A Georgia teacher [Joseph J.

Jarrell, world history teacher at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City]

claimed that our new social studies curriculum would not serve the state's

students well [The Citizen, Jan. 28, 2004].

The truth is that nearly all

of the laundry list of names and events listed in his letter actually

are in the new curriculum, and were never in the old curriculum to begin

with!

The truth is that the old curriculum

has failed Georgia's students for too many years. A Phi Delta Kappa

audit of the social studies curriculum showed that it not only lacked

depth and could not be covered in a reasonable amount of time; it did

not even meet national standards.

And the truth is that, yes,

there has been a "dumbing down" of Georgia's students;

it has been taking place over the last 20 years, and we are ending it

now.

We have incorporated more world

history than ever before, ensuring that African, Asian, and other non-western

civilizations, ideas, and religions enhance students' understanding

of the development of the modern world.

Judaism, for example, was not

even mentioned in the old curriculum. Now students will learn of the origins

and significance of Judaism as the first monotheistic religion, study

the role of the patriarchal figures, and examine the impact of the Hebrew

concepts of justice and personal responsibility on the modern world.

Classical civilizations, meanwhile,

were covered in one sentence in the old Quality Core Curriculum. The extent

of the guidelines teachers received was that they should "identify

the characteristics of each of these classical civilizations: China, India,

Greece, and Rome."

This type of one-sentence directive

forced teachers to pick and choose what should be taught. The new curriculum,

on the other hand, provides teachers with extensive guidelines, supplemented

with suggested tasks, sample student work, and commentary that will enable

teachers to present material in ways that will enhance student learning

and critical thinking. Rather than relying solely on textbooks, classroom

lectures, and student regurgitation of memorized facts, teachers will

be able to use primary sources, famous historical works, and research.

In the unit on ancient Greece

alone, teachers will see that their students should "examine ancient

Greece and analyze the role of geography in the development, growth, and

expansion of the Greek civilization." They will analyze the "development

of government in ancient Greece and its influence upon the democratic

system of government in the United States." They will learn of the

"importance of Greek mythology and how it continues to influence

our literature and language today." They will read and hear of "important

historical events in ancient Greece," and they will examine the "enduring

contributions" of that civilization.

And those are just the performance

standards. Additionally, teachers have been provided with suggested student

assignments, including the development of annotated timelines of the life

of Alexander the Great, an examination of "The Iliad" and "The

Odyssey," and a comparison and contrast of Athens and Sparta.

The writer contended that "The

Iliad" and "The Odyssey" weren't mentioned in the

new curriculum. Actually, neither of Homer's epic works were included

in the old curriculum, but now Georgia's students will study them

in both the sixth grade and in their high school World Literature class,

where they will examine Greek, Roman, and western European literature

and the historical context of each work.

Far from eliminating Plato,

the Civil War, and the very foundations of society itself from the curriculum,

we have actually raised the bar in Georgia by infusing these concepts

at earlier grades than ever before, ensuring that our students master

the material before they enter high school. For the same reason, we are

now requiring that all of our students take algebra as middle schoolers,

in the eighth grade, rather than in the high school years as in the past.

Is it too much to ask that

our students learn and master material at earlier grades? Research shows

that elementary and middle school students are capable of handling more

complex material than the previous curriculum required. We don't

need to dumb down expectations for our younger students and leave challenging

material for the high school years alone.

Will students remember the

Alamo? Yes; they will remember it from their fifth grade studies. In much

the same way that our rising ninth graders will be expected to remember

the algebra they learned the previous year, our high school students will

be held accountable for having learned the foundational elements of American

history when they enter U.S. history courses in high school.

The Civil War is a conflict

the writer contends will be neglected entirely in the high school curriculum.

What he fails to mention, however, is that students will have learned

of our nation's most devastating war, and of such personages as Lincoln,

Tubman, and Douglass, in substantial detail and in two separate grades

(fifth and eighth) before ever entering his classroom.

There are those who think maintaining

the status quo and preserving a curriculum that has failed our children

is the way to bring success to our schools. I disagree. With the new Georgia

Performance Standards, we are no longer forcing our teachers and students

to settle for a shallow view of history. Instead, we are giving them a

curriculum that will allow our schools and students to lead the nation

in improved achievement.

If you would like to provide

input about the new Georgia Performance Standards, they are available

for public review and comment at www.gadoe.org. Your feedback will help

us make final revisions to the document, which will be up for approval

You can compare and contrast

Georgia's old Quality Core Curriculum with the new Georgia Performance

Standards at our website, www.gadoe.org.