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frankfurter shows with us right now is the energy for the new york
up our analysis of policy and government
US govt policy dot com USA
excuse me GOP policy dot com is the website
and Frank welcome to the program to this great to be with you this afternoon
thank you I I see from the Sun I
press release sir I guess it's a press release for you say that to a generation
American students are being indoctrinated rather than educated
you point out the F failings 35 percent of fourth-graders know the purpose in
the declaration a defense for example
arm and you know the lack of proficiency in history
I would add that civics but um II me and I'm guessing you agree with me on that
arm a.m. first value on a refund a little bit well according to a number of
studies that
about for the whole bunch of different sources everything from the United
States State Department of Education
down to the National Association of scholars
and a number state by state studies all indicate that Americans straight from
grammar school
right through postgraduate don't really have any charter background or training
I in American history or sex in fact US education department i has been saying
that
about seventy percent of Americans couldn't pass up basic test
in American history our civics affect most Americans can't pass the test that
you had to pass to become a US citizen
that's exactly right solos basic elements in our country
and of course a concert at all that is that going back to thomas jefferson
when he talked about the necessity of a good public education
said that we need a public education 204 citizenry
too many stable invalid democracy yep now unless is over losing that at this
point so I
yeah I don't disagree I i'm I'm continually astounded by these things
am also I you know I'm a I'm in the boomer generation it amazes me when I
sit around with
on Millennials kids younger than my own children get people in their twenties
and talk about things like girl you know bill arises that are we used to have to
memorize
I in fourth grade we had to memorize the preamble to the Constitution
the Gettysburg Address we had to read the Constitution we had two know each
one other 10
the first ten amendments to the Constitution Mets sentenced instead
forward enough to memorize the word for word
out but there's fourth-grade fourth-graders like what ten years old
and I'm talkin to high school graduates college graduates now
who could not do that and to what is actually right
and this and this seems to happen in large part since
since the 1980s since sensor in a reagan put bill bennett in charge the Education
Department bill bennett who said let's do away with the Education Department
and and
there has been an at this whole shift bill clinton push this stuff
the Ted Kennedy push that are toward standardized test in education
where it's like i you know teach to the test all the stuff in it just seems to
me like our education system
on up totally bipartisan basis has gone down the tubes it's been the victim of
politics your thoughts on that
well I guess it it's not only the regular scores let's go to the most
elite Academy in the United States Harvard University now according to area
and I S I studied intercollegiate study spar over
seniors surest 16 or 8.5 percent
I have basic US history 6 test
right these are the cream of the crop in this is the bestest friend this is the
stuff and and that's probably because when they went to Harvard they studied
whatever their
specialized areas study was college bed
pre eighties most colleges at least in the first year yet take all these basic
courses
which include things like history and pretty much that's not so much the case
anymore and plus people would learn that stuff in high school
so what you know here's here's where it gets interesting though I say I noticed
in your
in your article are your press release are your your commentary on this I guess
are you said it's not just what's it's not that what
isn't being taught this troublesome it's also what is being given a place in
standard instruction a People's History of the United States is Howard Zinn's
arm history history book and history United States
I which you described as a Marxist view of the United States was used as a text
in Washington DC schools
have you read Howard Zinn's book yeah undercover as a matter fact
I'll and look there's a lot of historical fact in hours in stock
accepted denied
on the other hand a lot of missed your opinion and is part of a collection of
works that are used regionally throughout the United States
where were instead it's teaching I
the basic facts first and then at a different level getting used to
discussions were
Howard Zinn's book might be appropriate we're using this in many cases as a
basic text
westall for example to Arizona in Arizona there is a book by I'll
I'm sorry there a mister Richard recruiter I believe it is
which he talks about the validity of establishing a chick car donation in the
southwestern United States
and you know i cant if we're using this as a
I would discussion at a college logo
that's fine but at a lower level of high school grammar school
I think that were crowding out the basic showed actor
back to howard stern and I'm not familiar with that bed with her
bird of ok 11 right I i'm not sure that I'll focus I can't debate him with your
discussion with you but
but Howard Zinn for example and the People's History of America
the United States I'm 80 it starts out with the genocide if the indians the
Native American people
are when I studied American history I didn't know I was not told
that thomas jefferson ordered the slaughter opinions or that
jury George Washington not so much but I guess you know really want on steroids
during the jefferson administration
and I particular with the Louisiana Purchase
and and who I got the sanitized version right I got the you know the cowboys and
Indians in
and and all that I and I think all all Americans did by and large
outside perhaps if Indian reservations why not teach the fact that this nation
was birthed
in genocide in slavery what's wrong with that
well I don't think any factual be here and I i think is the facts are facts are
facts indicate future sry without being honest and being realistic but I don't
just read your bedrock
but a fast all that their jet if what the students are getting his servant
yes I American history which we split the anti about that it's it's it's
really mean I'm all in favor of teaching the nobility of the idea of
self-governance to
although it was only white men but still it's
you know there is some really really good Enlightenment thought the game you
know that that created this country
that should be taught to *** how are you I have no gesture any
backbeat or it should all be so I but what we're seeing
as a whole is no faxed into law
yeah well for example when a yes national star Institute
I just really taking California said that the majority
overwhelming majority of the people they pose can't name the three branches of
government
yeah this is a disaster so we have about 30 seconds what's your solution to this
what what I think we have to get back to a basic concept of what needs to be
taught in schools and you hit on it earlier
where no we don't have a core courses we don't have
the basic background in key areas
no history it's your exit you take your *** to my and we remember taking courses
call
history sex right now what I wrapped up in something call Social Studies
where the actual teaching a factual history
shorter than the fact broken very flight Westover
hand and other stuff it is there is just the stuff that's like a
okay here's 16 dates you need to memorize 1492 1776
arm you know we may be looking at this from very very different political
perspectives frank but I think that we have we are employed agreement thanks
for new 30
I the editor in chief in your policy analysis a policy governs USA GOP policy
dot com Thanks Frank
good