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Posted on 08/09/2011 4:45:04 PM PDT by bthockey
For those of your who haven't found out yet, American students don't know basic history of their own country. I can't say I find this surprising because no one in my school is really that excited about history, let alone American history. I think this is a major problem with our schools and one that we must fix!
The National Assessment of Educational Progress tests students every couple years to see if our education system is headed in the right direction. If we dive into the stats, it's clear to see that students have horrendous history test scores. Only 12 percent of high school seniors scored a "proficient" score on the test, which is down from 20 percent of 4th graders and 17 percent of 8th graders! Clearly our students aren't learning enough about history, especially at the high school level.
(Excerpt) Read more at thebandofpatriots.com ...
It’s tough to get people to give up having their lifestyles subsidized by others. Socialized schooling is as big an entitlement as Social Security and bigger than Medicare but few talk about cutting it.
Here is what my generation was required to complete in History: 4th grade, California History; 5th Grade American History; 6th grade, current American History; 9th Grade, Latin American History; 11th grade, 1 year American history and 1 year American Literature; 12th Grade 1 semester American Government and 1 semester California Government. The University Syatem 1 Semester California Government; 1 year American History to graduate.(American Government was an elective).
Here is what my generation was required to complete in History: 4th grade, California History; 5th Grade American History; 6th grade, current American History; 9th Grade, Latin American History; 11th grade, 1 year American history and 1 year American Literature; 12th Grade 1 semester American Government and 1 semester California Government. The University System 1 Semester California Government; 1 year American History to graduate.(American Government was an elective).
“I never felt that the exact dating was a worthwhile question. More important was the “why” question.”
Sometimes the date explains the “why”; Russia’s surrender to the Central Powers in 1917 led the US to get into the war the same year (after our president campaigned on the slogan “He kept us out of war” in 1916). The Battle of Hastings occurred while Viking influence was waning; before battling William, Harry had to double-time south to meet him after defeating a Viking army at Stamford Bridge.
Well I can at least beat a 12th grader in Geography and History. Not so sure in some other areas.
Several of the questions actually required some thinking and although I got them all right, there were some I wasn’t certain of.
Don't worry, they're coming here.
Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917, shortly before Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany, but the Russians stayed in the war until after the Bolshevik takeover in November 1917. Lenin's treaty with Germany was in the spring of 1918.
E. D. Hirsch, author of the influential book Cultural Literacy--What Every American Needs to Know (Boston: Houghton, 1987) once wrote that there are certain dates that every culturally literate American should know--1066, 1492, 1776, and 1939-1945.
1066--the Sunset Crater volcano erupted, causing chaos on Arizona's Coconino Plateau
1492--Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in Spain, fell to the Christians
1776--Two important books were published: An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (London: Cannan, 1776) and the first volume of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (London: Strahan, 1776)
1939-1945--The USC Trojans won a national championship and four Rose Bowl games
California history is still taught in the fourth grade, and American history in the fifth grade.
Every fourth grader in California is supposed to research one of the mission churches established by the Spaniards in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Nowadays, the students usually build a model of the mission. If you meet a native Californian, ask him what he did for his fourth grade mission project or report. Mine was on Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad in Monterey County.
“For those of your...”
I guess proofreading ain’t so hot either.
The Russians for all intents & purposes stopped fighting when the Tsar’s government fell; troops left the front lines, and there was no cohesive plan any more for continuing the war. Wilson knew the Allies were doomed, and propped them up. Between the effectiveness of the U-boat campaign, and the fact that a million German troops from the eastern front could now be brought west, there was no doubt that the Central Powers would win.
As a university professor that teaches History, from my perspective in having taught freshmen classes in History, that the K12 system is totally fraked and that the reason the vast majority of students fail at history is because they are simply not taught alot of history during their high school stint. I have given in-class tests, usually during orientation week - the first week of the class/course, using high school History tests and they have failed them. =.=
To be sure, many private schools teach the same nonsense; parochial schools are usually good bang for the buck with a more-conservative curriculum, discipline, and spiritual support.
“arer not taught” or “did not learn”? I would argue that the onus is on the student to grasp the material and extend it past the minimum curricula presented, through outside reading (books, magazines, newspapers). It is no skin off the teacher’s nose - they will teach a new class the following year - but the student who fails to learn will bear the penalty (often in blissful ignorance) for the rest of his life.
In my local high school district, sophomores learn world history and seniors American history. However, the classes are mostly taught by PE teachers and athletic coaches.
Ummm, kids can't do math either ... many can't read. But teachers push 'earth day' and gay rights day and Jefferson fathered a child with a slave. We hire angry union workers to teach our kids... and wonder why they can't read.
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