Posted on 06/09/2005 7:49:35 PM PDT by FeeinTennessee
Philly Schools to Require African History Class to Graduate NewsMax.com Wires Thursday, June 9, 2005
PHILADELPHIA -- City high school students will be required to take a class in African and African American history to graduate, a move that education experts believe is unique in the nation.
The requirement in the 185,000-student district, which is about two-thirds black, begins with September's freshman class, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.
The yearlong course covers subjects including classical African civilizations, civil rights and black nationalism, said Gregory Thornton, the district's chief academic officer. The other social studies requirements are American history, geography and world history. Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocacy group for big city school districts, said Philadelphia appeared to be in the forefront with such a requirement.
"Courses on the subjects are offered as electives in other cities," he said.
Some parents opposed requiring the course, including Miriam Foltz, president of the Home and School Association at Baldi Middle School.
"There are other races in this city," said Foltz, who is white. "There are other cultures that will be very offended by this. How can you just mandate a course like this?"
While acknowledging it would be better to have courses adequately reflecting all cultures, district officials said African and African American history had been neglected too long.
"We have a whole continent that has been absent from most of our textbooks," said Paul Vallas, the district's chief executive officer.
© 2005 The Associated Press
Doubly curious, actually. Those historical figures I happen to admire, well, I do believe I've learnt (British English, live with it) how to spell their various names correctly, if for no other reason than simple respect.
Or, perhaps you take the view of one of Flip Wilson's personae, that I shouldn't ''Ralph Bunche'' your argument? An hilarious routine, that one was...assuming your old enough to remember it, and old enough to remember Ralph Bunche.
Wups, my bad...
The "Early East Asian Immigrants" and their descendants were not American. They just inhabited what we call North America.
They had nothing to do with American values or culture.
Diva's Husband
for later read
1. Did you know a little child name Bruce Springsteen? He was younger than you although he attended St. Rose of Lima?
2. Is it true that there was at one time a large hillbilly population in Freehold?
I just checked his birth date and he was born in 9/49 while I was born in 8/48.
I know I'm getting older but it's always been my memory that Bruce was in my class on 1962. My brother was in the class of 1960. Sometimes kids were held back for different reasons, which could explain why I would swear that he was in my class.
Another point of reference would be that he tried out for the CYO basketball team which was coached by my dad. Terrible basketball player!
Another point of reference memory was his band (with Danny Federici playing a teen night at the old Woodhaven Country Club. The music was so bad most of the kids left the room where the "music" was playing. Bruce was playing the accordian that night - I kid you not!
Also, cruised the Asbury Park circuit like everyone else and regularly stopped in to the Stone Pony to see what Bruce's band was called that month and who was in it that day. Lots of changes of names & members in those days.
What happens when the back students fail this class?
Who will be blamed.
This fellow black conservative also wishes to know: will they also be required to read and write at a 12th grade level?
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