ERIC Number: ED541267
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Sep
Pages: 108
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States 2011
Shuster, Kate
Southern Poverty Law Center (NJ1)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress--commonly called "The Nation's Report Card"--tells a dismal story: Only 2% of high school seniors in 2010 could answer a simple question about the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark "Brown v. Board of Education" decision. And it's no surprise. Across the country, state educational standards virtually ignore civil rights history. Generally speaking, the farther away from the South--and the smaller the African-American population--the less attention paid to the civil rights movement. Sixteen states do not require any instruction whatsoever about the movement. In another 19, coverage is minimal. In almost all states, there is tremendous room for improvement. As the nation prepared this year to dedicate a monument to its greatest civil rights champion, the Southern Poverty Law Center undertook a comprehensive review--the first of its kind--of the coverage accorded the civil rights movement in state educational standards and curriculum frameworks. This report sets out the results of that review. It provides a national report card on the state of civil rights education in the country. Most states, unfortunately, get a failing grade. Detailed results for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are appended. (Contains 1 figure, 3 tables, and 22 endnotes.) [Foreword by Julian Bond.]
Descriptors: Civil Rights, United States History, Court Litigation, Knowledge Level, Low Achievement, High School Seniors, African Americans, National Competency Tests, State Standards, Academic Standards, Differences, Value Judgment, Opportunities, Educational Improvement, State Programs, Program Evaluation, Models, Curriculum Development, Graduation Requirements, Social Studies
Southern Poverty Law Center. 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104. Tel: 334-956-8200; Web site: http://www.splcenter.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Southern Poverty Law Center
Identifiers - Location: Alabama; District of Columbia; Florida; New York; United States
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Brown v Board of Education
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A