Brighter days for First Amendment education?Students aren't learning it, or aren't learning it well. When quizzed on the First Amendment, 75 percent of high schoolers think flag burning is illegal. Nearly half believe the government can restrict indecent materials on the Internet. They don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. all that much about these Constitutional rights either. Almost three-quarters of students surveyed say they either don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how they feel about the First Amendment or that they take it for granted. The findings of The Future of the First Amendment, a study funded by the John S. and James L. Knight James Landon Knight (born 21 July 1909 Akron, Ohio, died 5 February 1991 Santa Monica, California) was an American newspaper publisher and founder of the Knight Ridder group of newspapers. He was also co-founder of the John S. and James L. Foundation's High School Initiative, aren't encouraging. But after hearing from 100,000-plus students, nearly 8,000 teachers and more than 500 administrators at 544 U.S. high schools, the study's authors have a good idea what districts can do to improve. Students who have taken classes covering the media or the First Amendment (i.e. civics civics, branch of learning that treats of the relationship between citizens and their society and state, originally called civil government. With the large immigration into the United States in the latter half of the 19th cent. or courses on the U.S. Constitution) are more likely to understand citizens' rights. For example, 87 percent who have taken these courses believe people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions, compared to 68 percent who haven't taken them. Participation in student-run newspapers is another indication of First Amendment savvy. Yet nearly a quarter of U.S. schools don't offer student media programs. "This is not a golden era for student newspapers. They are on the decline," says David Yalof David Alistair Yalof is an American Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, where he specializes in constitutional law, judicial politics and executive branch politics. , one of two University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 9,000 graduate students in multiple programs. UConn's main campus is in Storrs, Connecticut. researchers who conducted the study. Of schools without student newspapers, 40 percent have halted them in the last five years--often for lack of resources. Principals surveyed say district-level administrators are generally supportive of journalism skills teaching. Nearly two-thirds of principals rated American schools as good in teaching First Amendment freedoms. But these administrators may need a little brushing up on the topic themselves. More than three-quarters either mildly or strongly disagreed that high school students should be allowed to report controversial issues in their student newspapers without prior approval. firstamendment.jideas.org First Amendment Resources American Society of Newspaper Editors lesson plans: www.highschooljournalism.org/index.teachers.cfm First Amendment Schools initiative: www.firstamendmentschools.org National Scholastic Press Association The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country. : www.studentpress.org Quill and Scroll Quill and Scroll is an international high school journalism honor society that recognizes and encourages both individual and group achievements in scholastic journalism. According to the Quill and Scroll website, over 14,104 high schools in all 50 U.S. Society (for high school journalists): www.uiowa.edu/~quill-sc Student Press Law Center: www.splc.org Math and Science Reform: K-12 not an Island A new Business and Higher Education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. Forum report argues that the preK-12 community can't go it alone to improve science and math education. A Commitment to America's Future: Responding to the Crisis in Mathematics and Science Education calls for business and higher education leaders to take action. THE END GOAL Develop seamless state systems of education that extend from P-12 to higher education and the workplace. THE MEANS A four-part plan to help business and higher ed leaders understand the complex issues faced by preK-12 educators. It's a single national agenda to be pursued simultaneously over the next five years as the BHEF BHEF Business Higher Education Forum monitors progress. 1. Establish state P-16 education councils from the business, legislative and education communities. Each group should define, benchmark and initiate a statewide P-16 plan for students completing a high-quality mathematics and science education. 2. Address and align standards, curricula, assessments, teacher preparation and accountability practices. Proposed changes in any one of these P-12 system components demands attention to effects on the other four. 3. Engage business and higher education in more effective P-12 reform roles. Corporate education outreach Education outreach is a variation of Cause Marketing and/or Strategic Philanthropy and other focused Public Affairs activities that are specific to education. These programs may include:
4. Implement national and state-specific public information programs based on a common set of core messages, promoting the efforts to strengthen math and science education of all students, www.bhef.com |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion