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  Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Labor history could soon be part of Wisconsin school curriculum

Wed, 10/28/2009 - 2:06pm


By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio

MADISON (WPR) Wisconsin schools would be encouraged to teach the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process under a bill headed to the Governor's desk.

The plan would incorporate labor history into the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's model academic standards.  That's the pool of information schools teach to as they get ready for standardized tests.

Green Bay Democratic Senator Dave Hansen says kids need to know about labor's past, and how it still affects their lives today. He added that Wisconsin has a “long, proud and sometimes tragic labor history”, and that it’s important to remember the sacrifices made by “our parents, our grandparents and great-grandparents” and what they accomplished.

All Democrats and a handful of Republicans supported the plan.  Republican lawmakers who voted "no" said the state had no business mandating what schools should teach.

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Information from Wisconsin Public Radio, www.wpr.org