Free Republic

An American government exam taken by all high school students in Maryland would be eliminated next year under the proposed state budget, a surprising shift in policy that comes just three years after the test was made a graduation requirement. Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal cuts $1.9 million from the Maryland State Department of Education budget that would pay for the test and its grading. However, the legislature could still restore the test if it found the funding. Some educators expressed immediate concern that social studies would get less attention in high schools if the test is eliminated. "I don't understand...

Controversial decisions about what we teach in history and social studies will affect the course of our liberal democracy. by John Fonte As Americans develop new academic standards in history, civics, and social studies, our most important decisions will also be our most controversial. In studying world cultures, we will have to decide how much emphasis to place on Western civilization and on non-Western societies. In history and government, we will have to decide how much emphasis to place on our common American heritage rather than the separate histories of different groups. The natural tendency will be to try to...