Peoria school teaching 1776 curriculum
(CNN) - Welcome to Candeo Peoria. The public charter school says its mission is to grow wisdom and virtue for a life well lived. A part of their liberal arts education included the 1776 curriculum.
"It really lays out this prescribed knowledge that all Americans should know. Starting in their youngest years, in kindergarten and with that it includes key vocabulary, big ideas and questions, important dates, timelines," said Becky Palisuri, head of the school.
The 1776 cirriculum, which focus on history and civics, was developed by Hillsdale College, a private Christian school in Michigan. It was, in part, inspired by what Former President Donald Trump called "A Patriotic Education."
When asked what will be taught in the 1776 curriculum, Palisuri spoke, "They learn patriotic songs in music class, perform them in different assemblies, a rite of passage here is every morning greeting the fourth grade does a recitation of the preamble of the declaration of independence."
CNN reporter Amy Cutler further explains, "The school tells me the 1776 curriculum isn't all that students are learning when it comes to history and social studies, rather its an added layer, a focus on the founding fathers."
But some argue, including Arizona Education Associate President Marisol Garcia, that celebrating those figures doesn't tell the full story.
"What's concerning is trying to eliminate any part of American history or even Arizona history. I teach and live in an area where segregated schools existed a generation ago," Garcia points out.
However, Palisari counters, "It's not meant to leave out any part of history, history is education and so certainly as we're talking about the civil war, it talks about some of the darkness that was present in that time period."
While Garcia advocates that every curriculum taught in schools around Arizona should include a community decision making process, Palisari has a different perspective.
"When we all share a body of knowledge or information or key dates or historical people and events, it's something that actually brings us together," Palisari said.
