Thirty years ago, the Nation At Risk report warned that “a rising tide of mediocrity” -- low educational standards — “threatens our very future as a nation and a people.”
High schools pushed students to take more rigorous college-prep courses. Students now earn significantly more science and math credits, notes the Washington Post.
Other recommendations, such as extending the school year to 220 days and paying teachers for 11 months of work, were ignored.
A Nation At Risk kicked off the education reform movement
Where Are We Now? asks Education Week.
Rigor is the answer writes Core Knowledge’s Lisa Hansel on the Shanker Blog. “Progressive educators’ misunderstandings of the essential role of specific, relevant knowledge in reading comprehension and critical thinking resulted in weak curricula being the norm and pockets of excellence typically being reserved for our most advantaged youth,’she writes.
Here’s an analysis from Fordham and the American Enterprise Institute:
