Gov. Bill Haslam says he's concerned that too much Tennessee history could be stripped from teaching requirements in the state's public schools under an update to social studies standards.
A draft version would remove a slew of Tennessee events from U.S. history courses, including major milestones in the civil rights movements for minorities and women and several key Civil War battles fought on state soil.
Haslam told reporters on Monday that he has heard complaints from several people about the proposed changes but that he hasn't yet studied them himself.
The governor said he's confident the professional educators involved in the review process will recognize Tennessee history is "critical for people growing up in our schools system." The public comment period for the new standards ends Oct. 28.
Previous News Story on Social Studies in Tennessee (9/27/16):
School officials have dropped most of the Tennessee middle school social studies standards involving Islam as part of newly proposed standards.
The Kingsport Times-News reports that an entire section on Islam currently taught to seventh-graders has been removed from the state Board of Education's draft, which went online for public review Sept. 15. Most of the sections involving Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions have remained in the draft in some form.
Public comment is open through Oct. 28. A Standards Recommendation Committee will make the ultimate recommendation for new social studies standards to the board in early 2017, with implementation taking place in the 2019-20 school year.
The State Board of Education Director of Policy and Research says the new standards are more manageable and "age-appropriate."
Source:
Partner Station WMSR
