IS COMMON CORE

DESTROYING HISTORY?
Why students need to learn and be taught History
Madison Wolf

ABSTRACT

In this paper, I will answer the question why does history need to be learned? I discuss the
scare of common core killing history in schools, and the research I have done on the topic. I
discuss why I agree with the articles main points about what common core is doing to
History in schools. After my analysis, I give examples of how the subject of History can be
restored in classrooms and go against what the Common Core has set as standards for
New York State.

Common Core Destruction of History

Is Common Core Destroying History?

Some may say that learning history is important so that we dont repeat the same
mistakes, I argue that learning history is important because everyone needs to know where we
came from and what has influenced the country we live in today. More and more you hear about
Common Core standards cutting out Social Studies classes in grade school and students
coming to high school not having basic knowledge of the thirteen colonies or who Henry Hudson
is. According to Singer (2014) the Regents board has now made it acceptable for students to fail
both the United States and Global History exams on October 20, 2014. Now, students can
graduate high school without knowing the basic of our own countries history and the history of
what we are shaped around.
With the Regents board and Common Core making it acceptable to allow students to
write off history like it never even happened in destroying history in our country. C.E. White
(2013) says that due to the fast pace changing and reform of Common Core, it has become
harder and harder to know what our educational system was going to be reformed into. This is
scary for current and future social studies teachers, I dont want to be teaching my ninth grade
students about United States history that they should have learned in elementary school.
With the first revelations of Common Core, the number one question on everyones mind
was will this be helpful to our students? To most students, Common Core can help them, but
these are usually the students who excel at math and science, not the ones who excel in social
studies and ELA. It seems that our government implementing Common Core does not think like

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Common Core Destruction of History

teachers. Teachers know that each and every student thinks and excels differently and that they
must modify their lessons sometimes to aid to all their students. The government on the other
hand is not, theyre thinking for the benefit of conforming the way students think.
Over the years, more and more students are opting out of taking social studies classes
because it has been implemented in their brains that social studies is a boring subject and they
wont actually need it in the future. According to Brasof (2012) between the years 1987-2003,
the average amount of time spent in a history classroom has decreased 18 hours in public
schools. This is due to the fact that since the implication of Common Core, students have had
the fact that math and science is where the jobs are and thats what is going to get you into
college. Due to the fact that under No Child Left Behind, students assessments were based on
math and English language arts, therefore students were opting to take more classes in those
subjects rather than social studies in school (Brasof, 2012).
In June of 2010, the Regents eliminated 5th and 8th grade social studies, history, and
geography assessments so that teachers and students could concentrate on math and science
and the higher stake standardized Common Core assessments (Singer, 2014). Due to these
assessment cuts, students are coming to college without the basic knowledge of American
history. The administrations are so focused on the students passing the Common Core
assessments that they have eliminated the value of learning our own nations history and how
we came to be. Students dislike for World History also is a result of these cuts. They no longer
want to learn about what other countries were doing because they believe it doesnt pertain to

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Common Core Destruction of History

their lives, when in actuality, our government is shaped around the democracy in Ancient
Greece.
According to Eric Mace, a third grade teacher in JHS 185 in Queens, New York, social
studies is no longer taught in elementary schools. He is quoted saying teachers were worried
that this would happen, and it has. Mace calls his students the common core students who are
inundated with Common Core, but know nothing of American History (Singer, 2014). It scares
me that I could potentially be teaching students in high school about the basics of American
History because they were never taught it in elementary school. This also worries me about the
United States AP exam and the American Government AP exam, will these also eventually
disappear? How can the Advanced Placement graders expect students who never learned the
basics of history to achieve high grades on tests like this?
Unfortunately, the more you speak to students about what their least favorite subjects in
school are, Social Studies is also on top of the list. This can come from the quick teaching of
Social Studies in elementary school classrooms because the main focus has to be on Math and
Science. Students arent getting the interactive Social Studies lessons that they need to be more
interested in the subject; theyre finding the subject matter bland. I dont want this for my
students, I want them to understand that Social Studies can be fun to learn and important to
learn. One of my professors this year always tell us that history doesnt repeat itself it rhymes; I
want my students to notice things like this.
These changes can be made in the classroom, but ultimately they need to implemented
by the state and common core standards should be changed. Theyre should not be Common
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Common Core Destruction of History

Core exams in only Math, Science and English, this sets up an unrealistic future to students. It
encourages them to believe that because they wont be tested on Social Studies, that they dont
need to worry about those classes. This sets up issues for students in high school and college.
It was never evident in my high school, everyone always had to take a history in my high school,
but I have noticed in college that all students do not have a history requirement. This is an issue
that has been set up by Common Core. I am a Secondary Education major with a concentration
in History and I have two science requirements, but my Biology major roommate has no history
requirements. It seems like something is wrong here. Science and Math are forced upon
students, even English is, but History is not. Students have the option to fill their electives with
history classes, but most choose something else.
All schools should implement a requirement for Social Studies in all grades, no matter
the concentration of Common Core. Everyone should be well rounded students, who have a
basic knowledge in all subjects. There should be no distinction between which subject are more
important for students to learn, this gives students the wrong idea and the wrong way to go
about their studies. Social Studies should especially be taught in elementary schools, this is
when students should know that America started as 13 colonies ruled by Great Britain and how
we gained freedom and built the great nation we live in today. No student should be going on to
higher level institutions without at least this basic knowledge. It is up to schools individually to
fight against these common core standards and implement their own rules on graduation
requirements. No student should be allowed to graduate with a failing grade in their own
countries history.
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It can become very easy for elementary schools to eliminate Social Studies from their
everyday lessons because the math is so invasive and time consuming, but it is up to the
teachers to make sure that all the subjects are getting the appropriate amount of time spent on
them. This needs to go back to the state, they need to understand that all students learn
differently and that they shouldnt be forced to only focus on something that they feel is
extremely difficult for them. Math and Science is not the only thing that is going to get people
through life. Yes, they are both very important, but students need at least a basic knowledge of
their countries history before entering high school or college. There should be no cutting of
Social Studies assessments in any states. If these Common Core standards are so important,
then there should be a Common Core assessment implemented for Social Studies.
Due to these Common Core assessments being so important, there should be one for
every subject, not just the ones the state has deemed most important to students knowledge
and future. What about the students who excel in the arts and in history? What if they just arent
very good at math and science and find no interest in it? They will feel as if they will have no
future because they dont know how to learn and use the things that have been put down their
throats about where the most careers will be. Teachers in high school used to tell me that I
should never become a Social Studies teacher because there are no jobs and there is more
demand in math and science. This led me to concentrate in Math when I first came to
Manhattan College and I ultimately regretted it. There will always be a need for History in
everyones lives because we are living in historical moments everyday. Is Common Core

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destroying history? Unfortunately, yes it is. But, there can be a change if teachers fight hard
enough, everything can be truly equal.

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Works Cited
Brasof, M. (2012, November 15). What future can social studies education have under the
Common Core? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2012/11/15/what-future-can-social-studies-education-have-underthe-common-core
Singer, A. (2014, October 27). Common Core and the End of History. Retrieved October 13,
2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/common-core-historyexams_b_6050456.html
White, C. (2013, January 21). 8th Grade History Teacher: Stop the Common Core | Truth in
American Education. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from
http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/8th-grade-history-teacherstop-the-common-core/

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