(C) Idaho Capital Sun
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Supplemental history materials for Idaho students are a good idea [1]
['More From Author', 'August', 'Rebecca Tallent']
Date: 2023-08-15
American history is complicated, and now Idaho history teachers have access to a new supplemental curriculum called “The Story of America” to help explain it.
Gov. Brad Little and Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said the optional material is both fair and factual, that it does not shy away from the realities of history.
An initial review shows the material does cover subjects such as the Jim Crow laws of the South, women’s rights and immigration/rejection of various groups, such as the Chinese in the 1880s. The interactive book/website/video project is funded through three years of federal money; no state money is being used in either the development or distribution of the materials.
But — and here is the rub for many critics — the material is optional. It still allows school districts to ignore certain aspects of American history. Still, other critics will complain that conservative former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett (under President George H.W. Bush) is behind the project, questioning its reliability.
No matter what the political persuasion, we must recognize that far too often unsettling facts involving race and culture tend to bring out a knee-jerk, “That’s un-American” reaction by people who, for whatever reason, do not want history explained.
Since when is telling the truth not patriotic? Why must the inclusion of other groups who helped build America be fought?
For many years at the University of Idaho, I would talk about media coverage of the war the Kootenai Tribe declared on the United States to get federal recognition and save their people. Far too many of my Idaho-born students would say they had never heard of this event; some were angry it was not taught in high school. The Kootenai War was in 1974, not exactly ancient history. They complained it would help them better understand issues in Indigenous America, which is in all 50 states.
For the most part, students said they would rather understand why things happened, not just know who won a particular conflict or issue. Students are generally curious, and they want solid answers rather than fuzzy explanations.
An additional reason to teach this or another supplemental material giving a broad explanation of American history is a report from the National Association of Educational Progress (also known as the National Report Card). The NAEP’s 2018 report showed 66 percent of the nation’s eighth-grade students performed “at or above basic” while only 15 percent scored as proficient in U.S. history. The recent pandemic made those numbers even worse.
The same report said 70 percent of all U.S. eighth-grade students only read at or just above a basic level, the largest drop in reading scores since 1992 when the assessment was first administered.
These numbers generally do not improve as the students’ progress through high school and college; sometimes the percentages are even worse if students lose interest.
For school districts who decide not to use the free supplemental material, the question must be asked: Why fear it? There are several excellent reasons for exposing students to factual history, these reasons include:
· Improving critical thinking skills.
· Improving writing and communication skills.
· Improving reading and comprehension skills.
· Especially in history, explaining why there is distrust by some racial and cultural groups of white Americans.
· Giving students a solid historical base to help them make future decisions involving other cultural groups.
This proposed program is interactive, it helps students see history through videos and other connections, which includes literacy skills alongside historical information. Interactive programs help students better understand issues and concepts.
For people who are ultimately concerned with how students do on the state tests (often a key to legislative funding), such a program also helps students prepare for the state assessments.
Granted, in the long run it will take time to see if this program is a good fit for Idaho schools or not. But hopefully, Idaho’s middle and high school history teachers will eventually find materials that do work and tell the complete history of this multifaceted, complex country.
After all, expanding minds and developing the quality life skills of critical thinking, writing and understanding always have good educational value.
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