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- WASHINGTON (AP) -- The story
of America's heroes, accomplishments and ideals is getting surprisingly
short shrift in a place of great influence: the nation's public schools.
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- That's the theme of a provocative report about U.S. civics
and history education that is drawing praise from leaders and groups whose
views span the ideological spectrum.
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- Produced by the nonpartisan Albert Shanker Institute
and released Tuesday, "Education for Democracy" is the latest
effort to try to strengthen the nation's grasp of its own past and present.
Authors hope it will lead to curriculum changes and stir debate about social
studies lessons as people reflect on the terrorist attacks of two years
ago.
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- Based on studies of text books, research by authors and
other reviews, the report contends students get a distorted account that
their country is irredeemably flawed. Schools should offer a more positive
tone but should avoid propaganda or patriotic drills, the report says.
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- "We're not conveying to young people forcefully
enough the American heritage, the American way of life," said Lee
Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
and a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. "This report puts
a strong emphasis on the inadequacy of our civic knowledge and our civic
engagement."
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- Over the past 30 years, the percentage of people under
25 who vote has dropped 15 percentage points, the report says. It cites
other signs of apathy and disengagement, such as when children touring
Washington said they knew Memorial Day as "the day the pools open."
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- "Vietnam, Watergate, impeachment hearings, the rottenness
of campaign finance, rising cynicism about politicians in general ? we've
gone excessively in our society ... toward cynicism," said Larry Diamond,
senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.
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- "It's important that students understand not only
our flaws and failings, but also the degree to which the United States
was really the first modern democracy and the degree to which it has inspired
democrats around the world," Diamond said. "It's a call for balance;
it's not a call for purging from the history books honest criticism of
our failings."
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- The report has drawn support from Republicans and Democrats,
left-leaning and right-leaning think tanks, teachers unions and school
administrators. Those who have signed on include former President Clinton
and Jeane Kirkpatrick, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
and U.N. ambassador under President Reagan.
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- "We definitely have had terrible problems as a nation,
but we also have a society that is totally different than that of a totalitarian
society. Children need to understand and value what has been built here,"
said Sandra Feldman, president of the Shanker institute and of the American
Federation of Teachers, the nation's second largest teachers union.
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- The report accompanies an earlier institute-sponsored
study, which contended that history and civics are lost in the national
emphasis on reading and math. The new report says recent studies of text
books confirm a "strong negative bias" about the story of America.
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- But text books are nothing more than tools, and experienced,
knowledgeable teachers can ensure balance is provided, said Peggy Altoff,
an active member of the National Council for the Social Studies, an umbrella
organization for teachers of history, political science and other fields.
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- Altoff has not seen a classroom imbalance in her career
as a social studies supervisor, formerly in Maryland and now in District
11 of the public schools in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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- "I can't imagine anyone intentionally emphasizing
the negative in curriculum for children," Altoff said. "As professional
social studies educators, we are trained to recognize our responsibility
to present a balanced view."
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- The report criticizes a lack of teaching about undemocratic
societies, saying the comparison could extol the brilliance of America's
system. It urges broader history and social studies requirements in schools
and suggests a tighter focus on morality in lessons.
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- Civics education already is on the agenda of Congress.
The majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate, along with Alliance
for Representative Democracy, will hold a three-day conference on the subject
starting next week.
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