The Georgia Department of Education

recently unveiled a draft of the new high school history curriculum. Officials

tout it as "world class." It's not. They describe it as

"rigorous" and "strengthened." It's neither.

With much fanfare, spokesmen say it will raise expectations. It won't.

While presented as part of

the state's vision of "leading the nation in improving student

achievement," the new curriculum will actually result in nothing

more than dumbing down world history and U.S history courses.

Remember the childhood story

of the king who wanted all to see his fine new attire? In the old fable,

the emperor was actually naked. Such is the case here. The grand parade

of sound bites and press releases notwithstanding, the emperor has no

clothes.

Of course, in the new curriculum,

history will have fewer emperors. The current high school world history

course surveys civilization from the earliest times to the present.

The new curriculum calls for

teaching only the period from 1500 to the 21st century. Students will

no longer study such figures as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander

the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, William the Conqueror or Joan of

Arc.

"The Iliad" and "The

Odyssey" will not be mentioned. The development of democratic government

in Greece and the fall of the Roman Empire will be skipped.

Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha

and Confucius are not to be found in the new curriculum. Great civilizations

like ancient Egypt will no longer merit study, and the concept of feudalism

will not be discussed.

The present 11th-grade U.S.

history course covers the Exploration period to today. In the proposed

changes, teachers will spend two or three weeks discussing the foundation

of our country, with the remaining time devoted to studying events from

1876 to the present.

Gone is any mention of the

Louisiana Purchase or Lewis and Clark. There will be no discussion of

Indian removal and the Trail of Tears.

Students probably will not

be remembering the Alamo; it won't be a topic of discussion in Georgia's

high schools. Daniel Webster and Henry Clay will be omitted, as well as

Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and the Underground Railroad.

Search in vain for discussion

of the Civil War; that topic is off limits. In a course entitled "American

History," students will NOT study our most devastating war. There

is no mention of Fort Sumter, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee or anything

else associated with those years.

Though teachers supposedly

have no time to discuss topics essential to understanding our heritage,

the curriculum suggests they have their students write a 1920s radio drama.

Teachers are also encouraged to assign essays about dating in the Jazz

Age and to show segments from "All in the Family," "Good

Times" and "Chico and the Man."

I have yet to talk to any teacher

who likes the new curriculum, though I am sure there are some who favor

the idea of teaching less. The misguided rationale behind the hastily

prepared revision is that we teach too much history in high school. The

solution? Eliminate 40 percent of the current coursework.

Education officials note that

much of the material removed from the high school courses will be taught

in grades four through seven. They ignore the fact that elementary and

middle school students lack the maturity necessary to grasp the importance

of many of the events, people and concepts.

Certainly it is a constant

challenge to complete the present curriculum. I often feel as though I

am running a marathon; however, like any runner, I feel a sense of pride

when my students and I complete the race. I know that those who have passed

the course have learned an enormous amount.

Would it be easier to teach

less? Of course. Would the new curriculum reduce my workload? Doubtlessly.

But like so many other history teachers, I know that while claiming to

seek the road to excellence, educrats are really leading us down the path

of least resistance.

There is also a sinister element

to the changes. States are facing new federal mandates to improve test

scores. Interestingly, states can devise many of the tests used to measure

this improvement. While mandating that we teach less, Georgia will prepare

assessments that test less. Interesting formula: teach less, test less,

brag more.

Imagine a similar approach

with math. Teach half the multiplication tables and test only the half

that is taught. Surely scores would rise and the headlines would scream

that math scores improved! But students suffer when perception becomes

more important than learning.

The state Education Department

plans to spend thousands of dollars to train history teachers about the

new curriculum. Teachers will collectively groan when they read about

these "professional development" seminars. We will be held captive

for hours, days, perhaps weeks, while people with substantially less classroom

experience tell us how to teach.

Oh, the wisdom of those who

rule! Millions of dollars are being slashed from the education budget,

but the state plans to spend countless thousands training veteran history

teachers to teach less.

What will be the net result

of the proposed changes? Those in charge will proclaim it a success. Contrived

tests will probably yield desired scores.

But in a few years the truth

will emerge. We will read surveys detailing the number of Georgia high

school students who have no understanding of the Civil War. Newspaper

articles will document the ridiculous ignorance among our teenagers regarding

ancient civilizations. We will flush with embarrassment when students

say "the Gettysburg what?"

The public will demand, and

rightfully so, a broad, thorough coverage of history on the high school

level. Taxpayers will then be forced to pay for the development of yet

another curriculum.

Let us save ourselves trouble,

expense and time by acknowledging that diluting our history courses solves

nothing. In spite of efforts to make the new curriculum sound plausible,

it is a terrible disservice to all Georgians. We should never seek to

do less; never diminish our expectations; never weaken our standards.

If we are to demand the best from our students, then surely they deserve

only the best from us.

[Joseph Jarrell has taught

at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City for the past 16 years. This

is his 25th year as a history teacher. Readers can review the curriculum

proposals and comment at the Georgia Learning Connections Web site -

https://glc.k12.ga.us/spotlight/gps2.htm.]