(Still) Don't Know Much About History

Another study is out with more bad news about how little our kids know about our country's history.

It's in all the papers. From the Times of New York:

American students are less proficient in their nation's history than in any other subject, according to results of a nationwide test released on Tuesday, with most fourth graders unable to say why Abraham Lincoln was an important figure and few high school seniors able to identify China as the North Korean ally that fought American troops during the Korean War.Over all, 20 percent of fourth graders, 17 percent of eighth graders and 12 percent of high school seniors demonstrated proficiency on the exam, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Federal officials said they were encouraged by a slight increase in eighth-grade scores since the last administration of the history test, in 2006. But even those gains offered little to celebrate, because, for example, fewer than a third of eighth graders could answer even a “seemingly easy question” asking them to identify an important advantage American forces had over the British during the Revolution, the government's statement on the results said.

Over all, 20 percent of fourth graders, 17 percent of eighth graders and 12 percent of high school seniors demonstrated proficiency on the exam, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Federal officials said they were encouraged by a slight increase in eighth-grade scores since the last administration of the history test, in 2006. But even those gains offered little to celebrate, because, for example, fewer than a third of eighth graders could answer even a “seemingly easy question” asking them to identify an important advantage American forces had over the British during the Revolution, the government's statement on the results said.

Well, one obvious answer is we had Dodge Chargers. Duh.

You can read the report here. And here are sample questions, to see if you're a proficient fourth, eighth or 12th grader.

I wrote in February about Iowa's own trouble with history education.  

The Christian Science Monitor, in an editorial, blames well-meaning education policy.

Fixing this problem isn't easy. Education in the United States has become focused on developing marketable skills for scarce jobs and less on the skills of citizenship. The 2002 No Child Left Behind Act has forced schools to focus almost solely on math and reading, which often leaves history and civics in the dust. As a result, most fourth-graders spend less than two hours a week on social studies in the classroom.This curriculum gap may be one reason for the generally declining rate of voting among young people. And one recent survey found most 18-to-29-year-olds could not peg the unemployment rate (9 percent) within five percentage points....Americans put themselves at the mercy of political spin if they don't understand the currents of their history. Politicians will only raise more money to buy more half-truth ads to fool the least knowledgeable of voters. (They also make themselves more beholden to campaign donors, corrupting government.)

This curriculum gap may be one reason for the generally declining rate of voting among young people. And one recent survey found most 18-to-29-year-olds could not peg the unemployment rate (9 percent) within five percentage points.

...

Americans put themselves at the mercy of political spin if they don't understand the currents of their history. Politicians will only raise more money to buy more half-truth ads to fool the least knowledgeable of voters. (They also make themselves more beholden to campaign donors, corrupting government.)

Yeah, at a moment in our history when history is being wielded again and again as a blunt, often distorted, political weapon, too many kids are growing up unarmed. Of course, the wielders of the future are banking on that.

We need a modern-day Lincoln to ride in, kill some Nazi zombies and explain to the kids why this is important. Pronto.