Geography Lesson for NY Students?

[Chris_Wendt]

As the Common Core is being implemented in NY and elsewhere around the country, I would like to offer a suggestion for an especially relevant Social Studies module for New York students:

• Where are NY jobs moving to when they leave NY State?
  
  
• Why are NY jobs leaving NY State and why are they moving the those particular places?
  
  
• Compare your career opportunities if you stay in NY after college with career opportunities if you leave NY after college.

Why am I making this recommendation?

• Today's Newsday exposé on Arrow Electronics headquarters move to Denver
  
  
• Remember American Airlines?
  
  
• Remember J. C. Penney?
  
  
• Remember Xerox?
  
  
• Remember Grumman Aerospace?
  
  
• Remember Tambrands?
  
  
• Remember (YOUR favorite ex-NY corporate-headquartered company, here)?

Think carefully, too, about the fallacy known as "Industrial Development" which gives tax breaks to companies that move to, start-up on, or change their mind about threatening to leave Long Island. This activity usually does not result in the jobs promised, starves localities and school districts for growth in their tax bases, and just makes the cost of living and of doing business here all the more expensive for everyone else. It also masks, or tries to, the basic fact that Long Island is too expensive to attract and retain businesses that have a choice about where to locate.

Anyhow, presuming we share a legitimate interest in rigorous academic pursuits, it would probably be good for high school students to gain an understanding of these facts of life before we cut them loose to start their own life.

Chris Wendt