The Institute for Emerging Issues forum at the Raleigh Convention Center brought together corporate titans and innovators Monday as Gov. Bev Perdue, former Gov. Jim Hunt and others discussed the issues facing North Carolina.
Outside the building, however, four individuals said one innovation being discussed will affect students’ and future generations’ perceptions of historical context. Holly Brewer, an associate professor at N.C. State, organized the demonstration to show her and others’ reservations about a change in the state’s curriculum that will eliminate the teaching of U.S. history prior to 1877 in high school. U.S. history will be split between the seventh and eleventh grades.
Charles Carlton, a retired history professor, said the new measure effectively guts history out of the high school curriculum.
“They’re saying that American history since 1877, that’s all you get. Tough luck,” Carlton said. “You don’t get Lincoln, you don’t get George Washington, you don’t get the Pilgrim fathers.”
But Brewer said the proposed change is just the most recent blow against history and social studies education
“Social studies and history education contact hours have been cut in half in the last 10 years,” Brewer said. “So people are just getting less history and social studies generally. That’s the real problem.”
Nina Kilbride, a Raleigh attorney, said she intends to send her children to public school and is concerned they won’t have a grasp on the specific lessons that can be gathered from a high school focus on U.S. history.
“Predigested themes and objectives aren’t going to give anybody the real touchtone comparisons to make between today and yesterday,” Kilbride said. “We’re going to lose that nuance as citizens and students.”
Chancellor Jim Woodward, who was attending the forum, said the curriculum change was a legitimate cause for debate.
“I’m an engineer, but I believe deeply that in order to deal with issues, current issues, you need historical context,” Woodward said. “You can get that historical context on some issues if you study the last 150 years, but other issues, it takes longer.”
Woodward said though he wasn’t a history scholar, he feels it’s important for perspective.
“I simply find that if I have a historical context, I better know how to understand what it is today. I don’t care what it is whether it’s political or social or whatever.”
Woodward and Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence Davenport said they didn’t know what had prompted the curriculum change.
“I don’t know what the rationale is for even coming up with this new process,” Davenport said. “All I know is this is what we’re going to do.”
Brewer said the process didn’t involve consultation with history professors or teachers and that, if anything, there should be more time devoted to history in high school.
“We need to move away from one semester of U.S. history to two semesters and we need to keep world history,” Brewer said.
She said the poor attendance at the protest was due to it being planned the night before and the fact that those who feel most passionate about the issue were teaching Monday afternoon. She said a Saturday protest may be in the works sometime in the next two weeks, since the deadline for feedbacks on drafts was extended until March 2.
