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FW: [NCCmailings] NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #17, May 9, 2002



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From: rbcraig@nccph.org [mailto:rbcraig@nccph.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 1:25 PM
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Subject: [NCCmailings] NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #17, May 9, 2002


NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #17, May 9, 2002
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig@nccph.org>
National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCCPH)
*****************

1.    NAEP Issues "The Nation's Report Card: U.S. History 2001"
2.    Blue Ribbon Commission on Smithsonian History Museum Issues Report
3.    Effort Launched to Raise Park Service Funding Levels
4.    Texas State Attorney General Declares Bush Acted Legally in Papers
Dispute
5.    Monticello Association Seeks to Bring Closure to Hemings Membership
Dispute
6.    News Bits and Bytes: LC Website: Slavery and the Courts
7.    Articles of Interest: URL Correction; "Our Past, Cobwebs and All"
(The Washington Post)

1.  NAEP ISSUES "THE NATION'S REPORT CARD: U.S. HISTORY 2001"
On May 9, 2002 the National Center for Education Statistics released its
assessment of what the nation's fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-graders know
about American history.  The report is the only nationally representative
and continuing assessment of what American students know and can do in
various academic subjects. The report shows that average history scores of
4th and 8th grade students have improved while the average scores of 12th
grade students have not changed significantly since 1994 when the last test
was made. More than a third of the 4th graders, nearly 40% of 8th graders,
and more than half of high schools seniors did not demonstrate even a
"Basic" understanding of the subject.

The assessment provides data on a nationally representative sample of
nearly 30,000 students at over 1100 public and private schools. Student
performance is reported in two different ways -- by scale scores and by
percentages of students who attained the NAEP U.S. history achievement
levels -- Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. The NAEP U.S. history scale runs
from 0 to 500, with scores for all three grade levels placed on the same
scale. The report shows that at grade 4, the percentage of students
performing at or above the Basic level increased while there were no
changes in the percentages of students performing at or above Proficient
and at Advanced.  At grade 8, there were increases in all performance
levels; at grade 12, the percentages were static and not statistically
different from 1994.  The report showed that the average 4th and
8th  grader is still at the Basic level while the average 12th grader is
below the Basic level. According to Secretary of Education Roderick Paige,
"This is unacceptable."

Data reveal interesting findings with respect to gender, race, and
ethnicity. At grade 4, both male and female students had higher average
scores than in 1994; at grade 8 only males showed a significant statistical
gain and at grade 12 there was no significant difference between the
performance of males and females. The study also showed a reduction in the
racial/ethnic gap between students. At grade 4, both White and Black
students had higher average scores; at all three grade levels, White
students had higher average scores than their Black, Hispanic and American
Indian peers; Asian/Pacific Islanders students, in general, had higher
average scores than their Black and Hispanic counterparts.

The type of school that students attend, the use of computers, and the
employment of different types of instructional tools also impacted student
performance.  In general, in 2001 as in 1994, students attending public
schools scored higher than they did in 1994, but not as high as students
attending private schools (the report notes, however, that "socioeconomic
and sociological factors. . . .may affect student performance").
Interestingly, while only one-quarter to one-third of the students at all
grade levels stated they used computers while studying history, in all
three grade levels students who reported daily general use had lower
average scores than did those who reported less frequent general use of
computers. However, students who used computers "for specific history
related activities" ("research" for example) scored higher on average than
those who did so to a lesser extent.  Daily use of a history textbook was
associated with higher scores by grade 4 students while use of primary
historical documents at the higher grade levels resulted in higher scores
than students who did not make use of such instructional materials.

During testing, students were asked a series of questions based on four
historical themes: "Change and Continuity in American Democracy," "The
Gathering and Interactions of Peoples, Cultures, and Ideas," "Economic and
Technological Changes," and "The Changing Role of America in the World." A
total of eight historical periods provided a chronological structure for
the many issues included in the four central themes. Depending on the grade
level being tested, exam questions numbered from just under 100 to over
150. Test questions were selected to emphasize the ways of thinking and the
kinds of knowledge that historical study requires. This year students were
asked to respond not just to multiple-guess questions, they also had to
devote more than 50% of their time to "constructed response" questions,
which require at least a brief written response and sometimes several short
paragraphs.

During the press briefing, New York University historian Diane Ravitch (and
a representative of the NAEP governing board) as well as professor John
Patrick of Indiana University were invited to comment on the report's
findings.  So did Secretary Paige.  Dr. Ravitch expressed alarm at the
"mixed and troublesome picture," especially at the "abysmal scores for 12th
graders." Dr. Patrick expressed dismay over the "general negative
findings."  Secretary Paige stated that the Administration is committed to
a "bold goal -- creating a system that insists on accountability and
results, teacher quality" but when questioned whether the report results
would serve as a catalyst for the Administration to support a higher
appropriation level for the "Teaching American History" initiative, he said
no. Paige also stated that the Department did not support NAEP testing of
students in history more frequently (as is done for math and English) in
order to assess student progress -- that, he stated, was a task "best left
to the states."

The full report can be accessed at the NCES website at:
<http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard>.

2.  BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION ON SMITHSONIAN HISTORY MUSEUM ISSUES REPORT
On May 7, 2002 the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History (NMAH) issued its long-awaited "final
report."  The Commission made twenty key recommendations covering five
areas -- architecture and aesthetic settings for exhibitions; better
orientation for visitors; balance in exhibition themes and content;
increased reach around the country; and effective implementation of the
report's recommendations. According to the panel, the NMAH needs a complete
"transformation."

Though not overtly critical of the Smithsonian's top leadership, the report
takes management to task for recent actions and current exhibitions.  For
example, the Commission noted that within the Smithsonian museums there are
significant employee morale problems.  In addition, "confidence has been
undermined among both scholars and donors. . . .and other key
constituencies."  The report's focus however, is on the museum's current
exhibitions which the Commission believes "lack aesthetic appeal,
organizational coherence, and the perception of substantive balance."

To correct these deficiencies, a "transformation" is needed. To minimize
future controversy involving donors, "solicitation of grants should follow
the development of substantive concepts and plans." To this end, the report
suggests that the museum establish a clear "vision and plan" and recommends
the creation of a "multi-story" introductory core exhibition that would
have intellectual "substance," would proceed chronologically, would include
the display of highly visible "icons" (such as the Star Spangled Banner),
and would introduce a few central organizing themes for the examination and
interpretation of American history. To achieve this objective, Smithsonian
officials announced that the recent $80 million donation by Kenneth E.
Behring has been restructured so that some of these funds can immediately
be put to work to plan and construct the new introductory exhibition.

The findings drew immediate praise from the Smithsonian Board of Regents
which endorsed the Commission recommendations as well as "the vision and
direction embodied in the Report." Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small
characterized the Commission's report as "a comprehensive and insightful
assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of [the museum]." He  assured
the Commission that "the Smithsonian will act on the report."  Similarly,
when top Smithsonian management staff met with museum historians, curators,
and other employees shortly after the release of the report, NMAH staff
also voiced their appreciation to the Commission for their effort and their
product.  According to curators, "the responses seem to be positive on all
sides. . . .[the report] is as good as it could have been."

The Commission was established in June 2001 and charged to advise the
Smithsonian on "the most timely and relevant themes and methods of
presentation for the Museum in the 21st century." To meet this charge,
Chairman Richard Darman (former Director of the Office of Management and
Budget under former President George Bush) and some 20 renowned historians,
museum professionals, journalists, and prominent public figures were
selected.  They met and deliberated as a group three times over a six month
period.  They also carried out discussions via conference calls and e-mail,
and met in subgroups in order to pursue matters of special interest.

In approaching the Commission's broad charge, members reviewed the NMAH's
strategic plan and the museum's current exhibits. While "donor relations"
was not part of the original charge, according to History Channel
documentary host and Commission member Roger Mudd, the Commission felt
compelled to address this issue as well, especially in light of the actions
of  "the giver who gave up" (a reference to Catherine Reynolds' retraction
of her $38 million gift to the NMAH -- see "Reynolds Foundation Withdraws
Support for Smithsonian Exhibit," in NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #5,
February 7, 2002).

The report is a consensus document and reflects only the recommendations
upon which all the Commissioner's could agree. Of particular interest to
historians and curators are the Commission's findings relating to
"contextual realities" of NMAH's exhibitions.   The Commission found a
plethora of "under-represented subjects and themes" including religion;
immigration and immigrants; the African-American, Asian-Pacific, and
Hispanic experience and cultures (including the history of "diversity"
itself); cowboy culture; the history of American education; and the history
of American capital formation. While the subject and theme recommendations
addressed concerns relating to race and gender, Chairman Darden could not
explain why issues relating to "class" did not generate similar attention.

The Commission also raised significant architectural and aesthetic concerns
about NMAH. They found poorly utilized exhibit floor space, clutter,
insufficient lighting, and financial demands in excess of currently
available resources.  The Commission realized the difficult challenges in
managing donor relations but noted that the Smithsonian "has special trust
obligations" that mandate the Institution's control over content and
stressed the importance of seeing that "this principle is clearly
understood both internally and externally." Furthermore, the reports notes,
the challenges of managing donor relationships will "require extraordinary
skill on the part of a new NMAH Director."

Now that the report has been issued, the work of the Commission is over and
it is up to top-level Smithsonian management to carry out the
recommendations. According to Chairman Darman, the selection of the new
NMAH Director, "is terribly important." It is clear that the Commission's
report is sufficiently detailed that it could provide the marching orders
for the new Director of the NMAH once that individual is selected later in
the year. The new Director will need to immediately "strengthen the
management of relations with key constituencies -- donors, historians,
museum professionals and the public" and begin to rebuild the NMAH.

The report may be accessed at http://americanhistory.si.edu

3.  EFFORT LAUNCHED TO RAISE PARK SERVICE FUNDING LEVELS
Historic preservationists are seeking to raise the National Park Service's
(NPS) annual appropriation by an additional $280 million for FY 2003.  In
order to help the agency eliminate maintenance backlogs in the parks and to
preserve the natural, cultural, and historic attributes of the 385 park
sites across the nation, last week, senators Max Cleland (D-GA), Fred
Thompson (R-TN), Bill Frist (R-TN), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Craig Thomas
(R-WY), and Max Baucus (D-MT) sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to their
Senate colleagues stating their intension to support a higher funding level
for the bureau. They also plan to send a joint letter to the Chairman of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and the
Ranking Member, Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT).

For more than a decade, operating and maintenance shortages have generated
festering problems in the nation's national parks -- historic sites in
particular need attention. Today there are nearly 300 million visitors
annually, and existing funding levels have failed to accommodate the
System's expansion, redress staffing cutbacks, or correct problems
associated with an aging infrastructure. Additional funding would help to
preserve historic sites that are facing critical maintenance and staffing
shortages. This funding is especially important considering that, according
to the NPS's "Cultural Resource Challenge Report 2000," 59% (228 units) of
the Service's 385 units "were designated to specifically preserve important
aspects or moments in our nation's history."

NCC ACTION ITEM: you can help this effort to boost funding for parks and
historic sites with critical maintenance needs that comprise the National
Park System. By close-of-business on May 10, please call your senators via
the U.S. Capitol switchboard (202-224-3121) and request that they sign on
to the letter now circulating in Senate offices addressed to Senators Byrd
and Burns regarding increasing the annual appropriation to the NPS by $280
million. Should they wish to sign on to the letter, ask your senators to
have staff contact Neal Martin in Senator Cleland's office at 224-6250 or
Allison Martin in Senator Thompson's office at 224-7198. The deadline for
obtaining signatures to the letter is May 10th. If you would prefer to
e-mail your request, you can log on to the National Trust For Historic
Preservation's Congressional Advocacy Center web site at
http://capwiz.com/nthp/home/ and send your senators an e-mail requesting
their support.

4.  TEXAS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL DECLARES BUSH ACTED LEGALLY IN PAPERS
DISPUTE
According to Texas State Attorney General John Cornyn, President Bush did
not break the law when he sent his gubernatorial papers to his father's
presidential library instead of the state archives.  However, the official
also declared that the documents are state property and therefore are
subject to Texas' open-records law.   According to Cornyn, when Bush was
governor, he did have "the power to designate an alternate repository for
his gubernatorial records," but he did not have the authority "to alter the
manner in which such records are preserved or made available to the public."
Shortly before he left office, then governor Bush invoked a provision of a
1997 Texas law that gave governors the right to name an alternate
depository for their official papers. Once transferred to the Bush library,
federal officials raised the issue whether the records fell under federal
or state public access laws.  Federal officials stated that they could not
be expected to comply with a state law and lacked the resources to do
so.  Nevertheless, in most instances, the library staff has come close to
fulfilling within 10 days many requests for documents that have poured into
the library.
Peggy D. Rudd, director of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
who took a firm stand in asserting provisions of the Texas Public
Information Act to assure the state's control over the papers, felt
"vindicated" at the news of the decision.  She said that the state archives
and the Bush library have been operating under a memorandum of
understanding that had been working fairly well, but the decision "gives us
a much clearer direction and allows us to work with the George Bush
Presidential Library."  Tom Smith, state director of the consumer advocate
group Public Citizen, stated, "This is a victory for the people and their
right to know and assures the public an opportunity to look at these
records in a timely way." For historians and archivists, the ruling means
that the George Bush Library will have to comply with the state's open
records law that, among other provisions, requires answers to FOIA requests
within 10 days.

5. MONTICELLO ASSOCIATION SEEKS TO BRING CLOSURE TO HEMINGS' MEMBERSHIP
DISPUTE
After three years of rancorous and racially charged debate, on May 5, 2002
the Monticello Association, a group of over 700 of Thomas Jefferson's
documented lineal descendants, rejected two proposals at their annual
meeting: first, that the Association allow the kin of slave Sally Hemings
to join the family organization, and second, that the Association authorize
the formation of a separate organization to honor the slaves and others who
worked at Monticello in Jefferson's time.

According to John H. Works Jr., former President of the Association, "Our
intent was to kill this forever so it doesn't keep coming up again. . .
.this should do it." But according to others, the 74 to 6 (67 to 5
according to another account) vote against changing the Association's
membership criteria is not likely to bring closure to the controversy.
Charges relating to Jefferson's paternity first emerged even before the
President's death in 1826. A more recent controversy emerged in 1998 when
DNA analysis showed a genetic link between the male line of the Jefferson
family and some descendants of Hemings. After several additional studies
scrutinizing both historical and scientific evidence, no conclusive
determination could be made whether Thomas, his brother Randolph, or one of
his sons fathered the Hemings' children.

While the press as well as other "outsiders" were barred from the meeting,
what transpired behind closed doors was characterized by one participant as
a "two-hour verbal slugfest" between Jefferson and Hemings
descendants.  Barred from joining the Monticello Association the Hemings
descendants are now discussing plans for their own Jefferson-Hemings family
get-together at Monticello.

6.  NEWS BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- New Online Collection on Slavery:  The Library of Congress (LC)
has added another collection, "Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860" to the
already more than 100 online collections that are a part of the LC's
American Memory project. The new collection features some 100 pamphlets and
books documenting the difficult experiences of slaves in the American
colonies and the United States. Drawn from the LC's Law Library and the
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, these materials include an
assortment of trials and cases, reports, arguments, examinations of cases
and decisions, proceedings and other works of historical importance
regarding slaves in free jurisdictions, fugitive slaves, slave revolts, the
African slave trade and abolitionists in the North and South. Other
materials document the trial of abolitionist John Brown and the work of
John Quincy Adams and William Lloyd Garrison to abolish slavery. The
collection also contains courtroom transcripts, important speeches from
trials, lawyers' trial arguments, and Supreme Court documents.  To access
the collection tap into: http://www.loc.gov

7.  ARTICLES OF INTEREST
First, a correction to last week's URL for the USA Today article, "Family
Feud Stains Efforts to Burnish Nixon's Legacy". The correct posting is:
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/04/30/nixon.htm>.

Second, an essay by Blake Gopnik, a staff writer for the Washington Post
(May 8, 2002) entitled, "Our Past, Cobwebs and All: History is Messy. Why
Tidy Up a Museum Devoted to It?" takes issue with the recommendations of
the NMAH Blue Ribbon Commission report discussed above.  Tap into:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56383-2002May8.html>.


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