The Pineapple Question And Confucian Wisdom
The following is by Marc Epstein, teacher at Jamaica High School:
We might be coming to the end of a dynastic cycle. This thought occurred to me when newspaper articles reported that the New York State Department of Education wanted to eliminate the mandatory Global History and Geography Regents exam and make it optional rather than a requirement for a diploma.
That would also mean that I won’t be teaching the “dynastic cycle” to as many students, which is a pity, since understanding why governments come and go and how they function is essential for ensuring an informed citizenry.
It seems the failure rates on the test are too high. But the actual reason for the high failure rate is that large numbers of high school sophomores read and comprehend below a 6th grad