ATLmalcontent

regrettably, children are the future

A survey of 1,200 public high school students yields depressing results:

•43% knew the Civil War was fought between 1850 and 1900.

•52% could identify the theme of 1984.

•51% knew that the controversy surrounding Sen. Joseph McCarthy focused on communism.

In all, students earned a C in history and an F in literature, though the survey suggests students do well on topics schools cover. For instance, 88% knew the bombing of Pearl Harbor led the USA into World War II, and 97% could identify Martin Luther King Jr. as author of the "I Have a Dream" speech.

Fewer (77%) knew Uncle Tom's Cabin helped end slavery a century earlier.

So are we to deduce from this that many schools aren't covering the Civil War?

obama vs. the nea

You can argue -- correctly -- that public schools are underfunded, but even an unlimited budget couldn't overcome the pernicious influence of the National Education Association. It opposes every potentially constructive reform, protecting inferior teachers at the expense of students.

Fortunately, Obama has expressed a willingness to take on one of his party's most loyal constituencies:

At a Manhattan fundraiser I attended last April, a local charter school operator asked Obama why it was so hard to be a charter school person in the Democratic Party. His answer was thoughtful and measured, but he - not the person who asked the question - identified the teachers unions as the obstacle on the political side. He noted that the American public was hungry for change and that the unions' leadership was going to have to decide whether they want to be in on it, or be completely left behind. [Emphasis added]

Now I've got a crush on Obama. Like the senator from Illinois, I'm not sold on vouchers, but I'm not against them, either -- not if they'll improve an education system that is the envy of few developed nations.

I will not allow sort of my predispositions to stand in the way of making sure that our kids can learn. We're losing several generations of kids and something has to be done.

Unfortunately, there's been some inconsistency in Obama's declarations, but if it's genuine change he's after, reforming America's bloated education bureaucracy would be a good place to start.

Quantity, Not Quality

The GOP establishment has settled on a depressing new mantra, eagerly regurgitated by the favored candidate of party elites:

"Our most basic civil liberty is the right to be kept alive."

Yeah, that whole pursuit of happiness thing is way overrated.

Future shills of America

East Coweta High School Principal Derek Pitts should be proud. One of his students, Justin Jones, wrote a clever, insightful column for the school paper, demonstrating applied learning (educators love that) with his own "modest proposal." Most high schoolers struggle to comprehend Swift's satire, but Jones seems to have a grasp.

Too bad his dimwitted principal doesn't get it. Pitts seized 500 undistributed copies of the school paper and, according to the AJC, told the student journalists he wanted more "positive and uplifting stories."

(Pitts was also upset with a column written by the paper's managing editor that criticized a local beauty pageant. Where's the controversy?)

The principal doesn't seem that interested in cultivating talent, nor in preparing his students for the professional world (although they might have a future in public relations, following his directive). Jones' column is even more relevant in light of his principal's hysterical overreaction.

*Having been in the business awhile, I've heard the incessant clamor for more positive stories. It's a baseless request. Newspapers, including the AJC, run affirming narratives every day. Journalists should never apologize for resisting the kind of hucksterism many would like us to adopt.

Where's Jan Kemp when you need her?

More embarrassment for Georgia: UGA's football program ranks last in the SEC in graduating its football players. Behind Alabama. Behind Auburn. Behind Ole Miss.

Only 41 percent of Bulldogs (who originally enrolled from 1997-2000) received their diplomas. Conversely, the University of Florida -- which has won 15 of the last 17 games against my alma mater -- graduated 72 percent of its players.

Georgia Tech's football program didn't fare much better, ranking last in the ACC with a 51 percent graduation rate. Keep in mind that Clemson, Miami and Florida State are also in the ACC.

I'm sure Gov. Sonny is busy preparing another editorial blasting the AJC for its negative coverage of his beloved Dawgs.

Remember this?

From the front page to the business page and now to the sports page, it is as if the AJC gleefully awaits lousy news about all things Georgia and pounces with their poison pens whenever bad things happen to the good people of our state.

Other cities celebrate the successes and mourn the losses of local businesses, individuals and sports teams. The AJC takes the opposite position and — instead of boosterism — criticizes, investigates and ridicules all things Georgia.

Free speech 1, hurt feelings 0

Kell High's student newspaper published a column characterizing homosexuals as victims of reproductive error or an unusual upbringing. And no one's being hauled into sensitivity training. Nor removing copies of the paper from the school. The student who wrote the offensive piece isn't even being disciplined.

Score one for free speech, even though some students have no idea what that grand idea entails.

Sophomore Kurt Webster said Monday he was surprised the student paper chose to publish such a controversial article. "It should not have been in the paper," he said. "It could hurt people's feelings."

Opinions, even nutty ones, should be debated, not censored lest they hurt fragile sensitivities.

Principal Trudie Donovan said Monday that she had reviewed the article before it was published last Friday, but said she had no authority to censor it. "My job is the safety and security of the school, not censorship," she said.

Good for Donovan. Let's hope the various indignation councils don't attempt to corrupt a valuable lesson.

Just say "leave me alone"

The more exposure middle school students have to anti-smoking ads, the more likely they are to smoke, according to a new University of Georgia study.

Hye-Jin Paek, an assistant professor at UGA, found that many anti-smoking ad campaigns have the opposite effect on teenagers, backfiring because they actually encourage the rebellious nature of youth.

"They don't want to hear what they should do or not do," Paek said.

Especially from the government. And all these restrictive, over-the-top anti-smoking ordinances are only fueling the next generation of cancer victims (speaking as a patron saint, I can assure you that Nancy Reagan's appearance on "Diff'rent Strokes" induced me to buy a crack pipe the next day). Surprisingly enough, I can't find that clip online, but I'm not a complete tease.

And you thought American schools were screwed up

British schoolchildren will no longer be taught about Winston Churchill. Hitler, Gandhi, Stalin and Martin Luther King have also been excised from lesson plans.

What's in?

The proposals will see traditional timetables torn up, with pupils focusing on modern “relevant” topics such as drug and booze abuse, climate change and GM foods.

I think I'll go abuse some booze now.

*It gets worse:

Children as young as four are to take "happiness tests" in a controversial drive to force schools to improve the well-being of pupils, it has emerged.

Thousands of youngsters are expected to be quizzed on whether they are feeling optimistic, confident, loved and interested in other people.

They will be set questionnaires similar to the self-help quizzes found in women's magazines to check they are "feeling good about myself" and "dealing with problems well".