Latest news with #WorldHistory
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Virginia governor vetoed bill to make Black history classes count towards graduation. What's next?
Black members of the 1887-88 Virginia General Assembly. Then-state Sen. John Robinson is pictured on the far left of the back row. (Photo courtesy of Encyclopedia of Virginia) A Northern Virginia faith leader and parent said she will continue asking state lawmakers to make two African-American history courses count towards the state's graduation requirements for history, after the governor — who vetoed the measure and whose four-year term is sunsetting — leaves office. Pastor Michelle Thomas, president of the NAACP Loudoun Branch, and Robin Reaves Burke of the Loudoun Freedom Center proposed the concept to state Del. David Reid, D-Loudoun, shortly after the commonwealth added African American History and AP African American Studies to the list of courses permitted to be taught in public high schools. Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, and Reid successfully passed the proposal through the General Assembly with some amendments. On March 24, Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed an amendment requiring the General Assembly to pass the proposal again in 2026, but lawmakers did not accept it. Youngkin then vetoed the bill, stating that it would cause students to miss 'key concepts essential to understanding how historical world events have shaped our modern economy, government, and international relations.' Thomas was surprised and disappointed by the decision, she said. 'You can't divorce African American history from the founding of America. It is the absolute foundation of American history, and so to try to marginalize this and say students shouldn't be learning it, or it's not as important as mainstream history, or the history that he's trying to tell is absolutely ridiculous,' Thomas said in a statement last week. Thomas said she first considered proposing the legislation after her daughter was interested in taking an African American studies course and seeking flexibility with her class schedule towards meeting her graduation requirements. Under Virginia's standard diploma requirements, students are required to take U.S. History, Virginia and U.S. Government, and either World History or Geography. The bill would have given the students the option to substitute African American History or AP African American Studies studies with World History or Geography. Virginia's diploma requirements concerning history Standard Diploma US History Virginia and U.S. Government One other course in World History or Geography Advanced diploma All four are required. Proposed standard diploma (House Bill 1824 in the 2025 GA session – vetoed by governor) US History Virginia and U.S. Government World History or Geography or African American Studies or AP African American Studies 'While I am supportive of expanding choices in what classes students may take to satisfy graduation requirements, we must ensure that classes that replace others are germane to the comprehensive goals of high school education standards,' Youngkin wrote in his veto statement. But Thomas defended the proposal. 'We're not saying 'do away' or 'you can take this or that.' You can take all of them,' Thomas said. 'You can take World History II, if parents feel like World History I and World History II are important. But for those parents (and students) who believe African American history is also and equally important, allow them to get graduation credit for it.' She said she also believes the governor's decision falls in line with a national agenda to minimize or remove public references to Black history, and could align with his future political plans. The curriculum has been continually debated by the public, education leaders and Youngkin's administration during the governor's entire time in office, which concludes in January. The first AP African American studies course was added last year, but not without controversy — Youngkin's education department proposed dozens of revisions before its approval, the Washington Post reported. Reid said in a statement that he was disappointed by the governor's decision and plans to reintroduce the bill at the next session, beginning in January. 'The governor chose to ignore the very values he outlined in Executive Order One on his first day in office — his stated commitment to teach the full story of American history,' said Reid. 'Instead, he allowed political fear to override principle and missed an opportunity to give parents and students more choice in how they learn our shared history.' He also said Virginia history and African American history are important parts of America's origin story, citing the significance of the first House of Burgesses — the first democratically-elected legislative body in what would become America — and the arrival of the first Africans in present-day Hampton, both defining events that took place in Virginia roughly two weeks and 40 miles apart. 'Virginia history is African American history, is American history,' Reid said. 'Our children deserve to learn the truth of our shared story — and they deserve the freedom to choose how they learn it.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LaShawna Powers named department chair at NEO
MIAMI, Okla. — NEO has announced a new Department Chair of Social Sciences & Department Chair of Communication and Fine Arts. Officials with NEO say LaShawna Powers, a dedicated NEO faculty member for nearly 15 years, assumed the role this spring. Powers has taught a great number of courses during her time at NEO, including U.S. History I and II, Humanities I and II, World History, and History of the American Indian. NEO says Powers has not just been beneficial as a teacher but also has served as the academic advisor for NEO's Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society since 2013, in addition to having shown a conducive ability to lead during her term as a member of the NEO Faculty Senate, during which she served as President from 2022-2023. 'LaShawna is a proven leader and respected professional on NEO's campus,' said Dr. Dustin Grover, Vice President for Academic Affairs. 'Her exceptional performance in the classroom, deep engagement with students, and the strong confidence her peers have in her all speak to her readiness to succeed as an administrator at NEO.' For more information, please contact NEO Coordinator of Public Relations and Marketing, Jonah Fabian, at jfabian@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
District 204 board OKs revisions and new textbooks for several high school classes, new electives for next year
At its meeting Monday, the Indian Prairie School District 204 board approved course updates and new instructional materials for several existing high school classes and two that will be new next year. The courses included in the changes are French 2, Advanced Placement (commonly referred to as AP) Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP United States History, Criminal Law and World History through Media, according to the meeting agenda. Following the board's approval on Monday, the district will be purchasing new textbooks and their accompanying digital resources for all of the courses except World History through Media, amounting to just over $400,000 in total, according to Monday's meeting agenda. The board also approved curriculum revisions to the five courses at Monday's meeting. The courses were updated via collaboration with teachers from the district's three high schools in line with state standards, College Board course and exam descriptions for applicable courses, the district's strategic plan, 'culturally responsive instructional practices' and the district's 'Portrait of a Graduate' goals, according to the meeting agenda. District 204's director of high school core curriculum and instruction Michael Purcell gave a presentation on the proposed curriculum updates for next school year at the district's board meeting on March 24. At the March meeting, Purcell's presentation noted that the proposed revisions would be open for comment until the April board meeting, when they would then be voted on. At Monday's meeting, the district confirmed that there had been no public comment on the changes. The French course and three AP courses are all existing classes at Indian Prairie high schools, Purcell explained in March, but Criminal Law and World History through Media will be new next year. For the French course revision, Purcell noted in his March presentation that the new units for the course align closely with the AP French curriculum that students can take later on in high school, per the district's course catalog. The three AP courses that will be updated for next year are AP Biology, AP Environmental Science and AP U.S. History. The AP Environmental Science course in particular tends to provide students who do not take many other AP classes during their time at Indian Prairie a chance to take an AP course, Purcell noted. 'We really look for those opportunities to, to talk about AP classes that are more accessible than others,' Purcell said at the March 24 meeting. 'It's not easy by any means, but unlike an AP calculus class or an AP physics class, it doesn't require as much background knowledge to access. It requires an interest and a work ethic.' The updated AP U.S. History curriculum focuses on themes including national identity, geography and the environment, migration and settlement, politics and power and American regional culture, Purcell previously said. Asked by board member Susan Demming in March about culturally-responsive instruction, Purcell noted that the new French resource represents French-speaking cultures that are not France, and said that the AP Environmental Science resource showcases more diverse portrayals of scientists. In January, the board also approved changes to the middle school English Language Arts curriculum, which will now use a digital curriculum resource. They also OK'd the district to modify some of the books it teaches: all sixth-graders will read 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry, while seventh-graders will read 'Brown Girl Dreaming' by Jacqueline Woodson and eighth-graders will read 'Twelve Angry Men' by Reginald Rose. The changes approved Monday will also extend to two new course offerings for next year: Criminal Law and World History through Media. The two new courses were brought to the board in October, according to past reporting. They were approved in the fall so that students could enroll in the courses in time for the 2025-26 school year, Purcell explained at the March meeting. The two courses are not AP classes, Purcell said, but rather one-semester social studies electives available to students in grades 10-12. The idea for these courses is to prepare students for the transition between the district's freshman year geography class requirement and the U.S. history course requirement. 'Some of our students leave our freshman social studies class not quite ready to take on U.S. history,' Purcell said at the March meeting. 'So (we) really wrote these classes with that in mind – to really look at, what are those social science skills that students need to bridge that gap.' As for the criminal law class, Purcell noted in March that it was born out of surveys of students and staff on what types of courses they'd like to see, and based on survey data from students of what they want to study in the future or pursue as a career path. The district already offers a business law class for students to take, and Purcell noted that the district wants students to have the option to take both as companion classes. The World History through Media course will include units on topics like historical accuracy, 'What happens when cultures collide?' and 'Does change always mean progress?,' according to Purcell's presentation in March. Students will learn about films as well as podcasts, television, infographics and other forms of media.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The good, the bad': Some area educators taking steps to introduce students to AI technology
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – On any given day, the classroom of Richland High School teacher Jacob St. Clair could be decorated for lessons as a medieval ship, complete with a sail and wood-plank walls, or adorned with ancient Egyptian pyramids or Gothic cathedral windows. The world history teacher often transports his students back in time with props to reinforce the subject matter, but sometimes he turns to generative artificial intelligence tools, such as the image creator Midjourney, to provide another layer to the lesson. That may be philosopher John Locke and rival Thomas Hobbes appearing to come to fisticuffs, he joked, or bringing famous paintings to life. 'Seeing any historical character in any kind of novel situation or dynamic posture is something that's interesting,' St. Clair said. 'It's enjoyable (for students).' AI Integration | Richland High School Richland High School teacher and AI enthusiast Jacob St. Clair instructs students during an 8th-grade World History class at the school on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Although he takes a hands-on approach in his classroom, St. Clair said he sees value in the proper use of AI by both teachers and students. That's why he demonstrates potential positive implementations of the technology in his lessons. 'We need to demonstrate to children there are skills they can use with this,' St. Clair said. One caveat, he said, is that it's important that anyone using the tools is already familiar with the material to avoid mistakes. In addition to image generation, St. Clair uses AI to search curriculum rundowns to see if he's missed anything, and for the high school tabletop role-playing game club that he advises. He uses Midjourney to create scenes, backgrounds and tokens for games such as Dungeons & Dragons. These additions help provide depth to the experience for students, St. Clair said. St. Clair isn't alone in his AI usage. Several local teachers and administrators have adopted some form of the technology into their work since the newest versions were introduced three years ago. Mark DiMauro University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown professor Mark DiMauro speaks to Greater Johnstown teachers on artificial intelligence and its impact in the classroom on Friday, Jan. 12, 2023. Mark DiMauro, a University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown assistant professor of digital humanities who specializes in AI studies, said educators regard artificial intelligence as 'begrudgingly inevitable.' They've realized it's not a fad and not going away, so now it's time to learn to use it, he said. DiMauro travels the region holding seminars at schools about the proper use of artificial intelligence and the possibilities the technology holds, such as providing frameworks for lesson plans or helping tutor students. Several AI-based educational websites, such as MagicSchool AI, have been launched in the past few years as tools to help teachers. 'Polarizing topic' Since starting his presentations, DiMauro said he's found that teachers often fall into three schools of thought: those who advocate for AI and use it; those who are hesitant to start; and those who vow to never touch it. 'This is the most polarizing topic of all time,' DiMauro said. The Rise of AI logo When ChatGPT, a generative text model developed by OpenAI, released in November 2022, it created a splash in educational communities, with many raising alarms that the large language model could be used by students to cheat on writing assignments. A Pew Research Center report from November 2023 showed roughly one in five teenagers they polled, ages 13 to 17, 'who have heard of ChatGPT say they have used it to help them do their schoolwork.' But St. Clair said he hasn't had that issue in his classroom to date. Despite any potential negative uses, teachers are also implementing artificial intelligence to help students with their writing. Central Cambria School District Superintendent Jason Moore said his English Language Arts staff uses AI to give students feedback, which has been successful. 'When students take the state tests in the spring, the evaluators are almost certainly using AI tools to do their summative evaluations of the students' open-ended responses,' he said. 'Therefore, teaching students how to use AI formatively to improve their writing will not only help them come test time, but it will also help them in whatever their next step in life is – whether that is college, the workforce, et cetera.' According to a May 2024 Pew Research Center poll, a majority of kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers were timid about AI in education. The results show 35% were not sure about its use; 32% were mixed on whether it was good or harmful; 25% said there was more harm than benefit; and 6% saw more benefit than harm. A National Education Association study provided a different result. The teachers' union reported that members said they were 'brimming with excitement over the time they have saved planning lessons with artificial intelligence, the creative jump start AI provided their music class when composing a new song, and the scene-reader that is helping their visually impaired students get a mental layout of the playground or classroom that surrounds them.' Richland High School Principal Timothy Regan said one of the best uses of AI is for checking work. He will sometimes use the tool to examine an email before sending it out, and that's a point the district impresses on students. AI Integration | Richland High School Richland High School Principal Tim Regan shares Magic School AI website on his computer in his office at the school on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. 'We want kids to utilize it to further their intelligence,' he said. Richland is an early adopter of the new technology. Not only does the high school offer an 'Exploring AI' class taught by computer science teacher Becky Piscitella, but the district also brought AI guru Matt Miller in for this year's national speaker series for area educators. 'It truly is an area if we don't expose kids to what's out there, then we are not preparing them for the jobs that we don't even know exist yet,' Piscitella said. Her class explores a variety of artificial intelligence models and how to train them properly and improperly, while also diving into coding aspects. 'The course in general … is built around exposing them to the foundational knowledge of AI so they can get a clear understanding,' Piscitella said. 'The course covers all sides of it – the good, the bad, ethics issues with AI.' The students have responded well to the first-time offering, Piscitella said. However, she stresses students that they should not be overly reliant on the technology. Piscitella said 'research time and time again shows AI is most effective when it enhances human abilities rather than replace them.' 'The best analysis of AI that I have heard was that we should worry less about AI taking our jobs and more about someone who knows how to use AI more effectively taking our jobs,' Moore said. DiMauro encourages his students to explore artificial intelligence, he said, but to not become reliant and to never trust any technology implicitly. He does this by removing their fear, teaching them how to properly use it and motivate them to play with these tools, he said. 'I try to foster curiosity,' DiMauro said. Policy progress In response to the implementation of AI in schools, many area districts, such as Central Cambria and North Star, have adopted policies to regulate its use. The item is filed under the operations section of district manuals and typically numbered 815.1. The policies note the 'potential that Generative Artificial Intelligence offers in enhancing educational opportunities' while also outlining 'guidelines for the proper management and responsible use' of the tool. That use is limited to approved educational purposes and needs to comply with applicable state and federal laws, the policies state. Additionally, 'tools and resources used in district schools and programs shall be evaluated and authorized on an ongoing basis for age- appropriateness, bias, privacy protections, accessibility standards and data security,' the document reads. Glenn Gaye, Windber Area School District director of education, said it's important to maintain a policy-driven approach when dealing with AI. 'We are constantly evaluating the potential benefits for staff, students and families,' he added. Gaye said his view is one of cautious optimism when dealing with artificial intelligence in education. However, there is the possibility of disciplinary issues related to AI technology. Richland was the first local district to address that situation in November when high school students allegedly used the tool to create and distribute obscene images of peers. An investigation in cooperation with local authorities was launched and the matter was handled internally. Regan said with new technologies comes new territory, and disciplinary matters are examples of that intersection. For administrators, that means finding a cross-section of precedent and new guidance to properly address the situation, he said. This is another example of the need to educate students on proper AI use, Regan added. 'My biggest takeaway is learning to live with it responsibly as educators so we can properly convey it to our students,' Regan said. DiMauro said if educators and students are willing to put in the work and be trained to use AI properly, real learning can begin. Large language models, such as ChatGPT, are the start of this, St. Clair said, not the end. DiMauro agreed, saying the development of quantum computing – advanced computing using quantum mechanics – and AI agents, which are autonomous intelligent systems to perform tasks, will revolutionize the field moving forward.
