SB 1006, as introduced, Wyland. School curriculum: American history and government.
Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to include courses in the social sciences for the purpose of, among other things, providing pupils with a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America.
This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education to consider methods for enhancing pupil knowledge of, and pride in, our history and form of government and for increasing civic participation. The bill would set forth methods that the Superintendent and the state board may consider to accomplish these goals, which include, among other things, developing new curriculum frameworks and, if necessary, standards, expanding the time and grades in which American history and government are studied, and requiring a basic understanding of United States history in order to graduate from high school.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 51008.5 is added to the Education Code,
2to read:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
4following:
5(1) Over the last 20 years and more, high school pupils have
6significantly less knowledge of American history and government
7than previous generations.
8(2) Pupils and young adults over this period know significantly
9less about current events, and they subscribe at a significantly
10lower rate to newspapers and news periodicals.
11(3) Pupils and young adults have, over time, less faith and pride
12in American government and its institutions.
13(4) Pupils and young people vote at significantly lower
rates
14than their elders.
15(b) The Superintendent and the state board shall consider
16methods for accomplishing both of the following:
17(1) Enhancing pupil knowledge of, and pride in, our history and
18form of government.
19(2) Increasing all levels of civic participation, from knowledge
20of current events to regular voting in elections.
21(c) To accomplish the goals set forth in subdivision (b), the
22Superintendent and state board may consider the following
23methods:
24(1) Developing new curriculum frameworks and, if necessary,
25standards that engage pupils in learning about American history
26and government from oral histories to biographical sketches and
27age-appropriate descriptions of heroic efforts on
the part of
28Americans to build our society and its institutions.
29(2) Expanding the time devoted to the study of American history
30and government and the grades in which that study is provided.
31(3) Developing pride in American values, history, and
32government through the comparative study of other cultures and
33histories.
34(4) Comparing the success of American society and government
35in developing a society governed by the democratically devised
36rule of law with societies that, although desiring to be so governed,
37have struggled to reach this accomplishment.
P3 1(5) Incorporating into the curriculum, at age-appropriate levels,
2the objective analysis of both historical and modern governmental
3policies so that pupils may learn to understand the complexity of
4many
issues, to view those policies from different perspectives,
5to consider evidence, and to reach their own conclusions.
6(6) Comparing American and Western democracies and histories
7of those in other regions of the world, and the role that American
8democracy and society may play in modern history.
9(7) Requiring basic understanding of United States history in
10order to graduate from high school.
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