PROGRAMS ARE INNOVATIVE, POLITICAL, RETRO

TEACHERS WORK TO COMPREHENSIVELY PRESENT THE CONCEPT OF GENOCIDE THROUGHOUT HISTORY

More middle and high school teachers are tackling lessons on genocide and human rights with an array of new curriculum resources and sometimes with the aid of survivors and other advocates. "When we're teaching about the Holocaust, I think it's important for students to realize it's not something that happened once in our history, but that genocide is an issue that erupts around the world in situations of intense racial or ethnic conflict," said Gayle Y. Thieman, president of the National Council for the Social Studies.

JOHN'S VIEW: This makes such good sense! Teachers make an "exotic" unit even more interesting for their students by melding history with current events. Great stuff!

MARYLAND REQUIRES SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS TO PASS EXIT EXAMS

As the Maryland board of education considers whether to make exit exams in English, algebra, biology and American government mandatory for graduation, parents and advocates are split on whether students with disabilities should be required to pass the exams. Only one in three students in special-education classes are passing the tests, and while some say the mandatory tests would force schools to give students with special needs access to standard curriculum, others say the tests aren't fair to these students.

JOHN'S VIEW: Special education students, depending upon their needs, are given a vast amount of indidivudal support in order to level the playing field for them. While greatly expensive, that's fine. Now whiners want the playing field tilted down hill in order to allow sped students to pass abbreviated tests or to pass by the tests altogether. Get real. While it is unfortunate that these students have learning difficulties, they're going to have them for their entire lives, and they need to learn to deal with it now. An employer will not be any where near the advocate that the public schools have been.

NEW YORK SCHOOL CHALLENGES STUDENTS WITH AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR PROGRAM

At Brooklyn's Automotive High, teens learn car repair alongside a traditional high school curriculum. "They've got to hit the books, not just handle a wrench," said principal Melissa H. Silberman.

JOHN'S VIEW: While this program has real value for students, schools, and society, I can't believe I'm seeing it listed as an innovative program. Combining academics and "mechanical arts" goes back to Dewey in the early part of the 20th century. It's good stuff but hardly innovative.

Drop a line if you'd like to discuss any of these programs further.