NEW APPROACHES TO SOCIAL STUDIES

The report, "One Nation, Many Peoples: A Declaration of Cultural Interdependence," recommends specific changes in the way social studies are taught in New York State's public schools. For example:* Maps would be adjusted. "Many of the maps used in social studies are out of date; they often portray areas only from one perspective," the report says. For example, a map representing North America in 1700 might give the impression that nobody lived in the areas which were home to native peoples." * New terms would be adopted for groups of people. "If social studies is to be taught from a global perspective, many of the so-called minorities in America are more accurately described as part of the world's majorities," the report says. * Teachers would be discouraged from talking about "races" of people. "Students need to see race as a cultural phenomenon, not a physical description ... ," according to the report.