the Speaker, the Senate Majority Leader and chairs and members of House and Senate education committees c. The Governor (very important) 4. The public (letters, talk shows, groups, etc.) 5. Your friends and allies who will join you in making this case to all those above Message: A. Pass the social studies standards as they are B. Pass the science standards with the "minority report" on teaching the controversy on evolution C. Take an up or down vote. Do not tinker with the standards. Tell them the proposed science and social studies standards are a serious compromise. They are not everything we have hoped for. If changes are to be made, we have many demands for improvements. However -- if these proposed standards are tampered with by legislators, we seriously doubt that the result will be standards we can support. They may not be significantly better than what we had with the Profile. An they may be worse! The careful work over months by the standards committees will be destroyed! The science standards "minority report" brings the state standards into compliance with the federal Santorum amendment (that controversial issues such as evolution be taught using the full spectrum of scientific information about the controversy), and with state law, which requires the standards to be objective. Please Take Action! Write, e-mail, telephone, visit person-to-person, and speak out! And copy us on your mail. Governor Tim Pawlenty 130 State Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 Phone: (651) 296-3391 Phone: (800) 657-3717 Fax: (651) 296-2089 E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us All House addresses are: State Office Building, Saint Paul Minnesota 55155. Speaker Steve Sviggum Room 463 (651) 296-2273 < House Education Policy Chair, Rep. Barb Sykora Room 403 (651) 296-4315 House Education Finance Chair, Rep. Alice Seagren Room 477 (651) 296-7803 Other House members: http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/housemembers.asp All Senate addresses end in St. Paul, MN 55155 Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson Room 121, Capitol Building (651) 296-3826 Education Policy Chair, Senator Steve Kelley Room 205, Capitol Building (651) 297-8065 Other Senate members: http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/alphalist.shtml Not sure who represents you? Go to: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/Districtfinder.asp Or phone: (651) 296-2146 or 1 (800) 657-3550
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