Is it just NY schools

[Five Seasons]

Social Studies also generally ranks as the most boring subject if you poll students, with U.S. history leading the way.

 

If only I had focused on math, science, and common sense in high school and early college rather than Chesterton, the Romans, our independence, and UN and Caribbean politics...little of that stuff paid any value to me from a career perspective. 

 

I do not discredit the value of learning our history, but at the same point and time, I would be fine if we cut the amount of history exposure in the curriculum in half and moved toward experiential learning (ie practicing things you learn) that might pay dividend career-wise. We have a ton of local colleges in my area, and pretty much all undergrads coming through my doors are equal regardless of degree, with the exception of one/two schools. They can talk about what they learned. A college like RIT, which is very experiential (required co-ops and internships), produces much better people/employees/long term careers. I find that they can do, and not simply talk about doing. Again, I do not discredit the value of learning our history, but at the same toeken, I feel like our school system should better prepare students for college or trades. Spending a week on the Mayan civilization or our western expansion seems like it isn't the best bang for the buck.

 

Big "tech/manufacturing" company moves into town and needs employees. Do they hire the history major or the engineer? I know we're getting off topic here and I firmly believe in being well rounded, but your post is very much on point.

 

[The_Field_Ager]

Don't change the subject. 

 

 

This is not a hunting thread. I feel obliged to point that out to you, given your past histrionics regarding the stated fact that you come here to talk about hunting and nothing else.

[The_Field_Ager]

The Testing Obsession and the Disappearing Curriculum

 

 

 

 

In January, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that, among other things, cut the graduation requirement for social studies from four courses to three. The state’s social studies teachers protested, wondering aloud how they would counsel their students to choose between classes: World history or world geography? Civics or U.S. history? How do you make that choice between such valuable courses?

 

 

 

“The assumption was, you could catch the students up in middle school because by then they would have a science teacher,” Crosby explains. “But they couldn’t just catch up. And by the time they got to high school many of these students were so far behind they were put into remedial classes. And people would wonder why kids were dropping out of school.”

What kind of citizens are these practices creating? Margit McGuire believes that continually pushing aside U.S. History or Civics robs low-income students of the opportunity to tell their stories and become invested in democracy.

 

 

http://neatoday.org/2014/09/02/the-testing-obsession-and-the-disappearing-curriculum-2/

Edited April 14, 2015 by Papist

[Terry]

It's on point and something that is taking place right now. Math, science, and ELA are the main priorities in today's education.