ERIC Number: ED501841
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Still at Risk. Education Outlook. No. 2
Hess, Frederick M.
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
In the aftermath of the furor provoked by the 1983 blue-ribbon report "A Nation At Risk," the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted a groundbreaking study to determine what America's seventeen-year-olds knew about history and literature. Administered in 1986, the tests revealed the disheartening answer: not enough. Unfortunately, today there is no good measure of how much our children know about American history and literature. In this issue of "Education Outlook," the author describes a new study he authored for the Washington, DC-based nonprofit Common Core to fill this void and determine just how much today's seventeen-year-olds know about history and literature. His study found that America's seventeen-year-olds fare rather poorly when it comes to familiarity with major historical events and significant literary accomplishments. Perhaps these results should not come as a great surprise. For all the attention paid to school improvement in recent years, particularly at the high school level, the focus has been on reading, math, and graduation, a focus that has not served the broader aim of ensuring that our children are educated in the liberal arts and sciences. The author presents five recommendations deserving attention. (Contains 2 tables and 8 notes.)
Descriptors: United States History, National Competency Tests, Educational Change, Liberal Arts, United States Literature, Knowledge Level, Adolescent Attitudes, Educational Assessment, Educational Indicators, Familiarity, Change Strategies
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. 1150 Seventeenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-862-5800; Fax: 202-862-7177; Web site: http://www.aei.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A