Phila. school district removes history months from calendar

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A decision by the school district to nix Gay and Lesbian History Month from its 2007-08 calendar was met with criticism by a national organization working for gender equality in schools.

In a world where presidential candidates make appearances on lesbian and gay cable networks, "you're telling me it's too controversial for the School District of Philadelphia? Come on," said Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

"This is the world in which these kids live now. It's part of daily life," said Jennings, 44, a former high school history teacher.

In an effort to be balanced, the district also removed calendar designations marking Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and others.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07224/808999-100.stm

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Uh huh - bet this was all about not wanting a Gay History Month, so for cover they just decided to drop all the history months.

[stillcool]

1. oh my....

the school district of Philadelphia? I'm speechless.

In an effort to be balanced, the district also removed calendar designations marking Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and others.

[rodeodance]

2. well, that's the easy way out to fix the problem!

[MountainLaurel]

3. Aren't the Philly schools

Now run by a corporation? Maybe they're concerned about narrow-minded stockholders objecting?

[Elspeth]

4. They have a CEO

http://www.phila.k12.pa.us/aboutus/

Not a superintendent.

The privatization of education....ain't it grand?

[Teaser]

9. Calling Philly Education "Privatized" is just wrong.

I live in Philly, my wife teaches for the school district.
In no way is the school district privatized. Several schools have adopted curricula designed by for profit instititutions, and several others were administered by a for profit entity a few years ago, but that failed.

Your allegation is just wrong.

[NYC]

11. Does that mean Edison is gone?

Edison failed miserably in Texas, but I think they were still running schools.

...several others were administered by a for profit entity a few years ago, but that failed...

[Teaser]

13. They'd been givena handful of token schools in Philly

and they maintain a small presence in those schools. But in no way do they run the schools.

Up till now they had been run by Paul Vallis, the CEO/superintendant/whatever.

But he managed to put the school district73 million dollars in debt and no one can figure out how or where the money went.

The school district is a shambles on its own, without any help from Edison.

I do know that Edison has run several school districts in Chester, an urban suburb of philadelphia and done a right shite job of it.

[NYC]

14. So, is anyone looking for the $73 million?

Just curious.

[Elspeth]

5. Here is an article from the Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/school_report_card/rcphila25.html

The district must also decide what to do with 41 schools operated by private managers, including Edison Schools Inc. The nation watched in 2002 as the district hired Edison and six other groups, including two local universities, to run those schools. A recent report found that the privately managed schools showed no greater growth in test scores, on average, than district-run schools, even though they received $90 million in additional funding over five years.

[Elspeth]

6. Apparently, privatization isn't helping at all... (Surprise!)

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20070201_District-run_schools_score_.html

District-run schools score
New study says those run by private managers fare less well
By MENSAH M. DEAN
[e-mail] 215-854-5949
WHEN IT COMES to improving Philadelphia's schools, it's the city school district - not private managers - that performs best, according to a much-anticipated new report released today.

In fact, after looking at four years of data, the researchers couldn't find any evidence in test scores that "would support the additional resources for the private managers," reads the report, authored by researchers from the nonprofit organizations the RAND Corporation and Research for Action.

Six private managers began running 45 low-performing schools after the state takeover of city schools in 2001. These "educational management organizations" were given millions in additional funding for their schools. But the report said those schools saw changes in test scores no better than the rest of the school district's over the next four years.

However, the 21 schools that were reformed by the district - and also given more money, though not as much as the EMO schools - saw significant improvements in math scores during three of the four study years and improvements in reading in one year.

"I think the education community should look at this report as giving us some lessons about education management organizations. One of those lessons is that they don't necessarily bring stronger assets, knowledge and capacity to the district," said Jolley Bruce Christman, a founder of Research for Action.

.......

[NYC]

7. It's helping the people who collect $90 million.

Your tax dollars at work.

...A recent report found that the privately managed schools showed no greater growth in test scores, on average, than district-run schools, even though they received $90 million in additional funding over five years...

[Elspeth]

8. Obviously. But it's not helping the kids.

[NYC]

10. It's not helping the taxpayers, either.

Privatization of government services was not meant to benefit us.

[Elspeth]

15. Agreed. It's theft of public assets by the private sector.

....

[Teaser]

12. The parents were really up in arms about this

last year. It was a huge scandal.

The school district did the only thing it could do in the face of massive outrage (and the outrage was massive, I lived through it). They backed down.

Not many people in the African American community in Philly like the implication of "Gay and Lesbian History Month." Black History Month is something that is cherished (and to my mind overemphasized) in the Philadelphia School District. Celebrating an analogous holiday for Gay's and Lesbians was seen as an insult among many in the black community here.

I think that's a sad and wrong reaction, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

[David__77]

20. They didn't need to abide by that reaction.

They chose to. Simply because of a "massive reaction." That's mob rule. They should fulfill their obligation to be good policymakers.

[Maddy McCall]

16. I'm all for this, and here's why.

I hate divided history. A good history teacher should be able to weave all of these areas of history into the year-long course.

You can't discuss Alexander the Great without discussing his sexuality.

You can't discuss American Indian history without touching on gender roles and sexuality (which includes homosexuality).

You can't discuss the American Revolution without discussing American Indians, Africans, women, etc who all played huge roles in the revolution.

You can't discuss the abolitionist movement without discussing women's issues.

You can't discuss the sixties without talking about all of the rights movements that took place.

History shouldn't be eight months of rich white men's stories, with just a morsel tossed to minorities here and there. Good historians recognize that, to give a complete, accurate portrayal of history, inclusiveness is required.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Brava!

:applause:

[goclark]

18. I agree but as an educator

what isn't required as a focus rarely happens.


Yes, good teachers understand how to weave in the vital information to represent all facets of our society.

I would say that 10% of teachers will do it as you so described.

[Maddy McCall]

23. Which is why kids arrive in my college classroom...

completely unequipped to deal with socially-complex, multi-cultured, racially integrated history.

[ThomCat]

19. Sure you can.

It's easy to whitewash history. Most teachers do it every day.

I'm not saying it's right, only that it is easy and common.

So you're wrong when you say that you can't teach those areas of history without touching on those related topics.

[Maddy McCall]

21. No, you can't.

History that isn't inclusive isn't history.

I'm not saying that history isn't being taught that way; I'm saying that what is being taught that way isn't history.

[ThomCat]

24. And yet, this stuff is not being taught.

If "history" shows anything, it's that "history" is whatever story the people in charge choose to tell.

[Maddy McCall]

25. In the past, yes. Not so much today.

Starting in the sixties, the profession became less elitist as women and minorities joined the field.

Social history truly began in earnest in the 1960s. There's no excuse for teachers to teach mainlined, white big man history anymore--except for laziness.

I teach it in my classroom, and most people who earned their history degrees post 1990 were instructed in how to construct lectures and lessons that are inclusive, and, therefore, more true and whole. They are equipped with a huge body of historical works from which to draw their lessons. If they don't, it's because they choose not to, but not because it's not available, and not because they're being taught white big man history.

It's challenging to author lectures that are historically inclusive--but it's necessary if kids are going to learn accurate versions of history.

[sandnsea]

30. Uh, it's done all the time

My son wrote his senior paper on Alexander the Great and there was not one word about his sexuality in any of the source material. I've never had American Indian gender roles or sexuality taught. Not even in college. The only minority mentioned in the teaching of the Revolution is Crispus Attucks, which is hardly comprehensive. US history is still the story of how the White Christian English Man saved the world. And in most districts, if you veer from that too far, you're going to be out of a job. I think we still need some method to highlight minority contributions, although it's impossible to have full months for every group in the country.

[superconnected]

22. That's amazing! Add insult to injury by taking black and hispanic

history month out too and saying see all is fine cause we did that....

Friggen amazing logic...

[entanglement]

26. Conservatives have been railing against Black History Month forever, they just got their wish

[Javaman]

27. This just in...

The Philadelphia school system just announced that the months of april and october will be removed from the calender. No plans to replace them has been mentioned.

children and parents were left wondering if that means march and september will now be 60 day months?

the reporter tried reaching the school district on monday for a comment but instead got a phone recording at their offices which stated, "mondays have been officially banned and regular school days will now run from Spruday through Friday".

[LeftHander]

28. Every month is Straight White Male History month!! nt

[mvd]

29. If that's the case, I'm glad Tom Brady is interim CEO

Over 80% of the student body is black and Hispanic, and Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month are being dropped?

That's just great. :sarcasm: