I would say that Texas is in a similar situation. World History is required in 10th Grade, and it will have an end of course exam, much like in New York.
Jonathan Lee, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History
San Antonio College
210-733-2555
http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/leer/lee.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: H-NET List for World History [mailto:H-WORLD@H-NET.MSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Eric L. Martin
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 4:51 PM
To: H-WORLD@H-NET.MSU.EDU
Subject: Preparing Sec Ed Teachers to Teach World History (was World History Job Market)
From: Tom Mounkhall
SUNY New Paltz
mounkhall@aol.com
Obviously, there are many political and economic problems relative to the development of new high school World History teachers. However, members of college history departments should be aware that most of their students, who will be going into a career as a high school teachers will probably be assigned World History to teach. For example, in New York State, World History is a two year sequence- grades 9 and
10- with a graduation exit exam at the end of the 10th grade- no pass- no graduate period. That's 50% of the high school Social Studies program. Since most veteran teachers have been given little or no training in World History, the teaching of the subject is given to the new teachers.The disconnect is simply this- teachers in training need World History courses in their undergraduate and graduate study but these courses do not exist for the most part. Case in point, at SUNY New Paltz where a large percentage of the history students will go
into high school teaching, the History Department doesn't offer 1 true World History course. The History catalogue is dominated by national and regional histories. Consequently, many new teachers find themselves assigned to teach a subject, which they do not understand at the conceptual level. History Departments could help by recognizing the existence of this disconnect. They could also offer a course or two in World History and/or stress the cross-regional-?transnational elements of their national and regional history courses.
-----Original Message-----
From: Francisco Alves
Independence High School San Jose, California
AlvesF@esuhsd.org
As a California high school history teacher I could not agree more with Peter Utgaard. I am one of the last to have a degree in history with a credential in history. After the passage of No Child Left Behind, schools must now place the "most qualified" teacher in the classroom. In Social Studies the CSU Ed Colleges get around that by offering generic Social Sciences credentials.
I have taught almost everything in the Social Studies, but am now limited to World History and U.S. History, even though I am absolutely qualified to teach economics, government, geography, etc.
This is a problem that is only now starting to rear its ugle head in our field. Politics and education do not mix, but people who are "smarter than everyone else" ar emaking the decisions.
Sincerely,
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Utgaard
Cuyamaca College
peter.utgaard@gcccd.net
Generally speaking, it is not so much the history departments which fail to prepare teachers, rather it is the colleges of education which control the curriculum and credential process for the K-12 system. I've had many students transfer to the (Cal) state university with their eyes on becoming history teachers to find out that they essentially cannot major in history. The system is set up to produce Education majors with an emphasis in social sciences. The end result is teachers who are not prepared. This semester I have a middle school teacher in my online Early World History class. She is taking the class because she simply did not receive enough content-based work at the university. My sense is that this problem exists in other states as well.
Sincerely,
-----Original Message-----
From: Mario D. Fenyo
Bowie State University
mfenyo@bowiestate.edu
Dear Ms. Roupp:
Your challenge is well taken, i am sure, but can you give us some guidance as to just what it is we should be doing to properly prepare our students. Please bear in mind th at we are also trying to prepare them to teach American history and every other kind of history that they are likely to encounter at the secondary level.
Respectfully,
-----Original Message-----
From: Heidi Roupp
World History Connected
_Heidiroupp@aol.com_ (mailto:Heidiroupp@aol.com)
Unfortunately too many history departments are failing to prepare secondary teachers to teach world history.