Next Up: Lithuanian History for Everyone!

J

jhogan

New Member
You live in america ? You best study american history....
What kind of essential courses were sacrificed for them to study africa ? Reading ? Math ? Gym ?

'Next Up: Lithuanian History for Everyone!

Philadelphia will soon require all graduates of its public schools to take a one-year course on African and African-American history before they can graduate, according to Knight-Ridder.

The move, described as unique nationally, makes the one-year course one of four required social-studies courses, just as important as American history, geography and world history.

"Given the history of this country and still given our problems of discrimination and racism, for all of our children to have a more accurate picture of history, a more complete picture of history, is important," said Sandra Dungee Glenn, a member of the School Reform Commission that voted to put the requirement in place.

But some local parents wondered why Latinos, Asians and other ethnic groups aren’t getting the same treatment.

"There are other races in this city," said Miriam Foltz, president of the Home and School Association at Baldi Middle School. "There are other cultures that will be very offended by this. How can you just mandate a course like this?"
 
Lollipop

Lollipop

Banned
jhogan said:
Probably 100% of the kids are american.
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Sounds like they are on to something!
I am sorry I said that without this news!! I heard today on the news and went to the website and there it was!!The Associated Press
Updated: 7:43 p.m. ET June 9, 2005

PHILADELPHIA - In what could be a first in the United States, the Philadelphia school system will soon require that all high school students take a year of African and African-American studies.


Leaders of the school district, where two-thirds of students are black, hope the course will not only keep those students interested in their academic work but also give others a more accurate view of history.

“We have the opportunity ... to do something under our watch that is really going to do right by our students, to say, ‘We’ve come from some pretty great places,”’ said assistant superintendent Cecilia Cannon.

The course, already offered as an elective at 11 of the city’s 54 high schools, covers topics including classical African civilizations, civil rights and black nationalism, and teachers say it has captivated students.

At the nearly all-black Strawberry Mansion High School, the class chose a top student to have a $360 genetic test designed to help black Americans trace their roots back to Africa. James Sullivan, a senior, learned that his maternal family descends from the Ibo tribe in Nigeria, and that his ancestors came to the United States as slaves.

“There were tears in his eyes, but joy also,” said Principal Lois Powell Mondesire, who added that other students are now interested in genetic testing.

Other states looking closely
National education groups said they did not know of other districts that require black studies, now a high-profile academic field on college campuses such as Harvard and Cornell.

But educators will no doubt be watching the Philadelphia experiment, unanimously approved by the five-person School Reform Commission this spring. Administrators in California, Massachusetts and elsewhere have called to ask for details, Philadelphia officials said.

“School districts all across the country try all kinds of different things to engage the kids and improve student performance,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents 65 large urban school districts. “So this will be of interest, but it won’t necessarily create a stampede in this direction.”

The class, designed for 10th graders, uses the textbook “The African American Odyssey” by Darline Hine, one of only a few on the topic written at the high-school level. Course units range from the capture of slaves in West Africa to the Civil War.

‘It’s a big world’
One student said she wondered about singling out African-American history as a requirement for graduation.

“It’s a big world. You have to think about everyone else, too” said Briggitte Rodriguez, 14, a freshman at Philadelphia High School for Girls, which is 62 percent black.

Others schoolmates saw the requirement as an improvement on Black History Month for the schools. “They usually just focus on African-American history in February, and it should be all year-round,” said Victoria Pertell.

The 210,000-student Philadelphia school system is 65 percent black, 14.5 percent Hispanic, 14.2 percent white and 5.3 percent Asian-American.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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H

Hallarian

New Member
If the school doesn't teach about all Americans and more importantly fails to treat it's majority black children's background adequatley, they need to improve course content on African culture. 100% of Americans includes all cultures and they should be at least proportionately treated if they can't give adeqate attention to all.

To many people insist that the white Judeo-Christian is all that should be taught.
 
Lollipop

Lollipop

Banned
Hallarian said:
If the school doesn't teach about all Americans and more importantly fails to treat it's majority black children's background adequatley, they need to improve course content on African culture. 100% of Americans includes all cultures and they should be at least proportionately treated if they can't give adeqate attention to all.

To many people insist that the white Judeo-Christian is all that should be taught.
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I don't know how it is in other state's or county's but my kids would have never gotten the education needed and they are white Christian's (well one is the other is athesit) if we had not had tutors and extra class's at other school's at night!! Education is no longer considered a priority for any child!! The white friend's of my son did poorly on GPA's and SAT score's!!
 
H

Hallarian

New Member
I think our school systems are out of whack. Asians are way ahead of our kids which is why technology is moving overseas and we are falling behind. The richest nation should have the best educational system. It seems we are making school to easy.

Kids coming to my clinic have no basic knowledge of geography even about their own country. And they all think math is too hard and not worth their time.
 
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