California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has done what few others state leaders have — pushed back against efforts to water down education. In an unexpected and last-minute move, the Governor vetoed AB 2446 late last week. The bill would have effectively eliminated the arts and foreign language graduation requirement from California high schools by allowing students to take “career tech” courses including “Food for Singles,” instead. Common Core published seven blogs over 14 days providing research to show that AB 2446 would have negative implications for California students. Enrollments in foreign language and arts courses would have declined, an acute travesty in the state with more non-English speakers than any other. As states, districts, and schools have come to focus more and more narrowly on reading and math, subjects such as arts and foreign language are being left behind. We’re terribly encouraged to see California resist this trend.
Lynne Munson
Where did you do your research? Do you really think that a fashion design course is only “Sewing machine basics?” That is an insignificant part to a complex curriculum. It’s like you’re saying Geometry class consists of “Drawing a circle with a compass.
Look up the California Standards for Career Technical Education. I’d love to see how many of the math, English, science standards YOU could do in ANY of the CTE areas. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/documents/ctestandards.pdf
“Food for Singles” is NOT a CTE course; it sounds like a bonehead course for kids barely passing high school. A Culinary Arts course has standards that are as rigorous as any academic class, and actually includes many academic standards.
First off, this bill would NOT eliminate foreign language & arts courses. Any student that is going to a UC or CSU is still required to take foreign language and arts courses. This bill would reduce drop out rate and give students another option to fullfill graduation requirements. Not all students will be attending a four year university. Some will attend community college, trade schools or join the workforce. This bill would give these students additional opportunities to explore career options while meeting their graduation requirements.
[...] familiar? AB 1330 is nearly identical to a bill vetoed by then-Governor Schwarzenegger last fall at the urging of Common Core, among others. By [...]