Dear Minnesota Social Studies Standards Committee:

I am writing to express concern and feedback about the first draft of the K-12 academic standards in social studies. I applaud this open process – it’s important many voices are heard as we make decisions about what our children are taught about history, civics and the world around them.

I’m concerned the committee’s admitted “shift in approach to standards and social studies learning” eliminated many important aspects of history and civics and replaced them with controversial and hard to measure standards that ask students to “recognize unfairness” and “develop respectful awareness.”

The new draft no longer provides a comprehensive approach to history and social studies our children deserve. The following specific changes would restore balance to the draft social studies standards and create a document all Minnesotans can be proud of:

WORLD/U.S. HISTORY

There are several key pieces of our world and nation’s history that are missing when compared with the 2011 standards.

Keep some or all of the benchmarks that teach about World War I, World War II, the Holocaust (including references to the Nazi regime and Jews), the rise and effects of communism and socialism, the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Do not weaken benchmarks that teach about the Vietnam War, China and genocide. Indigenous peoples is the only group named in reference to genocide (21.5.1), and genocide is only framed as a past occurrence (17.6.2).

MINNESOTA HISTORY

The history and culture of Minnesota’s Anishinaabe and Dakota peoples were included in five benchmarks in the 2011 standards. Their lives and perspective are important, but now with 15 benchmarks in the 2020 first draft specifically naming these two groups, there is concern this comes at the expense of other people groups and other history.

Keep some or all of the benchmarks that teach about Minnesota’s involvement in the Civil War, the impact of Iron Range mining during World War II, the response of Minnesotans to global conflicts and displaced peoples since 1945, the causes and effects of the United States Secret War in Laos and the role Norman Borlaug played in the agricultural revolution.

PATRIOTISM

Replacing specific mentions of flag etiquette and the Pledge of Allegiance with a vague reference to how people show patriotism does not serve our students.

Do not weaken the benchmark that teaches about the Pledge of Allegiance, basic flag etiquette and other demonstrations of patriotism. (2.1.1) Add a benchmark on the study of September 11, 2001.

RACISM/MARGINALIZATION

While the study of racism is relevant, how it is framed in the draft standards is political and controversial and comes at the expense of more important topics.

Eliminate some or all of the new benchmarks that add controversial and hard to measure language regarding bias (22.1.1); inclusion (18.7.1); gender marginalization (22.9.1); and references to “whiteness” (18.9.6); and “persistent discrimination and inequity” (18.9.7).

Again, thank you for the opportunity to provide this feedback and I look forward to future drafts.

Respectfully,

Your Name

*see letter below.

We need to balance our standards.

Submit a letter* to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Our children depend on it!

The Minnesota Department of Education just released the first draft of the state’s K-12 academic standards in social studies for the next 10 years, and some of it is very concerning.

Raise Our Standards!

The Pledge of Allegiance
The American flag
WWI
WWII
The Holocaust - including references to Nazis and Jews
Communism and Socialism
The American Revolution
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
Civil War
The brave Minnesotans of the First Regiment who were first to answer Lincoln’s call for help.
Minnesota/Iron Range role during WWI and WWII
Minnesota's response to global conflicts and displaced people since 1945

What's OUT

What's IN

Systemic racism in the United States rooted in our founding
How freedom and democracy have included or excluded certain groups throughout our history
Develop a "respectful awareness" of the LGBTQ+ community
Gender Equality/Equity
Minnesota's juvenile justice system and its evaluation on the impact on BIPOC communities
The Reconstruction period, specifically successful efforts to disenfranchise newly freed Black Americans and connecting this history to persistent discrimination and inequity in the present
An analysis of the ideology of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to whiteness, Christianity, and capitalism…