Thread by @laflynt

Much of the focus on the African American Standards recently adopted in FL has been on one middle school standard in particular, and for good reason as it talks about the "personal benefits" of being enslaved.

But, lets look at some standards not getting as much attention 1/x

Here's every African American History Standard for grades 1-4. Notice students are simply asked to "identify" or "recognize" famous people.

My cat is food driven. With time and enough of the right treats, I could get her to identify these people.

Nobody would argue that my cat being able to identify Zora Neale Hurston means my cat understands history.

Again, read the 4th grade standard. Kids are being asked to "identify" Hurston. That's it. Not understand. Not read anything by her or about her. Merely identify.

Now, let's look at what these same social studies standards ask kids in 4th grade to do when it comes to financial literacy.

Discuss opportunity costs...
Explain benefits...
Predict spending...
Develop a budget..

The discrepancy in what is asked of students could not be any more clear. When it comes to financial literacy, the expectations are (rightfully) high. They require students to engage and think critically.

My cat could not master the 4th grade financial literacy standards the same way she could master the 4th grade African American History standards.

That the African American History standards are so low level is part of the problem that hasn't received the attention it deserves.

Ok, Luke, you might be thinking--I see your point. But aren't even these very low level standards better than nothing? No!!

Take a look at what used to be included in 2nd grade.

Evaluate the contributions of African Americans. 2nd graders are no longer asked to do that.

Luke? You can't be serious. They wouldn't get rid of that standard.

Look for yourself. You'll find all the 2nd grade social studies standards on pages 34-39.

If I'm wrong, let me know. I'll correct the record.
fldoe.org/core/fileparse…

Now, for middle school--where I have 12 years of experience teaching. Here are the African American History middle school standards in their totality.

What do you notice? How do you feel?

What I notice is that the standards start with the slave trade, ignoring the rich history of Africans and ignoring the Golden Age of Africa. Did you know that Sankore University established in 989 in Timbuktu was a premier educational institution?

If the Department of Education would have used the recommendations of their own task force on African American History, students would learn about Sankore University.

But, the DOE ignored their own task force.

You can see their recommendations here: afroamfl.org/wp-content/upl…

We've talked about where the middle school standards start. Let's examine where they end.

What standards do you notice that deal with the past 150 years?

On to high school!

You'll find these standards starting on page 8. https://t.co/axh1fcOp2uweb02.fldoe.org/rules/doc/6A-1…

Lots and lots of primary documents here. As there should be.

Did you notice Brown vs. Board of Education? It's in there. But, did you notice Florida's response to the decision? It's not included among the primary sources. But, I'll share it with you. floridamemory.com/items/show/333…

Wow! Seems like kids probably should learn both that the Supreme Court said "segregation is illegal in public schools" AND that Florida's legislature said "fuck you! In our state, white kids won't ever go to school with Black kids" (that's a paraphrase.)

Read the standards again. What other primary sources do you notice are missing?

Did you see Florida's articles of secession?
Any mention of the evolution of Florida's constitution?
Any of the municipalities around the state that banned Black folk from beaches?

We're nearing the end of the thread. Thanks for making it this far!!

Let's talk about the Ocoee Massacre.

Read about it and watch a great video about it here: ucf.edu/pegasus/the-tr…

Be sure to breathe. The history you just read and watched was hard. Take a moment if you need to and come back to this thread when you can.

Welcome back! Would you believe that the only standard that mentions Ocoee talks about violence "perpetrated against AND BY African Americans?

I didn't believe it either when I first heard it. But, it's true. See for yourself.

A final thought: there are a whole bunch of incredible, talented teachers who will see be sure their students learn the complete and honest history of the nation despite these standards. Support those teachers will all your might. And support their unions, too.

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