There was an interesting juxtaposition of history stories in the news this week. On one hand, there was a White House-sponsored forum emphasizing the importance of teaching about the nation s history and government. On the other hand, an alarming story in the Baltimore Sun found that districts across the state of Maryland were literally jettisoning social studies instruction in order to focus on lifting reading and math scores. Among its findings gathered in a survey by the Maryland Humanities Council are that Anne Arundel County has pared social studies instruction time by one-third in elementary and middle school; Baltimore has gone from 90 to 72 days of social studies instruction; and in Prince George s County, some schools are no longer even teaching social studies.

By way of explanation, Mark Stout, Howard County coordinator of secondary social studies, said If it ain t tested, it ain t taught. I hate to say it, but it s true.