Politics is more divided than ever. Social issues related to race, gender, and wealth plague America. Social media is a hotbed of ideas. Young people are involved, they vote in large numbers and are seen as supporters and activists more than ever.
But young people don't seem to know much about him and his government.
Eighth-graders advanced 10 years ahead on the national assessment of US history and posted first-place scores on the nation's national survey, according to results released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics. "These data are of national interest," said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a research arm of the Department of Education.
"A comprehensive education includes training in democratic values," he said. “These assessments challenge students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills as they prepare to become engaged citizens in a democratic government. Many students struggle to understand and explain the impact of civic participation, how our government works, and the historical significance of events. He is worried. Honestly, I was surprised.
The average score for the 2022 assessment is nine points lower than the average score for 2014, when scores began falling nearly a decade ago. In total, only 13% of the eight graduates performed at or above the technical level, two points less than in 2018, while 15% received a good level, which is not different when the first assessment was made and 1994. Most of the problem, Carr said, is the rise in the number of students who give marks at or below the test: 40% of eighth graders scored below the baseline, up from 34% in 2018. .
“We were surprised to see the first drop in the math test. It's hard to get better than that," Carr said. "But for the history of the United States, I'm very concerned because it's a decline that started in 2014, way before we thought about COVID. So it's a decline that's been going down for some time.
In the national survey, the score fell in the first place, by two points. A total of 22% of students met the eligibility criteria, which is not much different from when the last assessment was made in 2018 or when it was given in 1998. Also, however, Carr is concerned about the increase in the number of students at the basic level or below: 31% in the 2022 survey compared to 27% in the 2018 survey.
The United States history survey covers four broad themes - including democracy, culture, technology, and world work - and challenges students to explore the time periods, events, people , concepts, interpretations, time and historical sources. The civics test asks students to demonstrate their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and how a society works, and assesses their ability to participate in a democratic society.
Each assessment was given in 2022 to approximately 8,000 eighth grade students in 400 schools across the United States.
The latest U.S. history analysis of the nation's education scores follows dismal results from the latest math and reading tests, also known as the national report card, which showed a sharp drop in student scores. every state, where students show high failing scores in mathematics. "The latest national education progress assessment also shows the great impact of the disease on student learning in subjects other than mathematics and reading," said the Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, in a press release.
"It tells us that now is not the time for politicians to try to get double-digit cuts in education funding, or to limit what students learn in history and science classes. Civics in the United States ,” he said, referring to the recent. GOP decisions. budget proposals that would cut funding for low-income students and students with disabilities, and efforts in Republican-controlled states to limit what students can learn about topics such as race, racism, inequality equality, sexuality, gender and LGBTQ issues. Conservatives have called the curriculum and topics too controversial or inappropriate to be taught in K-12 schools, even though much of it is in the history of the United States. As it stands, more than a dozen states have passed laws restricting what teachers can teach — though hundreds of legislative proposals have been introduced since 2020 in all states, according to UCLA Critical Race Studies. "We must provide rich opportunities for every student to learn about American history and understand the US Constitution and how our government works," Cardona said. "Preventing history books and research teachers from teaching these important subjects does a disservice to our students and will move America in the wrong direction."
Congress wanted to solve a long-standing problem of US history and citizens last year when Senator. Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, and Sen. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, introduced bipartisan legislation to increase funding by $1 billion for such community education in K-12 schools. But the plan was quickly shot down by conservative GOP members, who said the bill would support strict racial pedagogy in K-12 schools.
The federal government currently spends five cents per K-12 student — about $4 million overall — in the state, according to the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, compared to what to $54 for a K-12 student. level 12 to support science, technology, engineering. , in mathematics. - or STEM - education. Additionally, only seven states require students to take one year of community education, while 13 states do not require students to take any community education.
"What we learn in these subjects is part of who we are as Americans," Carr said. “These are important things. They are an important part of a comprehensive education.
