The last Pacific Division Meeting of the APA hosted an invited symposium sponsored by the APA Committee on Pre-College Philosophy and chaired by Donna J. Benedetti (Pacific Center for Violence Prevention). To say that philosophy is under-represented in U.S. pre-college education is an understatement. There is no systematic philosophy instruction in U.S. secondary and primary schools. This sets the U.S. apart from other nations with dubious distinction. The APA Committee on Pre-College Philosophy, Betsy Decyk (CSU Long Beach), Chair, is charged with investigating this situation and seeking solutions to it. This meeting presented several approaches including the use of the web to engage high school students in college philosophy.Jonathan Martin (Maybeck HS, Berkeley) teaches philosophy courses and philosophy units within other courses at the high school level. In-class instruction at the pre-college level is an excellent goal. Yet, Martin cautions that public school instruction is already struggling with many demands. Adding a new course of study to the curriculum will necessitate replacing some existing element. Even meritorious additions of this sort are likely to be met with resistance on the part of teachers, parents, and administrators. Martin’s use of philosophy in his teaching provides an instance of how well the discipline may be integrated into secondary instruction.Jon DorboloOregon State Universitydorboloj@ucs.orst.edu
