WLKY gets Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. Why don’t Kentucky’s social studies standards?

WLKY understands the significance of the Gettysburg Address, which was presented by President Abraham Lincoln over 150 years ago.

But, Kentucky’s current – and really terrible – public school social studies standards never once mention Lincoln’s name let alone his famous and inspiring address.

How different from other states.Massachusetts’ current social studies standards mention the Gettysburg Address in multiple places and even the State of Mississippi’s social studies standards mention this address, too. Both of those states mention Lincoln by name, as well.

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s social studies standards never even mention Lincoln even though he was born in the Bluegrass State! Good Grief!

Why is it that states both highly regarded and not so highly regarded for education ensure Lincoln and his address will be covered for all their students while Kentucky fails to do this?

You can listen here as the WLKY staff give the address a renewed life. For the sake of your children, be sure they get to hear this, too, because there is NO guarantee Kentucky’s schools will ever tell them about either Lincoln as an exceptional human being or his address, either.

Good Job, WLKY! Kentucky educators, not hardly!

Come on, Kentucky legislators. Since our educators are not doing it, let’s rejoin the rest of the country and throw out our vacuous and disrespectful excuse for social studies standards by recalling the regulation that adopted them. After all, in Kentucky the education buck ultimately stops with the legislature.

For more about the mess that is Kentucky’s current social studies standards, check our recent report, check out our recent report, “PRESERVING HISTORY, Problems with Kentucky’s Social Studies Standards, Must be Redone.”