No Social Studies for You!

Allentown School District could ax 6th grade social studies classes

After reading this article I decided to send a note to the "journalist" responsible for the above article.  

"Steve,

Please follow this article up by talking to some National Council of Social Studies people (I am one).  This is the most ridiculous proposal.  Spending more time on Math instruction will have no affect on students'  learning.  It may temporarily raise test scores but this rise is not an indication of deep learning.  However, these students will never get the time back to study social studies.  This is educational malpractice.  Denying students a rich curriculum in favor of tests scores should cost the superintendent his job.  There is so much more to this story.  Please call me.

Tim"

Here is his response.

"Thank you for reading and writing, Dr. Slekar. The article already includes a lot of commenst from 3 outside edu experts who pan this idea. I do not plan a follow up. If you would like to write a commentary on this issue, I invite you to contact our letters editor Bob Orenstein @ robert.orenstein@mcall.com."

So, in other words, "since we had three 'experts' offer limited resistance to this policy change the The Morning Call and I did our job.  We have no need to actually dig deeply into such a drastic and shortsighted policy change.  Our job is done!"

No. Your job is not even close to done.  You just exposed the misuse of taxpayer monies by a school superintendent and a school board.  Your readers need to know more now.  This is a violation of the public trust.  Any superintendent of schools (C. Russell Mayo) and board of directors that would allow for the removal of the social studies needs to be investigated further.  Social Studies is the only subject devoted to understanding how living in a democracy requires a deep knowledge of history geography, civics, etc.  Without a deep knowledge in these subjects students will have no ability to carry out their civic duty to protect democracy.  In fact not studying these topics will erode a student's ability to criticize their government.  Oh wait.  Maybe that's what is really going on here?  Allentown schools are actively dumbing down the public school children and thereby creating a more apathetic citizenry willing to allow pseudo-experts to make horrendous policy decisions that will favor only those that are in power.

This is the story! And as the media you owe the public a full exposure of the misuse of taxpayer monies and the plan to deny the public school students of Allentown the study of active citizenship—the social studies.