Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Public pans, praises SOL history changes
by The Associated Press, January 9, 2001
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2001 02:10 am CST

People of Armenian descent urged the Virginia Board of Education to include the Armenian genocide in the state's Standards of Learning curriculum during at least two of the three public hearings the board held around the state Monday night.

The Armenian genocide took place between 1915 and 1923 when an estimated 1.5 million Armenian Christians were killed under the Islamic government of the Ottoman Empire - an event the government of Turkey still denies.

Armenians urged board members attending hearings in Petersburg and Falls Church to insert the Armenian genocide into the state curriculum while the state is considering changes to the history and social science SOLs. In Petersburg, 11 Armenians spoke; nine spoke in Falls Church.

Several teachers complained the SOLs require them to pack too much information into too little time to teach effectively.

"I often feel as if I am covering the information, rather than teaching it," said Robert Cleveland, a U.S. history teacher at Petersburg High School. "How can we teach even more information when it is difficult to do that now?"

Some parents echoed the teachers' concerns.

"I believe the architects of the SOL program are more interested in being socially and politically correct than being educationally minded," said Stonewall Odom. "West Africa is a good subject to know. But I believe a second language would project my child further."

Roxanne Grossman of Parents Across Virginia United to Reform the SOLs criticized the state for, among other things, "trading" historical figures like "baseball cards."

"Harriet Tubman is out, Rosa Parks is in. Arthur Ashe is out, Jackie Robinson is in," she said.

There also was a hearing in Norfolk on Monday. Another set for Marion was postponed until Jan. 16 because of bad weather.

In Falls Church, Sara Shoob, social studies coordinator for Fairfax County Schools, acknowledged improvements in the proposed revisions, but said the standards are still flawed. She said they mention specific white men, but fail to mention names of specific women, American Indians and Hispanic-Americans who contributed greatly to U.S. history.

Board President Kirk T. Schroder said the board would not vote on the revisions to SOLs before the last week in February.

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